tonishment
and dismay. For the room was filled with the mail-clad warriors of the
Nome King, rank after rank standing in orderly array. The electric
lights upon their brows gleamed brightly, their battle-axes were poised
as if to strike down their foes; yet they remained motionless as
statues, awaiting the word of command.

And in the center of this terrible army sat the little King upon his
throne of rock. But he neither smiled nor laughed. Instead, his face was
distorted with rage, and most dreadful to behold.

[Illustration]

The Scarecrow Wins the Fight

[Illustration]

After Billina had entered the palace Dorothy and Evring sat down to
await the success or failure of her mission, and the Nome King occupied
his throne and smoked his long pipe for a while in a cheerful and
contented mood.

Then the bell above the throne, which sounded whenever an enchantment
was broken, began to ring, and the King gave a start of annoyance and
exclaimed, "Rocketty-ricketts!"

When the bell rang a second time the King shouted angrily, "Smudge and
blazes!" and at a third ring he screamed in a fury, "Hippikaloric!"
which must be a dreadful word because we don't know what it means.

After that the bell went on ringing time after time; but the King was
now so violently enraged that he could not utter a word, but hopped out
of his throne and all around the room in a mad frenzy, so that he
reminded Dorothy of a jumping-jack.

The girl was, for her part, filled with joy at every peal of the bell,
for it announced the fact that Billina had transformed one more ornament
into a living person. Dorothy was also amazed at Billina's success, for
she could not imagine how the yellow hen was able to guess correctly
from all the bewildering number of articles clustered in the rooms of
the palace. But after she had counted ten, and the bell continued to
ring, she knew that not only the royal family of Ev, but Ozma and her
followers also, were being restored to their natural forms, and she was
so delighted that the antics of the angry King only made her laugh
merrily.

Perhaps the little monarch could not be more furious than he was before,
but the girl's laughter nearly drove him frantic, and he roared at her
like a savage beast. Then, as he found that all his enchantments were
likely to be dispelled and his victims every one set free, he suddenly
ran to the little door that opened upon the balcony and gave the shrill
whistle that