her grow sober in an instant.

"Why have you dared to intrude your unwelcome persons into the secluded
Land of the Mangaboos?" he asked, sternly.

"'Cause we couldn't help it," said Dorothy.

"Why did you wickedly and viciously send the Rain of Stones to crack
and break our houses?" he continued.

"We didn't," declared the girl.

"Prove it!" cried the Sorcerer.

"We don't have to prove it," answered Dorothy, indignantly. "If you
had any sense at all you'd known it was the earthquake."

"We only know that yesterday came a Rain of Stones upon us, which did
much damage and injured some of our people. Today came another Rain of
Stones, and soon after it you appeared among us."

"By the way," said the man with the star, looking steadily at the
Sorcerer, "you told us yesterday that there would not be a second Rain
of Stones. Yet one has just occurred that was even worse than the
first. What is your sorcery good for if it cannot tell us the truth?"

"My sorcery does tell the truth!" declared the thorn-covered man. "I
said there would be but one Rain of Stones. This second one was a Rain
of People-and-Horse-and-Buggy. And some stones came with them."

"Will there be any more Rains?" asked the man with the star.

"No, my Prince."

"Neither stones nor people?"

"No, my Prince."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite sure, my Prince. My sorcery tells me so."

Just then a man came running into the hall and addressed the Prince
after making a low bow.

"More wonders in the air, my Lord," said he.

Immediately the Prince and all of his people flocked out of the hall
into the street, that they might see what was about to happen. Dorothy
and Zeb jumped out of the buggy and ran after them, but the Sorcerer
remained calmly in his throne.

Far up in the air was an object that looked like a balloon. It was not
so high as the glowing star of the six colored suns, but was descending
slowly through the air--so slowly that at first it scarcely seemed to
move.

The throng stood still and waited. It was all they could do, for to go
away and leave that strange sight was impossible; nor could they hurry
its fall in any way. The earth children were not noticed, being so
near the average size of the Mangaboos, and the horse had remained in
the House of the Sorcerer, with Eureka curled up asleep on the seat of
the buggy.

Gradually the balloon grew bigger, which was proof that it was settling
down upon the Land of the Manga