away!" gasped Dorothy.

"I _know_ he is," said Zeb; "but no bear can catch him if he keeps up
that gait--and the harness or the buggy don't break."

Jim did not make a mile a minute; but almost before they were aware of
it he drew up at the foot of the mountain, so suddenly that the Wizard
and Zeb both sailed over the dashboard and landed in the soft
grass--where they rolled over several times before they stopped.
Dorothy nearly went with them, but she was holding fast to the iron rail
of the seat, and that saved her. She squeezed the kitten, though, until
it screeched; and then the old cab-horse made several curious sounds
that led the little girl to suspect he was laughing at them all.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 10.

THE BRAIDED MAN OF PYRAMID MOUNTAIN

The mountain before them was shaped like a cone and was so tall that its
point was lost in the clouds. Directly facing the place where Jim had
stopped was an arched opening leading to a broad stairway. The stairs
were cut in the rock inside the mountain, and they were broad and not
very steep, because they circled around like a cork-screw, and at the
arched opening where the flight began the circle was quite big. At the
foot of the stairs was a sign reading:

WARNING.
These steps lead to the
Land of the Gargoyles.
DANGER! KEEP OUT.

"I wonder how Jim is ever going to draw the buggy up so many stairs,"
said Dorothy, gravely.

"No trouble at all," declared the horse, with a contemptuous neigh.
"Still, I don't care to drag any passengers. You'll all have to walk."

"Suppose the stairs get steeper?" suggested Zeb, doubtfully.

"Then you'll have to boost the buggy-wheels, that's all," answered Jim.

"We'll try it, anyway," said the Wizard. "It's the only way to get out
of the Valley of Voe."

So they began to ascend the stairs, Dorothy and the Wizard first, Jim
next, drawing the buggy, and then Zeb to watch that nothing happened to
the harness.

The light was dim, and soon they mounted into total darkness, so that
the Wizard was obliged to get out his lanterns to light the way. But
this enabled them to proceed steadily until they came to a landing where
there was a rift in the side of the mountain that let in both light and
air. Looking through this opening they could see the Valley of Voe lying
far below them, the cottages seeming like toy houses from that distance.

After resting a few moments they resumed their climb, and