large in extent, and is only separated from the
Land of Oz, on its eastern borders, by a Deadly Desert that cannot be
crossed by mortals, unless they are aided by the fairies or by magic.

The nomes are a numerous and mischievous people, living in underground
caverns of wide extent, connected one with another by arches and
passages. The word "nome" means "one who knows," and these people are so
called because they know where all the gold and silver and precious
stones are hidden in the earth--a knowledge that no other living
creatures share with them. The nomes are busy people, constantly digging
up gold in one place and taking it to another place, where they secretly
bury it, and perhaps this is the reason they alone know where to find
it. The nomes were ruled, at the time of which I write, by a King named
Kaliko.

King Gos had expected to be pursued by Inga in his magic boat, so he
made all the haste possible, urging his forty rowers to their best
efforts night and day. To his joy he was not overtaken but landed on
the sandy beach of the Wheelers on the morning of the eighth day.

The forty rowers were left with the boat, while Queen Cor and King Gos,
with their royal prisoners, who were still chained, began the journey to
the Nome King.

It was not long before they passed the sands and reached the rocky
country belonging to the nomes, but they were still a long way from the
entrance to the underground caverns in which lived the Nome King. There
was a dim path, winding between stones and boulders, over which the
walking was quite difficult, especially as the path led up hills that
were small mountains, and then down steep and abrupt slopes where any
misstep might mean a broken leg. Therefore it was the second day of
their journey before they climbed halfway up a rugged mountain and found
themselves at the entrance of the Nome King's caverns.

On their arrival, the entrance seemed free and unguarded, but Gos and
Cor had been there before, and they were too wise to attempt to enter
without announcing themselves, for the passage to the caves was full of
traps and pitfalls. So King Gos stood still and shouted, and in an
instant they were surrounded by a group of crooked nomes, who seemed to
have sprung from the ground.

[Illustration]

One of these had very long ears and was called The Long-Eared Hearer. He
said: "I heard you coming early this morning."

Another had eyes that looked in different directions at th