Shaggy Man had said nothing during theconversation between Queen Ann and Quox, for thesimple reason that he did not consider the matterworth an argument. Safe within his pocket reposedthe Love Magnet, which had never failed to winevery heart. The nomes, he knew, were not like theheartless Roses and therefore could be won to hisside as soon as he exhibited the magic talisman.

Shaggy's chief anxiety had been to reachRuggedo's Kingdom and now that the entrance laybefore him he was confident he would be able torescue his lost brother. Let Ann and the dragonquarrel as to who should conquer the nomes, ifthey liked; Shaggy would let them try, and if theyfailed he had the means of conquest in his ownpocket.

But Ann was positive she could not fail, for shethought her Army could do anything. So she calledthe officers together and told them how to act,and she also instructed Tik-Tok what to do andwhat to say.

"Please do not shoot your gun except as a lastresort," she added, "for I do not wish to be cruelor to shed any blood--unless it is absolutelynecessary."

"All right," replied Tik-Tok; "but I do notthink Rug-ge-do would bleed if I filled him fullof holes and put him in a ci-der press."

Then the officers fell in line, the fourGenerals abreast and then the four Colonels andthe four Majors and the four Captains. They drewtheir glittering swords and commanded Tik-Tok tomarch, which he did. Twice he fell down, beingtripped by the rough rocks, but when he struck thesmooth path he got along better. Into the gloomymouth of the cavern entrance he stepped withouthesitation, and after him proudly pranced theofficers and Queen Ann. The others held back alittle, waiting to see what would happen.

Of course the Nome King knew they were comingand was prepared to receive them. Just within therocky passage that led to the jeweled throne-roomwas a deep pit, which was usually covered. Ruggedohad ordered the cover removed and it now stoodopen, scarcely visible in the gloom.

The pit was so large around that it nearlyfilled the passage and there was barely room forone to walk around it by pressing close to therock walls. This Tik-Tok did, for his copper eyessaw the pit clearly and he avoided it; but theofficers marched straight into the hole andtumbled in a heap on the bottom. An instant laterQueen Ann also walked into the pit, for she hadher chin in the air and was careless where sheplaced her feet. Then one of the nomes pulled alever which replaced the cover on the pit and madethe officers of Oogaboo and their Queen fastprisoners.

As for Tik-Tok, he kept straight on to thecavern where Ruggedo sat in his throne and therehe faced the Nome King and said:

"I here-by con-quer you in the name of Queen AnnSo-forth of Oo-ga-boo, whose Ar-my I am, and Ideclare that you are her pris-on-er!"

Ruggedo laughed at him.

"Where is this famous Queen?" he asked.

"She'll be here in a min-ute," said Tik-Tok."Per-haps she stopped to tie her shoe-string."

"Now, see here, Tik-Tok," began the Nome King,in a stern voice, "I've had enough of thisnonsense. Your Queen and her officers are allprisoners, having fallen into my power, so perhapsyou'll tell me what you mean to do."

"My orders were to con-quer you," replied Tik-Tok, "and my ma-chin-er-y has done the best itknows how to car-ry out those or-ders."

Ruggedo pounded on his gong and Kaliko appeared,followed closely by General Guph.

"Take this copper man into the shops and set himto work hammering gold," commanded the King."Being run by machinery he ought to be a steadyworker. He ought never to have been made, butsince he exists I shall hereafter put him to gooduse."

"If you try to cap-ture me," said Tik-Tok, "Ishall fight."

"Don't do that!" exclaimed General Guph,earnestly, "for it will be useless to resist andyou might hurt some one."

But Tik-Tok raised his gun and took aim and notknowing what damage the gun might do the nomeswere afraid to face It.

While he was thus defying the Nome King and hishigh officials, Betsy Bobbin rode calmly into theroyal cavern, seated upon the back of Hank themule. The little girl had grown tired of waitingfor "something to happen" and so had come to seeif Ruggedo had been conquered.

"Nails and nuggets!" roared the King; "howdare you bring that beast here and enter mypresence unannounced?"

"There wasn't anybody to announce me, repliedBetsy. "I guess your folks were all busy. Are youconquered yet?"

"No!" shouted the King, almost beside himselfwith rage.

"Then please give me something to eat, for I'mawful hungry," said the girl. "You see, thisconquering business is a good deal like waitingfor a circus parade; it takes a long time to getaround and don't amount to much anyhow."

The nomes were so much astonished at this speechthat for a time they could only glare at hersilently, not finding words to reply. The Kingfinally recovered the use of his tongue and said:

"Earth-crawler! this insolence to my majestyshall be your death-warrant. You are an ordinarymortal, and to stop a mortal from living is soeasy a thing to do that I will not keep youwaiting half so long as you did for my conquest."

"I'd rather you wouldn't stop me from living,"remarked Betsy, getting off Hank's back andstanding beside him. "And it would be a prettycheap King who killed a visitor while she washungry. If you'll give me something to eat, I'lltalk this killing business over with youafterward; only, I warn you now that I don'tapprove of it, and never will."

Her coolness and lack of fear impressed the NomeKing, although he bore an intense hatred towardall mortals.

"What do you wish to eat?" he asked gruffly.

"Oh, a ham-sandwich would do, or perhaps acouple of hard-boiled eggs--"

"Eggs!" shrieked the three nomes who werepresent, shuddering till their teeth chattered.

"What's the matter?" asked Betsy wonderingly."Are eggs as high here as they are at home?"

"Guph," said the King in an agitated voice,turning to his General, "let us destroy this rashmortal at once! Seize her and take her to theSlimy Cave and lock her in."

Guph glanced at Tik-Tok, whose gun was stillpointed, but just then Kaliko stole softly behindthe copper man and kicked his knee-joints so thatthey suddenly bent forward and tumbled Tik-Tok tothe floor, his gun falling from his grasp.

Then Guph, seeing Tik-Tok helpless, made a grabat Betsy. At the same time Hank's heels shot outand caught the General just where his belt wasbuckled. He rose into the air swift as a cannon-ball, struck the Nome King fairly and flattenedhis Majesty against the wall of rock on theopposite side of the cavern. Together they fell tothe floor in a dazed and crumpled condition,seeing which Kaliko whispered to Betsy:

"Come with me--quick!--and I will save you."

She looked into Kaliko's face inquiringly andthought he seemed honest and good-natured, soshe decided to follow him. He led her and themule through several passages and into a smallcavern very nicely and comfortably furnished.

"This is my own room," said he, "but you arequite welcome to use it. Wait here a minute andI'll get you something to eat."

When Kaliko returned he brought a traycontaining some broiled mushrooms, a loaf ofmineral bread and some petroleum-butter. Thebutter Betsy could not eat, but the bread was goodand the mushrooms delicious.

"Here's the door key," said Kaliko, "and you'dbetter lock yourself in."

"Won't you let Polychrome and the Rose Princesscome here, too?" she asked.

"I'll see. Where are they?"

"I don't know. I left them outside," said Betsy.

"Well, if you hear three raps on the door, openit," said Kaliko; "but don't let anyone in unlessthey give the three raps."

"All right," promised Betsy, and when Kalikoleft the cosy cavern she closed and locked thedoor.

In the meantime Ann and her officers, findingthemselves prisoners in the pit, had shouted andscreamed until they were tired out, but no one hadcome to their assistance. It was very dark anddamp in the pit and they could not climb outbecause the walls were higher than their heads andthe cover was on. The Queen was first angry andthen annoyed and then discouraged; but theofficers were only afraid. Every one of the poorfellows heartily wished he was back in Oogaboocaring for his orchard, and some were so unhappythat they began to reproach Ann for causing themall this trouble and danger.

Finally the Queen sat down on the bottom of thepit and leaned her back against the wall. By goodluck her sharp elbow touched a secret spring inthe wall and a big flat rock swung inward. Annfell over backward, but the next instant shejumped up and cried to the others:

"A passage! A passage! Follow me, my brave men,and we may yet escape."

Then she began to crawl through the passage,which was as dark and dank as the pit, and theofficers followed her in single file. Theycrawled, and they crawled, and they kept oncrawling, for the passage was not big enough toallow them to stand upright. It turned this wayand twisted that, sometimes like a corkscrew andsometimes zigzag, but seldom ran for long in astraight line.

"It will never end--never!" moaned the officers,who were rubbing all the skin off their knees onthe rough rocks.

"It must end," retorted Ann courageously, "orit never would have been made. We don't knowwhere it will lead us to, but any place is betterthan that loathsome pit."

So she crawled on, and the officers crawled on,and while they were crawling through this awfulunderground passage Polychrome and Shaggy andFiles and the Rose Princess, who were standingoutside the entrance to Ruggedo's domains, werewondering what had become of them.