boos. Dorothy was surprised to find how
patient the people were, for her own little heart was beating rapidly
with excitement. A balloon meant to her some other arrival from the
surface of the earth, and she hoped it would be some one able to assist
her and Zeb out of their difficulties.

In an hour the balloon had come near enough for her to see a basket
suspended below it; in two hours she could see a head looking over the
side of the basket; in three hours the big balloon settled slowly into
the great square in which they stood and came to rest on the glass
pavement.

Then a little man jumped out of the basket, took off his tall hat, and
bowed very gracefully to the crowd of Mangaboos around him. He was
quite an old little man and his head was long and entirely bald.

"Why," cried Dorothy, in amazement, "it's Oz!"

The little man looked toward her and seemed as much surprised as she
was. But he smiled and bowed as he answered:

"Yes, my dear; I am Oz, the Great and Terrible. Eh? And you are
little Dorothy, from Kansas. I remember you very well."

"Who did you say it was?" 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 eve