rts, so that the costumes were quite gorgeous and
reminded Dorothy of pictures she had seen of Knights of old clothed
armor.

Aside from their flat heads, these people were not really bad looking.
The men were armed with bows and arrows and had small axes of steel
stuck in their metal belts. They wore no hats nor ornaments.

Chapter Six

Flathead Mountain

When they saw that the intruders on their mountain were only two little
girls, the Flatheads grunted with satisfaction and drew back,
permitting them to see what the mountain top looked like. It was shaped
like a saucer, so that the houses and other buildings--all made of
rocks--could not be seen over the edge by anyone standing in the plain
below.

But now a big fat Flathead stood before the girls and in a gruff voice
demanded:

"What are you doing here? Have the Skeezers sent you to spy upon us?"

"I am Princess Ozma, Ruler of all the Land of Oz."

"Well, I've never heard of the Land of Oz, so you may be what you
claim," returned the Flathead.

"This is the Land of Oz--part of it, anyway," exclaimed Dorothy. "So
Princess Ozma rules you Flathead people, as well as all the other
people in Oz."

The man laughed, and all the others who stood around laughed, too. Some
one in the crowd called:

"She'd better not tell the Supreme Dictator about ruling the Flatheads.
Eh, friends?"

"No, indeed!" they all answered in positive tones.

"Who is your Supreme Dictator?" answered Ozma.

"I think I'll let him tell you that himself," answered the man who had
first spoken. "You have broken our laws by coming here; and whoever you
are the Supreme Dictator must fix your punishment. Come along with me."

He started down a path and Ozma and Dorothy followed him without
protest, as they wanted to see the most important person in this queer
country. The houses they passed seemed pleasant enough and each had a
little yard in which were flowers and vegetables. Walls of rock
separated the dwellings, and all the paths were paved with smooth slabs
of rock. This seemed their only building material and they utilized it
cleverly for every purpose.

Directly in the center of the great saucer stood a larger building
which the Flathead informed the girls was the palace of the Supreme
Dictator. He led them through an entrance hall into a big reception
room, where they sat upon stone benches and awaited the coming of the
Dictator. Pretty soon he entered from another room--