ut the permission of Vig, the
Czarover."

"Who's that?" inquired Dorothy. But the heads had all bobbed down and
disappeared behind the wall, so there was no answer.

They waited a long time before the gate rolled back with a rumbling
sound and a loud voice cried: "Enter!" But they lost no time in taking
advantage of the invitation.

[Illustration]

On either side of the broad street that led into the city from the gate
stood a row of huge giants--twenty of them on a side and all standing so
close together that their elbows touched. They wore uniforms of blue and
yellow and were armed with clubs as big around as tree-trunks. Each
giant had around his neck a broad band of gold, riveted on, to show he
was a slave.

As our friends entered, riding upon the Lion, the Woozy, the Sawhorse
and the Mule, the giants half turned and walked in two files on either
side of them, as if escorting them on their way. It looked to Dorothy as
if all her party had been made prisoners, for even mounted on their
animals their heads scarcely reached to the knees of the marching
giants. The girls and Button-Bright were anxious to know what sort of a
city they had entered, and what the people were like who had made these
powerful creatures their slaves. Through the legs of the giants, as they
walked, Dorothy could see rows of houses on each side the street and
throngs of people standing on the sidewalks; but the people were of
ordinary size and the only remarkable thing about them was the fact that
they were dreadfully lean and thin. Between their skin and their bones
there seemed to be little or no flesh, and they were mostly
stoop-shouldered and weary looking, even to the little children.

More and more Dorothy wondered how and why the great giants had ever
submitted to become slaves of such skinny, languid masters, but there
was no chance to question anyone until they arrived at a big palace
located in the heart of the city. Here the giants formed lines to the
entrance and stood still while our friends rode into the courtyard of
the palace. Then the gates closed behind them and before them was a
skinny little man who bowed low and said in a sad voice:

"If you will be so obliging as to dismount, it will give me pleasure to
lead you into the presence of the World's Most Mighty Ruler, Vig the
Czarover."

"I don't believe it!" said Dorothy indignantly.

"What don't you believe?" asked the man.

"I don't believe your Czarover can hold