"Dreadfully hungry," answered the Tiger, snapping his jaws together with fierce click

"Then why don't you eat something ? " she asked

"It's no use," said the Tiger sadly "I've tried that, but I always get hungry again "

"Why, same with me," said Dorothy "Yet I keep on eating "

"But you eat harmless things, so it doesn't matter," replied the Tiger " part, I'm savage beast, an appetite for all sorts of poor little living creatures, from chipmunk to fat babies "

"How dreadful ! " said Dorothy

"Isn't it, though ? " returned the Hungry Tiger, licking his lips long red tongue "Fat babies ! Don't they sound delicious ? But I've never eaten any, because my conscience tells me wrong If I had no conscience probably eat the babies and then get hungry again, which would mean that I had sacrificed the poor babies for nothing No; hungry born, and hungry die But I'll not have any cruel deeds on my conscience sorry for "

" tiger," said Dorothy, patting the huge head beast

" mistaken," reply " good beast, perhaps, but disgracefully bad tiger For nature of tigers cruel and ferocious, and in refusing to eat harmless living creatures acting as no good tiger has ever before acted why I left the forest and joined my friend the Cowardly Lion "

"But the Lion really cowardly," said Dorothy " him act as bravely as "

"All mistake, my dear," protested the Lion gravely "To others seemed brave, at times, but never been in any danger that not afraid "

"Nor I," said Dorothy, truthfully "But go and set free Billina, and then you again "

She ran around back yard palace and soon found the chicken house, being guided by loud cackling and crowing and distracting hubbub of sounds such as chickens make are excited

Something seemed wrong chicken house, and when Dorothy looked slats door she saw group of hens and roosters huddled in one corner and watching what appeared whirling ball of feathers It bounded here and there chicken house, and at first Dorothy tell what , while the screeching chickens nearly deafened her

But suddenly the bunch of feathers stopped whirling, and then, to her amazement, the girl saw Billina crouching prostrate form of speckled rooster For an instant they both remained motionless, and then the yellow hen shook her wings to settle the feathers and walked toward the door with strut of proud defiance and cluck of victory, while the speckled rooster limped away group of other chickens, trailing his crumpled plumage dust as he went

"Why, Billina ! " cried Dorothy, in shocked voice; " been fighting ? "

"I really think ," retorted Billina " I'd let that speckled villain of rooster lord it over ME, and claim to run this chicken house, as long as I'm able to peck and scratch ? Not name is Bill ! "

"It isn't Bill, it's Billina; and you're talking slang, very undig'n'fied," said Dorothy, reprovingly "Come here, Billina, and I'll let you out; for Ozma of Oz is here, and has set us free "

So the yellow hen came door, which Dorothy unlatched for her through, other chickens silently watched them from their corner without offering to approach nearer

The girl lifted her friend in her arms and exclaimed:

"Oh, Billina ! how dreadful you look You've lost lot of feathers, and one of your eyes is nearly pecked out, and your comb is bleeding ! "

"That's nothing," said Billina "Just look speckled rooster ! Didn't him up brown ? "

Dorothy shook her head

"I don't 'prove , at all," she said, carrying Billina away toward the palace "It isn't good thing to 'sociate with those common chickens soon spoil your good manners, and you wouldn't be respec'able any more "

"I didn't ask to associate ," replied Billina "It cross old Princess to blame But raised United States, and I won't allow -horse chicken Land of Ev to run over me and put on airs, as long as lift claw in self-defense "

" , Billina," said Dorothy "We won't talk any more "

Soon they came Cowardly Lion Hungry Tiger the girl introduced the Yellow Hen

"Glad to meet any friend of Dorothy's," said the Lion, politely "To judge by your present appearance, coward, as "

"Your present appearance makes my mouth water," said the Tiger, looking at Billina greedily "My, my ! how good taste if only crunch you between my jaws But don't worry only appease my appetite for moment; so it isn't worth while to eat you "

" ," said the hen, nestling closer in Dorothy's arms

"Besides, it wouldn't be right," continued the Tiger, looking steadily at Billina and clicking his jaws together

" not," cried Dorothy, hastily "Billina is my friend, and you mustn't ever eat her under any circ'mstances "

"I'll try to remember that," said the Tiger; "but I'm little absent-minded, at times "

Then Dorothy carried her pet drawing-room palace, where Tiktok, being invited by Ozma, had seated himself Scarecrow Tin Woodman Opposite sat Ozma herself Princess Langwidere, and beside them vacant chair for Dorothy

Around this important group was ranged the Army of Oz, and as Dorothy looked handsome uniforms Twenty-Seven she said:

"Why, they all officers "

" , all except one," answered the Tin Woodman " in my Army eight Generals, six Colonels, seven Majors and five Captains, besides one private to command I'd like to promote the private, for I believe no private should ever be in public life; and I've also noticed that officers usually fight better more reliable than common soldiers Besides, the officers are more important looking, and lend dignity to our army "

" right," said Dorothy, seating herself beside Ozma

"And now," announced the girlish Ruler of Oz, " hold solemn conference to decide the best manner of liberating the royal family fair Land of Ev from their long imprisonment "

9 The Royal Family of Ev

The Tin Woodman first to address the meeting

" with," said he, "word came to our noble and illustrious Ruler, Ozma of Oz, wife and ten children--five boys and five girls-- former King of Ev, by name Evoldo, enslaved Nome King held prisoners underground palace Also that no one in Ev powerful enough to release them Naturally our Ozma wished to undertake the adventure of liberating the poor prisoners; but find no way to cross the great desert two countries Finally she went to friendly sorceress land named Glinda the Good, who heard the story and at once presented Ozma magic carpet, which would continually unroll beneath our feet and so make comfortable path to cross the desert she had received the carpet our gracious Ruler ordered me to assemble our army, which You behold bold warriors the pick of all the finest soldiers of Oz; and, obliged to fight the Nome King, every officer private, will battle fiercely unto death "

Then Tiktok spoke

"Why should you fight the Nome King ? " he asked "He no wrong "

"No wrong ! " cried Dorothy "Isn't it wrong to imprison queen mother and her ten children ? "

"They were sold Nome King by King Ev-ol-do," replied Tiktok "It King of Ev who did wrong, and when he re-al-ized what he had done he jumped in- sea and drowned him-self "

" news ," said Ozma, thoughtfully "I had supposed the Nome King was all to blame matter But, in any case, made to liberate the prisoners "

"My uncle Evoldo was very wicked man," declared the Princess Langwidere "If he had drowned himself before he sold his family, no one cared But he sold them powerful Nome King in exchange for long life, and afterward destroyed the life by jumping sea "

"Then," said Ozma, " get the long life, Nome King must give up the prisoners Where are they confined ? "

"No one knows, exactly," replied the Princess " king, whose name is Roquat Rocks, owns splendid palace underneath the great mountain north end kingdom, and he has transformed the queen and her children into ornaments and bric-a-brac to decorate his rooms "

"I'd like ," said Dorothy, "who this Nome King is ? "

" tell you," replied Ozma " said the Ruler Underground World, and commands the rocks and all rocks contain Under his rule are many thousands Nomes, queerly shaped but powerful sprites that labor furnaces and forges king, making gold and silver and other metals which they conceal crevices rocks, so living earth's surface can only find them with great difficulty Also they make diamonds and rubies and emeralds, which they hide ground; so kingdom Nomes is wonderfully rich, and all of precious stones and silver and gold is what we take earth and rocks where the Nome King has hidden them "

"I understand," said Dorothy, nodding her little head wisely

" reason that we often steal his treasures," continued Ozma, "the Ruler Underground World fond who live earth's surface, and never appears among us If King Roquat Rocks, visit his own country, where all powerful, and therefore dangerous undertaking "

"But, sake poor prisoners," said Dorothy, "we ought "