tries of
Oz; but each country has another little ruler, not so big as Ozma.
It's like the officers of an army, you see; the little rulers are all
captains, and Ozma's the general."

By this time they had reached the trees, which stood in a perfect
circle and just far enough apart so that their thick branches
touched--or "shook hands," as Button-Bright remarked. Under the shade
of the trees they found, in the center of the circle, a crystal pool,
its water as still as glass. It must have been deep, too, for when
Polychrome bent over it she gave a little sigh of pleasure.

"Why, it's a mirror!" she cried; for she could see all her pretty face
and fluffy, rainbow-tinted gown reflected in the pool, as natural as
life.

Dorothy bent over, too, and began to arrange her hair, blown by the
desert wind into straggling tangles. Button-Bright leaned over the
edge next, and then began to cry, for the sight of his fox head
frightened the poor little fellow.

"I guess I won't look," remarked the shaggy man, sadly, for he didn't
like his donkey head, either. While Polly and Dorothy tried to comfort
Button-Bright, the shaggy man sat down near the edge of the pool, where
his image could not be reflected, and stared at the water thoughtfully.
As he did this he noticed a silver plate fastened to a rock just under
the surface of the water, and on the silver plate was engraved these
words:

THE TRUTH POND

"Ah!" cried the shaggy man, springing to his feet with eager joy;
"we've found it at last."

"Found what?" asked Dorothy, running to him.

"The Truth Pond. Now, at last, I may get rid of this frightful head;
for we were told, you remember, that only the Truth Pond could restore
to me my proper face."

"Me, too!" shouted Button-Bright, trotting up to them.

"Of course," said Dorothy. "It will cure you both of your bad heads, I
guess. Isn't it lucky we found it?"

"It is, indeed," replied the shaggy man. "I hated dreadfully to go to
Princess Ozma looking like this; and she's to have a birthday
celebration, too."

Just then a splash startled them, for Button-Bright, in his anxiety to
see the pool that would "cure" him, had stepped too near the edge and
tumbled heels over head into the water. Down he went, out of sight
entirely, so that only his sailor hat floated on the top of the Truth
Pond.

He soon bobbed up, and the shaggy man seized him by his sailor collar
and dragged him to the shore, dripping and gaspi