One day when Princess Dorothy of Oz was visiting Glinda
the Good, who is Ozma’s Royal Sorceress, she was
looking through Glinda’s Great Book of Records —
wherein is inscribed all important events that happen
in every part of the world — when she came upon the
record of the destruction of Pingaree, the capture of
King Kitticut and Queen Garee and all their people, and
the curious escape of Inga, the boy Prince, and of King
Rinkitink and the talking goat. Turning over some of
the following pages, Dorothy read how Inga had found
the Magic Pearls and was rowing the silver-lined boat
to Regos to try to rescue his parents.

The little girl was much interested to know how well
Inga succeeded, but she returned to the palace of Ozma
at the Emerald City of Oz the next day and other events
made her forget the boy Prince of Pingaree for a time.
However, she was one day idly looking at Ozma’s Magic
Picture, which shows any scene you may wish to see,
when the girl thought of Inga and commanded the Magic
Picture to show what the boy was doing at that moment.

It was the time when Inga and Rinkitink had followed
the King of Regos and Queen of Coregos to the Nome
King’s country and she saw them hiding behind the rock
as Cor and Gos passed them by after having placed the
King and Queen of Pingaree in the keeping of the Nome
King. From that time Dorothy followed, by means of the
Magic Picture, the adventures of Inga and his friend in
the Nome King’s caverns, and the danger and
helplessness of the poor boy aroused the little girl’s
pity and indignation.

So she went to Ozma and told the lovely girl Ruler of
Oz all about Inga and Rinkitink.

“I think Kaliko is treating them dreadfully mean,”
declared Dorothy, “and I wish you’d let me go to the
Nome Country and help them out of their troubles.”

“Go, my dear, if you wish to,” replied Ozma, “but I
think it would be best for you to take the Wizard with
you.”

“Oh, I’m not afraid of the nomes,” said Dorothy, “but
I’ll be glad to take the Wizard, for company. And may
we use your Magic Carpet, Ozma?”

“Of course. Put the Magic Carpet in the Red Wagon and
have the Sawhorse take you and the Wizard to the edge
of the desert. While you are gone, Dorothy, I’ll watch
you in the Magic Picture, and if any danger threatens
you I’ll see you are not harmed.”

Dorothy thanked the Ruler of Oz and kissed her good-
bye, for she was determined to start at once. She found
the Wizard of Oz, who was planting shoetrees in the
garden, and when she told him Inga’s story he willingly
agreed to accompany the little girl to the Nome King’s
caverns. They had both been there before and had
conquered the nomes with ease, so they were not at all
afraid.

The Wizard, who was a cheery little man with a bald
head and a winning smile, harnessed the Wooden Sawhorse
to the Red Wagon and loaded on Ozma’s Magic Carpet.
Then he and Dorothy climbed to the seat and the
Sawhorse started off and carried them swiftly through
the beautiful Land of Oz to the edge of the Deadly
Desert that separated their fairyland from the Nome
Country.

Even Dorothy and the clever Wizard would not have
dared to cross this desert without the aid of the Magic
Carpet, for it would have quickly destroyed them; but
when the roll of carpet had been placed upon the edge
of the sands, leaving just enough lying flat for them
to stand upon, the carpet straightway began to unroll
before them and as they walked on it continued to
unroll, until they had safely passed over the stretch
of Deadly Desert and were on the border of the Nome
King’s dominions.

This journey had been accomplished in a few minutes,
although such a distance would have required several
days travel had they not been walking on the Magic
Carpet. On arriving they at once walked toward the
entrance to the caverns of the nomes.

The Wizard carried a little black bag containing his
tools of wizardry, while Dorothy carried over her arm a
covered basket in which she had placed a dozen eggs,
with which to conquer the nomes if she had any trouble
with them.

Eggs may seem to you to be a queer weapon with which
to fight, but the little girl well knew their value.
The nomes are immortal; that is, they do not perish, as
mortals do, unless they happen to come in contact with
an egg. If an egg touches them — either the outer
shell or the inside of the egg — the nomes lose their
charm of perpetual life and thereafter are liable to
die through accident or old age, just as all humans
are.

For this reason the sight of an egg fills a nome with
terror and he will do anything to prevent an egg from
touching him, even for an instant. So, when Dorothy
took her basket of eggs with her, she knew that she was
more powerfully armed than if she had a regiment of
soldiers at her back.