that
the Nome King's palace was said to be; but it would be some time before
they reached that place.

The path was becoming rocky and difficult for the wheels of the chariot
to pass over, and presently a deep gulf appeared at their feet which was
too wide for them to leap. So Ozma took a small square of green cloth
from her pocket and threw it upon the ground. At once it became the
magic carpet, and unrolled itself far enough for all the cavalcade to
walk upon. The chariot now advanced, and the green carpet unrolled
before it, crossing the gulf on a level with its banks, so that all
passed over in safety.

"That's easy enough," said the Scarecrow. "I wonder what will happen
next."

He was not long in making the discovery, for the sides of the mountain
came closer together until finally there was but a narrow path between
them, along which Ozma and her party were forced to pass in single file.

They now heard a low and deep "thump!----thump!----thump!" which echoed
throughout the valley and seemed to grow louder as they advanced. Then,
turning a corner of rock, they saw before them a huge form, which
towered above the path for more than a hundred feet. The form was that
of a gigantic man built out of plates of cast iron, and it stood with
one foot on either side of the narrow road and swung over its right
shoulder an immense iron mallet, with which it constantly pounded the
earth. These resounding blows explained the thumping sounds they had
heard, for the mallet was much bigger than a barrel, and where it struck
the path between the rocky sides of the mountain it filled all the space
through which our travelers would be obliged to pass.

Of course they at once halted, a safe distance away from the terrible
iron mallet. The magic carpet would do them no good in this case, for it
was only meant to protect them from any dangers upon the ground beneath
their feet, and not from dangers that appeared in the air above them.

"Wow!" said the Cowardly Lion, with a shudder. "It makes me dreadfully
nervous to see that big hammer pounding so near my head. One blow would
crush me into a door-mat."

"The ir-on gi-ant is a fine fel-low," said Tiktok, "and works as
stead-i-ly as a clock. He was made for the Nome King by Smith & Tin-ker,
who made me, and his du-ty is to keep folks from find-ing the
un-der-ground pal-ace. Is he not a great work of art?"

"Can he think, and speak, as you do?" asked Ozma, regarding the giant
wit