by
them. My plan is to send the Whimsies through the tunnel first, and
then the Growleywogs and the Phanfasms. By the time we Nomes get there
the eggs will all be used up, and we may then pursue and capture the
inhabitants at our leisure."

"Perhaps you are right," returned the King, with a dismal sigh. "But I
want it distinctly understood that I claim Ozma and Dorothy as my own
prisoners. They are rather nice girls, and I do not intend to let any
of those dreadful creatures hurt them, or make them their slaves. When
I have captured them I will bring them here and transform them into
china ornaments to stand on my mantle. They will look very
pretty--Dorothy on one end of the mantle and Ozma on the other--and I
shall take great care to see they are not broken when the maids dust
them."

"Very well, your Majesty. Do what you will with the girls for all I
care. Now that our plans are arranged, and we have the three most
powerful bands of evil spirits in the world to assist us, let us make
haste to get the tunnel finished as soon as possible."

"It will be ready in three days," promised the King, and hurried away
to inspect the work and see that the Nomes kept busy.

14. How the Wizard Practiced Sorcery

"Where next?" asked the Wizard when they had left the town of
Fuddlecumjig and the Sawhorse had started back along the road.

"Why, Ozma laid out this trip," replied Dorothy, "and she 'vised us to
see the Rigmaroles next, and then visit the Tin Woodman."

"That sounds good," said the Wizard. "But what road do we take to get
to the Rigmaroles?"

"I don't know, 'zactly," returned the little girl; "but it must be
somewhere just southwest from here."

"Then why need we go way back to the crossroads?" asked the Shaggy Man.
"We might save a lot of time by branching off here."

"There isn't any path," asserted Uncle Henry.

"Then we'd better go back to the signposts, and make sure of our way,"
decided Dorothy.

But after they had gone a short distance farther the Sawhorse, who had
overheard their conversation, stopped and said:

"Here is a path."

Sure enough, a dim path seemed to branch off from the road they were
on, and it led across pretty green meadows and past leafy groves,
straight toward the southwest.

"That looks like a good path," said Omby Amby. "Why not try it?"

"All right," answered Dorothy. "I'm anxious to see what the Rigmaroles
are like, and this path ought to take us there th