doorway was shaped to admit the strangely formed bodies of these people,
being narrow at the top, broad in the middle and tapering at the bottom.
The windows were made in much the same way, giving the house a most
peculiar appearance. When their guide opened the gate a music-box
concealed in the gate-post began to play, and the sound attracted the
attention of the High Coco-Lorum, who appeared at an open window and
inquired:

"What has happened now?"

But in the same moment his eyes fell upon the strangers and he hastened
to open the door and admit them--all but the animals, which were left
outside with the throng of natives that had now gathered. For a small
city there seemed to be a large number of inhabitants, but they did not
try to enter the house and contented themselves with staring curiously
at the strange animals. Toto followed Dorothy.

Our friends entered a large room at the front of the house, where the
High Coco-Lorum asked them to be seated.

"I hope your mission here is a peaceful one," he said, looking a little
worried, "for the Thists are not very good fighters and object to being
conquered."

"Are your people called Thists?" asked Dorothy.

"Yes. I thought you knew that. And we call our city Thi."

"Oh!"

"We are Thists because we eat thistles, you know," continued the High
Coco-Lorum.

"Do you really eat those prickly things?" inquired Button-Bright
wonderingly.

"Why not?" replied the other. "The sharp points of the thistles cannot
hurt us, because all our insides are gold-lined."

"Gold-lined!"

"To be sure. Our throats and stomachs are lined with solid gold, and we
find the thistles nourishing and good to eat. As a matter of fact, there
is nothing else in our country that is fit for food. All around the City
of Thi grow countless thistles, and all we need do is to go and gather
them. If we wanted anything else to eat we would have to plant it, and
grow it, and harvest it, and that would be a lot of trouble and make us
work, which is an occupation we detest."

"But, tell me, please," said the Wizard, "how does it happen that your
city jumps around so, from one part of the country to another?"

"The city doesn't jump; it doesn't move at all," declared the High
Coco-Lorum. "However, I will admit that the land that surrounds it has a
trick of turning this way or that; and so, if one is standing upon the
plain and facing north, he is likely to find himself suddenly facing
west--or ea