st back of their
heads, were also strong and big; but their bodies were smaller around
than their heads, and dwindled away in a long line until their tails
were slim as a shoe-string. Dorothy thought, if it had taken them
sixty-six years to grow to this size, that it would be fully a hundred
years more before they could hope to call themselves dragons, and that
seemed like a good while to wait to grow up.

"It occurs to me," said the Wizard, "that we ought to get out of this
place before the mother dragon comes back."

"Don't hurry," called one of the dragonettes; "mother will be glad to
meet you, I'm sure."

"You may be right," replied the Wizard, "but we're a little particular
about associating with strangers. Will you kindly tell us which way your
mother went to get on top the earth?"

"That is not a fair question to ask us," declared another dragonette.
"For, if we told you truly, you might escape us altogether; and if we
told you an untruth we would be naughty and deserve to be punished."

"Then," decided Dorothy, "we must find our way out the best we can."

They circled all around the cavern, keeping a good distance away from
the blinking yellow eyes of the dragonettes, and presently discovered
that there were two paths leading from the wall opposite to the place
where they had entered. They selected one of these at a venture and
hurried along it as fast as they could go, for they had no idea when the
mother dragon would be back and were very anxious not to make her
acquaintance.

[Illustration]

Chapter 14.

OZMA USES THE MAGIC BELT

For a considerable distance the way led straight upward in a gentle
incline, and the wanderers made such good progress that they grew
hopeful and eager, thinking they might see sunshine at any minute. But
at length they came unexpectedly upon a huge rock that shut off the
passage and blocked them from proceeding a single step farther.

This rock was separate from the rest of the mountain and was in motion,
turning slowly around and around as if upon a pivot. When first they
came to it there was a solid wall before them; but presently it revolved
until there was exposed a wide, smooth path across it to the other side.
This appeared so unexpectedly that they were unprepared to take
advantage of it at first, and allowed the rocky wall to swing around
again before they had decided to pass over. But they knew now that there
was a means of escape and so waited patient