y. He left his sleeping comrades in the boat, stepping
cautiously over their bodies, and on reaching the shore took exactly
one hundred steps to the east. Then he looked for the path and the
moonlight was so bright that he easily discovered it, although it was
hidden from view by tall weeds until one came full upon it. This path
was very narrow and did not seem to be much used, but it was quite
distinct and Ervic had no difficulty in following it. He walked through
a broad meadow, covered with tall grass and weeds, up a hill and down
into a valley and then up another hill and down again.

It seemed to Ervic that he had walked miles and miles. Indeed the moon
sank low and day was beginning to dawn when finally he discovered by
the roadside a pretty little cottage, painted purple with white
trimmings. It was a lonely place--no other buildings were anywhere
about and the ground was not tilled at all. No farmer lived here, that
was certain. Who would care to dwell in such an isolated place?

But Ervic did not bother his head long with such questions. He went up
to the gate that led to the cottage, set the copper kettle carefully
down and bending over it asked:

"What next?"

Chapter Seventeen

Under the Great Dome

When Glinda the Good and her followers of the Rescue Expedition came in
sight of the Enchanted Mountain of the Flatheads, it was away to the
left of them, for the route they had taken through the Great Forest was
some distance from that followed by Ozma and Dorothy.

They halted awhile to decide whether they should call upon the Supreme
Dictator first, or go on to the Lake of the Skeezers.

"If we go to the mountain," said the Wizard, "we may get into trouble
with that wicked Su-dic, and then we would be delayed in rescuing Ozma
and Dorothy. So I think our best plan will be to go to the Skeezer
Country, raise the sunken island and save our friends and the
imprisoned Skeezers. Afterward we can visit the mountain and punish the
cruel magician of the Flatheads."

"That is sensible," approved the Shaggy Man. "I quite agree with you."

The others, too, seemed to think the Wizard's plan the best, and Glinda
herself commended it, so on they marched toward the line of palm trees
that hid the Skeezers' lake from view.

Pretty soon they came to the palms. These were set closely together,
the branches, which came quite to the ground, being so tightly
interlaced that even the Glass Cat could scarcely fin