anions were all hungry the Wizard said:

"I trust you will excuse us from the banquet, sir, which will be merry
enough without us, although it is given in our honor. For, as Ozma is
not in your city, we must leave here at once and seek her elsewhere."

"Sure we must!" agreed Dorothy, and she whispered to Betsy and Trot:
"I'd rather starve somewhere else than in this city, and--who knows?--we
may run across somebody who eats reg'lar food and will give us some."

So, when the ride was finished, in spite of the protests of the High
Coco-Lorum they insisted on continuing their journey.

"It will soon be dark," he objected.

"We don't mind the darkness," replied the Wizard.

"Some wandering Herku may get you."

"Do you think the Herkus would hurt us?" asked Dorothy.

"I cannot say, not having the honor of their acquaintance. But they are
said to be so strong that, if they had any other place to stand upon,
they could lift the world."

"All of them together?" asked Button-Bright wonderingly.

"Any one of them could do it," said the High Coco-Lorum.

"Have you heard of any magicians being among them?" asked the Wizard,
knowing that only a magician could have stolen Ozma in the way she had
been stolen.

"I am told it is quite a magical country," declared the High Coco-Lorum,
"and magic is usually performed by magicians. But I have never heard
that they have any invention or sorcery to equal our wonderful
auto-dragons."

They thanked him for his courtesy and, mounting their own animals, rode
to the farther side of the city and right through the Wall of Illusion
out into the open country.

"I'm glad we got away so easily," said Betsy. "I didn't like those
queer-shaped people."

"Nor did I," agreed Dorothy. "It seems dreadful to be lined with sheets
of pure gold and have nothing to eat but thistles."

"They seemed happy and contented, though," remarked the little Wizard,
"and those who are contented have nothing to regret and nothing more to
wish for."

[Illustration]

Toto Loses Something

[Illustration]

CHAPTER 10

For a while the travelers were constantly losing their direction, for
beyond the thistle fields they again found themselves upon the
turning-lands, which swung them around in such a freakish manner that
first they were headed one way and then another. But by keeping the City
of Thi constantly behind them the adventurers finally passed the
treacherous turning-lands and came upon a s