Therefore she refuses to fight at all."

"But they will capture and enslave us, and plunder and ruin all our
lovely land!" exclaimed the Wizard, greatly disturbed by this statement.

"I fear they will," said the Tin Woodman, sorrowfully. "And I also
fear that those who are not fairies, such as the Wizard, and Dorothy,
and her uncle and aunt, as well as Toto and Billina, will be speedily
put to death by the conquerors."

"What can be done?" asked Dorothy, shuddering a little at the prospect
of this awful fate.

"Nothing can be done!" gloomily replied the Emperor of the Winkies.
"But since Ozma refuses my army I will go myself to the Emerald City.
The least I may do is to perish beside my beloved Ruler."

25. How the Scarecrow Displayed His Wisdom

This amazing news had saddened every heart and all were now anxious to
return to the Emerald City and share Ozma's fate. So they started
without loss of time, and as the road led past the Scarecrow's new
mansion they determined to make a brief halt there and confer with him.

"The Scarecrow is probably the wisest man in all Oz," remarked the Tin
Woodman, when they had started upon their journey. "His brains are
plentiful and of excellent quality, and often he has told me things I
might never have thought of myself. I must say I rely a great deal
upon the Scarecrow's brains in this emergency."

The Tin Woodman rode on the front seat of the wagon, where Dorothy sat
between him and the Wizard.

"Has the Scarecrow heard of Ozma's trouble?" asked the Captain General.

"I do not know, sir," was the reply.

"When I was a private," said Omby Amby, "I was an excellent army, as I
fully proved in our war against the Nomes. But now there is not a
single private left in our army, since Ozma made me the Captain
General, so there is no one to fight and defend our lovely Ruler."

"True," said the Wizard. "The present army is composed only of
officers, and the business of an officer is to order his men to fight.
Since there are no men there can be no fighting."

"Poor Ozma!" whispered Dorothy, with tears in her sweet eyes. "It's
dreadful to think of all her lovely fairy country being destroyed. I
wonder if we couldn't manage to escape and get back to Kansas by means
of the Magic Belt? And we might take Ozma with us and all work hard to
get money for her, so she wouldn't be so VERY lonely and unhappy about
the loss of her fairyland."

"Do you think there would be