All that first day after the union of the two parties, our friendsmarched steadily toward the wicker castle of Ugu the Shoemaker. Whennight came, they camped in a little grove and passed a pleasantevening together, although some of them were worried becauseButton-Bright was still lost.

"Perhaps," said Toto as the animals lay grouped together for thenight, "this Shoemaker who stole my growl and who stole Ozma has alsostolen Button-Bright."

"How do you know that the Shoemaker stole your growl?" demanded theWoozy.

"He has stolen about everything else of value in Oz, hasn't he?"replied the dog.

"He has stolen everything he wants, perhaps," agreed the Lion, "butwhat could anyone want with your growl?"

"Well," said the dog, wagging his tail slowly, "my recollection isthat it was a wonderful growl, soft and low and--and--"

"And ragged at the edges," said the Sawhorse.

"So," continued Toto, "if that magician hadn't any growl of his own,he might have wanted mine and stolen it."

"And if he has, he will soon wish he hadn't," remarked the Mule."Also, if he has stolen Button-Bright, he will be sorry."

"Don't you like Button-Bright, then?" asked the Lion in surprise.

"It isn't a question of liking him," replied the Mule. "It's aquestion of watching him and looking after him. Any boy who causeshis friends so much worry isn't worth having around. I never getlost."

"If you did," said Toto, "no one would worry a bit. I thinkButton-Bright is a very lucky boy because he always gets found."

"See here," said the Lion, "this chatter is keeping us all awake, andtomorrow is likely to be a busy day. Go to sleep and forget yourquarrels."

"Friend Lion," retorted the dog, "if I hadn't lost my growl, you wouldhear it now. I have as much right to talk as you have to sleep."

The Lion sighed.

"If only you had lost your voice when you lost yourgrowl," said he, "you would be a more agreeable companion."

But they quieted down after that, and soon the entire camp was wrappedin slumber. Next morning they made an early start, but had hardlyproceeded on their way an hour when, on climbing a slight elevation,they beheld in the distance a low mountain on top of which stood Ugu'swicker castle. It was a good-sized building and rather pretty becausethe sides, roofs and domes were all of wicker, closely woven as it isin fine baskets.

"I wonder if it is strong?"said Dorothy musingly as she eyed thequeer castle.

"I suppose it is, since a magician built it," answered the Wizard."With magic to protect it, even a paper castle might be as strong asif made of stone. This Ugu must be a man of ideas, because he doesthings in a different way from other people."

"Yes. No one else would steal our dear Ozma," sighed tiny Trot.

"I wonder if Ozma is there?" said Betsy, indicating the castle with anod of her head.

"Where else could she be?" asked Scraps.

"Suppose we ask the Pink Bear," suggested Dorothy.

That seemed a good idea, so they halted the procession, and the BearKing held the little Pink Bear on his lap and turned the crank in itsside and asked, "Where is Ozma of Oz?"

And the little Pink Bear answered, "She is in a hole in the ground ahalf mile away at your left."

"Good gracious!" cried Dorothy.

"Then she is not in Ugu's castle at all."

"It is lucky we asked that question," said the Wizard, "for if we canfind Ozma and rescue her, there will be no need for us to fight thatwicked and dangerous magician."

"Indeed!" said Cayke. "Then what about my dishpan?"

The Wizard looked puzzled at her tone of remonstrance, so she added,"Didn't you people from the Emerald City promise that we would allstick together, and that you would help me to get my dishpan if Iwould help you to get your Ozma? And didn't I bring to you the littlePink Bear, which has told you where Ozma is hidden?"

"She's right," said Dorothy to the Wizard.

"We must do as we agreed."

"Well, first of all, let us go and rescue Ozma," proposed the Wizard."Then our beloved Ruler may be able to advise us how to conquer Uguthe Shoemaker." So they turned to the left and marched for half amile until they came to a small but deep hole in the ground. At once,all rushed to the brim to peer into the hole, but instead of findingthere Princess Ozma of Oz, all that they saw was Button-Bright, whowas lying asleep on the bottom.

Their cries soon wakened the boy, who sat up and rubbed his eyes.When he recognized his friends, he smiled sweetly, saying, "Foundagain!"

"Where is Ozma?" inquired Dorothy anxiously.

"I don't know," answered Button-Bright from the depths of the hole."I got lost yesterday, as you may remember, and in the night while Iwas wandering around in the moonlight trying to find my way back toyou, I suddenly fell into this hole."

"And wasn't Ozma in it then?"

"There was no one in it but me, and I was sorry it wasn't entirelyempty. The sides are so steep I can't climb out, so there was nothingto be done but sleep until someone found me. Thank you for coming.If you'll please let down a rope, I'll empty this hole in a hurry."

"How strange!" said Dorothy, greatly disappointed.

"It's evident the Pink Bear didn't tell the truth."

"He never makes a mistake," declared the Lavender Bear King in a tonethat showed his feelings were hurt. And then he turned the crank ofthe little Pink Bear again and asked, "Is this the hole that Ozma ofOz is in?"

"Yes," answered the Pink Bear.

"That settles it," said the King positively. "Your Ozma is in thishole in the ground."

"Don't be silly," returned Dorothy impatiently. "Even your beady eyescan see there is no one in the hole but Button-Bright."

"Perhaps Button-Bright is Ozma," suggested the King.

"And perhaps he isn't!

Ozma is a girl, and Button-Bright is a boy."

"Your Pink Bear must be out of order," said the Wizard, "for, thistime at least, his machinery has caused him to make an untruestatement."

The Bear King was so angry at this remark that he turned away, holdingthe Pink Bear in his paws, and refused to discuss the matter in anyfurther way.

"At any rate," said the Frogman, "the Pink Bear has led us to your boyfriend and so enabled you to rescue him."

Scraps was leaning so far over the hole trying to find Ozma in it thatsuddenly she lost her balance and pitched in head foremost. She fellupon Button-Bright and tumbled him over, but he was not hurt by hersoft, stuffed body and only laughed at the mishap. The Wizard buckledsome straps together and let one end of them down into the hole, andsoon both Scraps and the boy had climbed up and were standing safelybeside the others. They looked once more for Ozma, but the hole wasnow absolutely vacant. It was a round hole, so from the top theycould plainly see every part of it. Before they left the place,Dorothy went to the Bear King and said, "I'm sorry we couldn't believewhat the little Pink Bear said, 'cause we don't want to make you feelbad by doubting him. There must be a mistake, somewhere, and weprob'ly don't understand just what the little Pink Bear said. Willyou let me ask him one more question?"

The Lavender Bear King was a good-natured bear, considering how he wasmade and stuffed and jointed, so he accepted Dorothy's apology andturned the crank and allowed the little girl to question his wee PinkBear.

"Is Ozma REALLY in this hole?" asked Dorothy.

"No," said the little Pink Bear.

This surprised everybody. Even the Bear King was now puzzled by the contradictory statements of his oracle.

"Where IS she?" asked the King.

"Here, among you," answered the little Pink Bear.

"Well," said Dorothy, "this beats me entirely! I guess the littlePink Bear has gone crazy."

"Perhaps," called Scraps, who was rapidly turning "cartwheels" allaround the perplexed group, "Ozma is invisible."

"Of course!" cried Betsy. That would account for it."

"Well, I've noticed that people can speak, even when they've been madeinvisible," said the Wizard. And then he looked all around him andsaid in a solemn voice, "Ozma, are you here?"

There was no reply. Dorothy asked the question, too, and so didButton-Bright and Trot and Betsy, but none received any reply at all.

"It's strange, it's terrible strange!" muttered Cayke the Cookie Cook."I was sure that the little Pink Bear always tells the truth."

"I still believe in his honesty," said the Frogman, and this tributeso pleased the Bear King that he gave these last speakers gratefullooks, but still gazed sourly on the others.

"Come to think of it," remarked the Wizard, "Ozma couldn't beinvisible, for she is a fairy, and fairies cannot be made invisibleagainst their will. Of course, she could be imprisoned by themagician or enchanted or transformed, in spite of her fairy powers,but Ugu could not render her invisible by any magic at his command."

"I wonder if she's been transformed into Button-Bright?" said Dorothynervously. Then she looked steadily at the boy and asked, "Are youOzma? Tell me truly!"

Button-Bright laughed.

"You're getting rattled, Dorothy," he replied."Nothing ever enchants ME. If I were Ozma, do you think I'd havetumbled into that hole?"

"Anyhow," said the Wizard, "Ozma would never try to deceive herfriends or prevent them from recognizing her in whatever form shehappened to be. The puzzle is still a puzzle, so let us go on to thewicker castle and question the magician himself. Since it was he whostole our Ozma, Ugu is the one who must tell us where to find her."