One day when Princess Dorothy of Oz was visiting Glindathe Good, who is Ozma's Royal Sorceress, she waslooking through Glinda's Great Book of Records --wherein is inscribed all important events that happenin every part of the world -- when she came upon therecord of the destruction of Pingaree, the capture ofKing Kitticut and Queen Garee and all their people, andthe curious escape of Inga, the boy Prince, and of KingRinkitink and the talking goat. Turning over some ofthe following pages, Dorothy read how Inga had foundthe Magic Pearls and was rowing the silver-lined boatto Regos to try to rescue his parents.

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

It was the time when Inga and Rinkitink had followedthe King of Regos and Queen of Coregos to the NomeKing's country and she saw them hiding behind the rockas Cor and Gos passed them by after having placed theKing and Queen of Pingaree in the keeping of the NomeKing. From that time Dorothy followed, by means of theMagic Picture, the adventures of Inga and his friend inthe Nome King's caverns, and the danger andhelplessness of the poor boy aroused the little girl'spity and indignation.

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

"I think Kaliko is treating them dreadfully mean,"declared Dorothy, "and I wish you'd let me go to theNome Country and help them out of their troubles."

"Go, my dear, if you wish to," replied Ozma, "but Ithink it would be best for you to take the Wizard withyou."

"Oh, I'm not afraid of the nomes," said Dorothy, "butI'll be glad to take the Wizard, for company. And maywe use your Magic Carpet, Ozma?"

"Of course. Put the Magic Carpet in the Red Wagon andhave the Sawhorse take you and the Wizard to the edgeof the desert. While you are gone, Dorothy, I'll watchyou in the Magic Picture, and if any danger threatensyou 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 foundthe Wizard of Oz, who was planting shoetrees in thegarden, and when she told him Inga's story he willinglyagreed to accompany the little girl to the Nome King'scaverns. They had both been there before and hadconquered the nomes with ease, so they were not at allafraid.

The Wizard, who was a cheery little man with a baldhead and a winning smile, harnessed the Wooden Sawhorseto the Red Wagon and loaded on Ozma's Magic Carpet.Then he and Dorothy climbed to the seat and theSawhorse started off and carried them swiftly throughthe beautiful Land of Oz to the edge of the DeadlyDesert that separated their fairyland from the NomeCountry.

Even Dorothy and the clever Wizard would not havedared to cross this desert without the aid of the MagicCarpet, for it would have quickly destroyed them; butwhen the roll of carpet had been placed upon the edgeof the sands, leaving just enough lying flat for themto stand upon, the carpet straightway began to unrollbefore them and as they walked on it continued tounroll, until they had safely passed over the stretchof Deadly Desert and were on the border of the NomeKing's dominions.

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

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

Eggs may seem to you to be a queer weapon with whichto fight, but the little girl well knew their value.The nomes are immortal; that is, they do not perish, asmortals do, unless they happen to come in contact withan egg. If an egg touches them -- either the outershell or the inside of the egg -- the nomes lose theircharm of perpetual life and thereafter are liable todie through accident or old age, just as all humansare.

For this reason the sight of an egg fills a nome withterror and he will do anything to prevent an egg fromtouching him, even for an instant. So, when Dorothytook her basket of eggs with her, she knew that she wasmore powerfully armed than if she had a regiment ofsoldiers at her back.