The road led for a time through a pretty farm country, and then past apicnic grove that was very inviting. But the procession continued tosteadily advance until Billina cried in an abrupt and commanding manner:

"Wait--wait!"

Ozma stopped her chariot so suddenly that the Scarecrow's Sawhorsenearly ran into it, and the ranks of the army tumbled over one anotherbefore they could come to a halt. Immediately the yellow hen struggledfrom Dorothy's arms and flew into a clump of bushes by the roadside.

"What's the matter?" called the Tin Woodman, anxiously.

"Why, Billina wants to lay her egg, that's all," said Dorothy.

"Lay her egg!" repeated the Tin Woodman, in astonishment.

"Yes; she lays one every morning, about this time; and it's quitefresh," said the girl.

"But does your foolish old hen suppose that this entire cavalcade,which is bound on an important adventure, is going to stand stillwhile she lays her egg?" enquired the Tin Woodman, earnestly.

"What else can we do?" asked the girl. "It's a habit of Billina's andshe can't break herself of it."

"Then she must hurry up," said the Tin Woodman, impatiently.

"No, no!" exclaimed the Scarecrow. "If she hurries she may layscrambled eggs."

"That's nonsense," said Dorothy. "But Billina won't be long, I'm sure."

So they stood and waited, although all were restless and anxious toproceed. And by and by the yellow hen came from the bushes saying:

"Kut-kut, kut, ka-daw-kutt! Kut, kut, kut--ka-daw-kut!"

"What is she doing--singing her lay?" asked the Scarecrow.

"For-ward--march!" shouted the Tin Woodman, waving his axe, and theprocession started just as Dorothy had once more grabbed Billina inher arms.

"Isn't anyone going to get my egg?" cried the hen, in great excitement.

"I'll get it," said the Scarecrow; and at his command the Sawhorsepranced into the bushes. The straw man soon found the egg, which heplaced in his jacket pocket. The cavalcade, having moved rapidly on,was even then far in advance; but it did not take the Sawhorse long tocatch up with it, and presently the Scarecrow was riding in hisaccustomed place behind Ozma's chariot.

"What shall I do with the egg?" he asked Dorothy.

"I do not know," the girl answered. "Perhaps the Hungry Tiger wouldlike it."

"It would not be enough to fill one of my back teeth," remarked theTiger. "A bushel of them, hard boiled, might take a little of theedge off my appetite; but one egg isn't good for anything at all, thatI know of."

"No; it wouldn't even make a sponge cake," said the Scarecrow,thoughtfully. "The Tin Woodman might carry it with his axe and hatchit; but after all I may as well keep it myself for a souvenir." So heleft it in his pocket.

They had now reached that part of the valley that lay between the twohigh mountains which Dorothy had seen from her tower window. At thefar end was the third great mountain, which blocked the valley and wasthe northern edge of the Land of Ev. It was underneath this mountainthat the Nome King's palace was said to be; but it would be some timebefore they reached that place.

The path was becoming rocky and difficult for the wheels of thechariot to pass over, and presently a deep gulf appeared at their feetwhich was too wide for them to leap. So Ozma took a small square ofgreen cloth from her pocket and threw it upon the ground. At once itbecame the magic carpet, and unrolled itself far enough for all thecavalcade to walk upon. The chariot now advanced, and the greencarpet unrolled before it, crossing the gulf on a level with itsbanks, so that all passed over in safety.

"That's easy enough," said the Scarecrow. "I wonder what willhappen next."

He was not long in making the discovery, for the sides of the mountaincame closer together until finally there was but a narrow path betweenthem, along which Ozma and her party were forced to pass in single file.

They now heard a low and deep "thump!-- thump!--thump!" which echoedthroughout the valley and seemed to grow louder as they advanced.Then, turning a corner of rock, they saw before them a huge form,which towered above the path for more than a hundred feet. The formwas that of a gigantic man built out of plates of cast iron, and itstood with one foot on either side of the narrow road and swung overits right shoulder an immense iron mallet, with which it constantlypounded the earth. These resounding blows explained the thumpingsounds they had heard, for the mallet was much bigger than a barrel,and where it struck the path between the rocky sides of the mountainit filled all the space through which our travelers would be obligedto pass.

Of course they at once halted, a safe distance away from the terribleiron mallet. The magic carpet would do them no good in this case, forit was only meant to protect them from any dangers upon the groundbeneath their feet, and not from dangers that appeared in the airabove them.

"Wow!" said the Cowardly Lion, with a shudder. "It makes medreadfully nervous to see that big hammer pounding so near my head.One blow would crush me into a door-mat."

"The ir-on gi-ant is a fine fel-low," said Tiktok, "and works asstead-i-ly as a clock. He was made for the Nome King by Smith &Tin-ker, who made me, and his du-ty is to keep folks from find-ing theun-der-ground pal-ace. Is he not a great work of art?"

"Can he think, and speak, as you do?" asked Ozma, regarding the giantwith wondering eyes.

"No," replied the machine; "he is on-ly made to pound the road, andhas no think-ing or speak-ing at-tach-ment. But he pounds ve-ry well,I think."

"Too well," observed the Scarecrow. "He is keeping us from goingfarther. Is there no way to stop his machinery?"

"On-ly the Nome King, who has the key, can do that," answered Tiktok.

"Then," said Dorothy, anxiously, "what shall we do?"

"Excuse me for a few minutes," said the Scarecrow, "and I will thinkit over."

He retired, then, to a position in the rear, where he turned hispainted face to the rocks and began to think.

Meantime the giant continued to raise his iron mallet high in the airand to strike the path terrific blows that echoed through themountains like the roar of a cannon. Each time the mallet lifted,however, there was a moment when the path beneath the monster wasfree, and perhaps the Scarecrow had noticed this, for when he cameback to the others he said:

"The matter is a very simple one, after all. We have but to run underthe hammer, one at a time, when it is lifted, and pass to the otherside before it falls again."

"It will require quick work, if we escape the blow," said the TinWoodman, with a shake of his head. "But it really seems the onlything to be done. Who will make the first attempt?"

They looked at one another hesitatingly for a moment. Then theCowardly Lion, who was trembling like a leaf in the wind, said to them:

"I suppose the head of the procession must go first--and that's me.But I'm terribly afraid of the big hammer!"

"What will become of me?" asked Ozma. "You might rush under thehammer yourself, but the chariot would surely be crushed."

"We must leave the chariot," said the Scarecrow. "But you two girlscan ride upon the backs of the Lion and the Tiger."

So this was decided upon, and Ozma, as soon as the Lion was unfastenedfrom the chariot, at once mounted the beast's back and said she was ready.

"Cling fast to his mane," advised Dorothy. "I used to ride himmyself, and that's the way I held on."

So Ozma clung fast to the mane, and the lion crouched in the path andeyed the swinging mallet carefully until he knew just the instant itwould begin to rise in the air.

Then, before anyone thought he was ready, he made a sudden leapstraight between the iron giant's legs, and before the mallet struckthe ground again the Lion and Ozma were safe on the other side.

The Tiger went next. Dorothy sat upon his back and locked her armsaround his striped neck, for he had no mane to cling to. He made theleap straight and true as an arrow from a bow, and ere Dorothyrealized it she was out of danger and standing by Ozma's side.

Now came the Scarecrow on the Sawhorse, and while they made the dashin safety they were within a hair's breadth of being caught by thedescending hammer.

Tiktok walked up to the very edge of the spot the hammer struck, andas it was raised for the next blow he calmly stepped forward andescaped its descent. That was an idea for the Tin Woodman to follow,and he also crossed in safety while the great hammer was in the air.But when it came to the twenty-six officers and the private, theirknees were so weak that they could not walk a step.

"In battle we are wonderfully courageous," said one of the generals,"and our foes find us very terrible to face. But war is one thing andthis is another. When it comes to being pounded upon the head by aniron hammer, and smashed into pancakes, we naturally object."

"Make a run for it," urged the Scarecrow.

"Our knees shake so that we cannot run," answered a captain. "If weshould try it we would all certainly be pounded to a jelly."

"Well, well," sighed the Cowardly Lion, "I see, friend Tiger, that wemust place ourselves in great danger to rescue this bold army. Comewith me, and we will do the best we can."

So, Ozma and Dorothy having already dismounted from their backs, theLion and the Tiger leaped back again under the awful hammer andreturned with two generals clinging to their necks. They repeatedthis daring passage twelve times, when all the officers had beencarried beneath the giant's legs and landed safely on the furtherside. By that time the beasts were very tired, and panted so hardthat their tongues hung out of their great mouths.

"But what is to become of the private?" asked Ozma.

"Oh, leave him there to guard the chariot," said the Lion. "I'm tiredout, and won't pass under that mallet again."

The officers at once protested that they must have the private with them,else there would be no one for them to command. But neither the Lion orthe Tiger would go after him, and so the Scarecrow sent the Sawhorse.

Either the wooden horse was careless, or it failed to properly timethe descent of the hammer, for the mighty weapon caught it squarelyupon its head, and thumped it against the ground so powerfully thatthe private flew off its back high into the air, and landed upon oneof the giant's cast-iron arms. Here he clung desperately while thearm rose and fell with each one of the rapid strokes.

The Scarecrow dashed in to rescue his Sawhorse, and had his left footsmashed by the hammer before he could pull the creature out of danger.They then found that the Sawhorse had been badly dazed by the blow;for while the hard wooden knot of which his head was formed could notbe crushed by the hammer, both his ears were broken off and he wouldbe unable to hear a sound until some new ones were made for him. Alsohis left knee was cracked, and had to be bound up with a string.

Billina having fluttered under the hammer, it now remained only torescue the private who was riding upon the iron giant's arm, high inthe air.

The Scarecrow lay flat upon the ground and called to the man to jumpdown upon his body, which was soft because it was stuffed with straw.This the private managed to do, waiting until a time when he wasnearest the ground and then letting himself drop upon the Scarecrow.He accomplished the feat without breaking any bones, and the Scarecrowdeclared he was not injured in the least.

Therefore, the Tin Woodman having by this time fitted new ears to theSawhorse, the entire party proceeded upon its way, leaving the giantto pound the path behind them.