w, Princess," exclaimed the Wizard, "those of your advisors who
wished to throw us into the Garden of Clinging Vines must step within
this circle of light. If they advised you well, and were in the right,
they will not be injured in any way. But if any advised you wrongly,
the light will wither him."

The advisors of the Princess did not like this test; but she commanded
them to step into the flame and one by one they did so, and were
scorched so badly that the air was soon filled with an odor like that
of baked potatoes. Some of the Mangaboos fell down and had to be
dragged from the fire, and all were so withered that it would be
necessary to plant them at once.

"Sir," said the Princess to the Wizard, "you are greater than any
Sorcerer we have ever known. As it is evident that my people have
advised me wrongly, I will not cast you three people into the dreadful
Garden of the Clinging Vines; but your animals must be driven into the
Black Pit in the mountain, for my subjects cannot bear to have them
around."

The Wizard was so pleased to have saved the two children and himself
that he said nothing against this decree; but when the Princess had
gone both Jim and Eureka protested they did not want to go to the Black
Pit, and Dorothy promised she would do all that she could to save them
from such a fate.

For two or three days after this--if we call days the periods between
sleep, there being no night to divide the hours into days--our friends
were not disturbed in any way. They were even permitted to occupy the
House of the Sorcerer in peace, as if it had been their own, and to
wander in the gardens in search of food.

Once they came near to the enclosed Garden of the Clinging Vines, and
walking high into the air looked down upon it with much interest. They
saw a mass of tough green vines all matted together and writhing and
twisting around like a nest of great snakes. Everything the vines
touched they crushed, and our adventurers were indeed thankful to have
escaped being cast among them.

Whenever the Wizard went to sleep he would take the nine tiny piglets
from his pocket and let them run around on the floor of his room to
amuse themselves and get some exercise; and one time they found his
glass door ajar and wandered into the hall and then into the bottom
part of the great dome, walking through the air as easily as Eureka
could. They knew the kitten, by this time, so they scampered over to
where she la