er." So they turned to the left and marched for half a mile
until they came to a small but deep hole in the ground. At once, all
rushed to the brim to peer into the hole, but instead of finding there
Princess Ozma of Oz, all that they saw was Button-Bright, who was lying
asleep on the bottom.

Their cries soon wakened the boy, who sat up and rubbed his eyes. When
he recognized his friends, he smiled sweetly, saying, "Found again!"

"Where is Ozma?" inquired Dorothy anxiously.

"I don't know," answered Button-Bright from the depths of the hole. "I
got lost yesterday, as you may remember, and in the night while I was
wandering around in the moonlight trying to find my way back to you, I
suddenly fell into this hole."

"And wasn't Ozma in it then?"

"There was no one in it but me, and I was sorry it wasn't entirely
empty. The sides are so steep I can't climb out, so there was nothing
to be done but sleep until someone found me. Thank you for coming. If
you'll please let down a rope, I'll empty this hole in a hurry."

"How strange!" said Dorothy, greatly disappointed.

"It's evident the Pink Bear didn't tell the truth."

"He never makes a mistake," declared the Lavender Bear King in a tone
that showed his feelings were hurt. And then he turned the crank of
the little Pink Bear again and asked, "Is this the hole that Ozma of Oz
is in?"

"Yes," answered the Pink Bear.

"That settles it," said the King positively. "Your Ozma is in this
hole in the ground."

"Don't be silly," returned Dorothy impatiently. "Even your beady eyes
can see there is no one in the hole but Button-Bright."

"Perhaps Button-Bright is Ozma," suggested the King.

"And perhaps he isn't! Ozma is a girl, and Button-Bright is a boy."

"Your Pink Bear must be out of order," said the Wizard, "for, this time
at least, his machinery has caused him to make an untrue statement."

The Bear King was so angry at this remark that he turned away, holding
the Pink Bear in his paws, and refused to discuss the matter in any
further way.

"At any rate," said the Frogman, "the Pink Bear has led us to your boy
friend and so enabled you to rescue him."

Scraps was leaning so far over the hole trying to find Ozma in it that
suddenly she lost her balance and pitched in head foremost. She fell
upon Button-Bright and tumbled him over, but he was not hurt by her
soft, stuffed body and only laughed at the mishap. The Wizard buckled
some straps together