?" whispered Zeb to the girl.

"It's the wonderful Wizard of Oz. Haven't you heard of him?"

Just then the man with the star came and stood before the Wizard.

"Sir," said he, "why are you here, in the Land of the Mangaboos?"

"Didn't know what land it was, my son," returned the other, with a
pleasant smile; "and, to be honest, I didn't mean to visit you when I
started out. I live on top of the earth, your honor, which is far better
than living inside it; but yesterday I went up in a balloon, and when I
came down I fell into a big crack in the earth, caused by an earthquake.
I had let so much gas out of my balloon that I could not rise again,
and in a few minutes the earth closed over my head. So I continued to
descend until I reached this place, and if you will show me a way to get
out of it, I'll go with pleasure. Sorry to have troubled you; but it
couldn't be helped."

The Prince had listened with attention. Said he:

"This child, who is from the crust of the earth, like yourself, called
you a Wizard. Is not a Wizard something like a Sorcerer?"

"It's better," replied Oz, promptly. "One Wizard is worth three
Sorcerers."

"Ah, you shall prove that," said the Prince. "We Mangaboos have, at the
present time, one of the most wonderful Sorcerers that ever was picked
from a bush; but he sometimes makes mistakes. Do you ever make
mistakes?"

"Never!" declared the Wizard, boldly.

"Oh, Oz!" said Dorothy; "you made a lot of mistakes when you were in the
marvelous Land of Oz."

"Nonsense!" said the little man, turning red--although just then a ray
of violet sunlight was on his round face.

"Come with me," said the Prince to him. "I wish you to meet our
Sorcerer."

The Wizard did not like this invitation, but he could not refuse to
accept it. So he followed the Prince into the great domed hall, and
Dorothy and Zeb came after them, while the throng of people trooped in
also.

There sat the thorny Sorcerer in his chair of state, and when the Wizard
saw him he began to laugh, uttering comical little chuckles.

"What an absurd creature!" he exclaimed.

"He may look absurd," said the Prince, in his quiet voice; "but he is an
excellent Sorcerer. The only fault I find with him is that he is so
often wrong."

"I am never wrong," answered the Sorcerer.

"Only a short time ago you told me there would be no more Rain of Stones
or of People," said the Prince.

"Well, what then?"

"Here is another person descended