ted States of America."

"But she left it in the Emerald City, with Ozma," declared the King.

"How do you know that?" asked the General.

"One of my spies, who is a Blackbird, flew over the desert to the Land
of Oz, and saw the Magic Belt in Ozma's palace," replied the King with
a groan.

"Now that gives me an idea," said General Blug, thoughtfully. "There
are two ways to get to the Land of Oz without traveling across the
sandy desert."

"What are they?" demanded the King, eagerly.

"One way is OVER the desert, through the air; and the other way is
UNDER the desert, through the earth."

Hearing this the Nome King uttered a yell of joy and leaped from his
throne, to resume his wild walk up and down the cavern.

"That's it, Blug!" he shouted. "That's the idea, General! I'm King of
the Under World, and my subjects are all miners. I'll make a secret
tunnel under the desert to the Land of Oz--yes! right up to the Emerald
City--and you will march your armies there and capture the whole
country!"

"Softly, softly, your Majesty. Don't go too fast," warned the General.
"My Nomes are good fighters, but they are not strong enough to conquer
the Emerald City."

"Are you sure?" asked the King.

"Absolutely certain, your Majesty."

"Then what am I to do?"

"Give up the idea and mind your own business," advised the General.
"You have plenty to do trying to rule your underground kingdom."

"But I want the Magic Belt--and I'm going to have it!" roared the Nome
King.

"I'd like to see you get it," replied the General, laughing maliciously.

The King was by this time so exasperated that he picked up his scepter,
which had a heavy ball, made from a sapphire, at the end of it, and
threw it with all his force at General Blug. The sapphire hit the
General upon his forehead and knocked him flat upon the ground, where
he lay motionless. Then the King rang his gong and told his guards to
drag out the General and throw him away; which they did.

This Nome King was named Roquat the Red, and no one loved him. He was
a bad man and a powerful monarch, and he had resolved to destroy the
Land of Oz and its magnificent Emerald City, to enslave Princess Ozma
and little Dorothy and all the Oz people, and recover his Magic Belt.
This same Belt had once enabled Roquat the Red to carry out many wicked
plans; but that was before Ozma and her people marched to the
underground cavern and captured it. The Nome King could not forgi