n accordeon in his youth."

"What's 'cordeon?" asked the boy.

"It's a kind of pleating," explained Dorothy, putting down the dog.

"Bow-wow!" said Toto, and ran away at a mad gallop to chase a
bumble-bee.

9. Facing the Scoodlers

The country wasn't so pretty now. Before the travelers appeared a
rocky plain covered with hills on which grew nothing green. They were
nearing some low mountains, too, and the road, which before had been
smooth and pleasant to walk upon, grew rough and uneven.

Button-Bright's little feet stumbled more than once, and Polychrome
ceased her dancing because the walking was now so difficult that she
had no trouble to keep warm.

It had become afternoon, yet there wasn't a thing for their luncheon
except two apples which the shaggy man had taken from the breakfast
table. He divided these into four pieces and gave a portion to each of
his companions. Dorothy and Button-Bright were glad to get theirs; but
Polly was satisfied with a small bite, and Toto did not like apples.

"Do you know," asked the Rainbow's Daughter, "if this is the right road
to the Emerald City?"

"No, I don't," replied Dorothy, "but it's the only road in this part of
the country, so we may as well go to the end of it."

"It looks now as if it might end pretty soon," remarked the shaggy man;
"and what shall we do if it does?"

"Don't know," said Button-Bright.

"If I had my Magic Belt," replied Dorothy, thoughtfully, "it could do
us a lot of good just now."

"What is your Magic Belt?" asked Polychrome.

"It's a thing I captured from the Nome King one day, and it can do
'most any wonderful thing. But I left it with Ozma, you know; 'cause
magic won't work in Kansas, but only in fairy countries."

"Is this a fairy country?" asked Button-Bright.

"I should think you'd know," said the little girl, gravely. "If it
wasn't a fairy country you couldn't have a fox head and the shaggy man
couldn't have a donkey head, and the Rainbow's Daughter would be
invis'ble."

"What's that?" asked the boy.

"You don't seem to know anything, Button-Bright. Invis'ble is a thing
you can't see."

"Then Toto's invis'ble," declared the boy, and Dorothy found he was
right. Toto had disappeared from view, but they could hear him barking
furiously among the heaps of grey rock ahead of them.

They moved forward a little faster to see what the dog was barking at,
and found perched upon a point of rock by the roadside a