id Dorothy, "I was born on a farm in Kansas, and I guess
that's being just as 'spectable and haughty as living in a cave with
your tail tied to a rock. If it isn't I'll have to stand it, that's
all."

"Tastes differ," murmured the dragonette, slowly drooping its scaley
eyelids over its yellow eyes, until they looked like half-moons.

Being reassured by the fact that the creatures could not crawl out of
their rock-pockets, the children and the Wizard now took time to
examine them more closely. The heads of the dragonettes were as big as
barrels and covered with hard, greenish scales that glittered brightly
under the light of the lanterns. Their front legs, which grew just
back of their heads, were also strong and big; but their bodies were
smaller around than their heads, and dwindled away in a long line until
their tails were slim as a shoe-string. Dorothy thought, if it had
taken them sixty-six years to grow to this size, that it would be fully
a hundred years more before they could hope to call themselves dragons,
and that seemed like a good while to wait to grow up.

"It occurs to me," said the Wizard, "that we ought to get out of this
place before the mother dragon comes back."

"Don't hurry," called one of the dragonettes; "mother will be glad to
meet you, I'm sure."

"You may be right," replied the Wizard, "but we're a little particular
about associating with strangers. Will you kindly tell us which way
your mother went to get on top the earth?"

"That is not a fair question to ask us," declared another dragonette.
"For, if we told you truly, you might escape us altogether; and if we
told you an untruth we would be naughty and deserve to be punished."

"Then," decided Dorothy, "we must find our way out the best we can."

They circled all around the cavern, keeping a good distance away from
the blinking yellow eyes of the dragonettes, and presently discovered
that there were two paths leading from the wall opposite to the place
where they had entered. They selected one of these at a venture and
hurried along it as fast as they could go, for they had no idea when
the mother dragon would be back and were very anxious not to make her
acquaintance.

14. Ozma Uses the Magic Belt

For a considerable distance the way led straight upward in a gentle
incline, and the wanderers made such good progress that they grew
hopeful and eager, thinking they might see sunshine at any minute. But
at length t