A day's journey from the Emerald City brought thelittle band of adventurers to the home of JackPumpkinhead, which was a house formed from theshell of an immense pumpkin. Jack had made ithimself and was very proud of it. There was adoor, and several windows, and through the top wasstuck a stovepipe that led from a small stoveinside. The door was reached by a flight of threesteps and there was a good floor on which wasarranged some furniture that was quitecomfortable.

It is certain that Jack Pumpkinhead mighthave had a much finer house to live in bad hewanted it, for Ozma loved the stupid fellow,who had been her earliest companion; but Jackpreferred his pumpkin house, as it matchedhimself very well, and in this he was not sostupid, after all.

The body of this remarkable person was made ofwood, branches of trees of various sizes havingbeen used for the purpose. This wooden frameworkwas covered by a red shirt--with white spots init--blue trousers, a yellow vest, a jacket ofgreen-and-gold and stout leather shoes. The neckwas a sharpened stick on which the pumpkin headwas set, and the eyes, ears, nose and mouth werecarved on the skin of the pumpkin, very like achild's jack-o'-lantern.

The house of this interesting creation stoodin the center of a vast pumpkin-field, where thevines grew in profusion and bore pumpkins ofextraordinary size as well as those which weresmaller. Some of the pumpkins now ripeningon the vines were almost as large as Jack's house,and he told Dorothy he intended to add anotherpumpkin to his mansion.

The travelers were cordially welcomed to thisquaint domicile and invited to pass the nightthere, which they had planned to do. ThePatchwork Girl was greatly interested in Jackand examined him admiringly.

"You are quite handsome," she said; "but notas really beautiful as the Scarecrow."

Jack turned, at this, to examine the Scarecrowcritically, and his old friend slyly winked onepainted eye at him.

"There is no accounting for tastes," remarkedthe Pumpkinhead, with a sigh. "An old crowonce told me I was very fascinating, but ofcourse the bird might have been mistaken. YetI have noticed that the crows usually avoid theScarecrow, who is a very honest fellow, in hisway, but stuffed. I am not stuffed, you willobserve; my body is good solid hickory."

"I adore stuffing," said the Patchwork Girl.

"Well, as for that, my head is stuffed withpumpkin-seeds," declared Jack. "I use them forbrains, and when they are fresh I am intellectual.Just now, I regret to say, my seeds are rattling abit, so I must soon get another head."

"Oh; do you change your head?" asked Ojo.

"To be sure. Pumpkins are not permanent, more'sthe pity, and in time they spoil. That is why Igrow such a great field of pumpkins--that I mayselect a new head whenever necessary."

"Who carves the faces on them?" inquired theboy.

"I do that myself. I lift off my old head, placeit on a table before me, and use the face for apattern to go by. Sometimes the faces I carve arebetter than others--more expressive and cheerful,you know--but I think they average very well."

Before she had started on the journey Dorothyhad packed a knapsack with the things she mightneed, and this knapsack the Scarecrow carriedstrapped to his back. The little girl wore a plaingingham dress and a checked sunbonnet, as she knewthey were best fitted for travel. Ojo also hadbrought along his basket, to which Ozma had addeda bottle of "Square Meal Tablets" and some fruit.But Jack Pumpkinhead grew a lot of things in hisgarden besides pumpkins, so he cooked for them afine vegetable soup and gave Dorothy, Ojo andToto, the only ones who found it necessary to eat,a pumpkin pie and some green cheese. For beds theymust use the sweet dried grasses which Jack hadstrewn along one side of the room, but thatsatisfied Dorothy and Ojo very well. Toto, ofcourse, slept beside his little mistress.

The Scarecrow, Scraps and the Pumpkinheadwere tireless and had no need to sleep, so theysat up and talked together all night; but theystayed outside the house, under the bright stars,and talked in low tones so as not to disturb thesleepers. During the conversation the Scarecrowexplained their quest for a dark well, and askedJack's advice where to find it.

The Pumpkinhead considered the matter gravely.

"That is going to be a difficult task," said he,"and if I were you I'd take any ordinary welland enclose it, so as to make it dark."

"I fear that wouldn't do," replied theScarecrow. "The well must be naturally dark, andthe water must never have seen the light of day,for otherwise the magic charm might not work atall."

"How much of the water do you need?" asked Jack.

"A gill."

"How much is a gill?"

"Why--a gill is a gill, of course," answeredthe Scarecrow, who did not wish to display hisignorance.

"I know!" cried Scraps. "Jack and Jill went upthe hill to fetch--"

"No, no; that's wrong," interrupted theScarecrow. "There are two kinds of gills, I think;one is a girl, and the other is--"

"A gillyflower," said Jack.

"No; a measure."

"How big a measure?"

"Well, I'll ask Dorothy."

So next morning they asked Dorothy, and shesaid:

"I don't just know how much a gill is, but I'vebrought along a gold flask that holds a pint.That's more than a gill, I'm sure, and the CrookedMagician may measure it to suit himself. But thething that's bothering us most, Jack, is to findthe well."

Jack gazed around the landscape, for he wasstanding in the doorway of his house.

"This is a flat country, so you won t find anydark wells here," said he. "You must go into themountains, where rocks and caverns are.

"And where is that?" asked Ojo.

"In the Quadling Country, which lies southof here," replied the Scarecrow. "I've known allalong that we must go to the mountains."

"So have I," said Dorothy.

"But--goodness me!--the Quadling Country is fullof dangers," declared Jack. "I've never been theremyself, but--"

"I have," said the Scarecrow. "I've faced thedreadful Hammerheads, which have no arms and buttyou like a goat; and I've faced the FightingTrees, which bend down their branches to pound andwhip you, and had many other adventures there."

"It's a wild country," remarked Dorothy,soberly, "and if we go there we're sure to havetroubles of our own. But I guess we'll have to go,if we want that gill of water from the dark well."

So they said good-bye to the Pumpkinhead andresumed their travels, heading now directly towardthe South Country, where mountains and rocks andcaverns and forests of great trees abounded. Thispart of the Land of Oz, while it belonged to Ozmaand owed her allegiance, was so wild and secludedthat many queer peoples hid in its jungles andlived in their own way, without even a knowledgethat they had a Ruler in the Emerald City. If theywere left alone, these creatures never troubledthe inhabitants of the rest of Oz, but those whoinvaded their domains encountered many dangersfrom them.

It was a two days journey from Jack Pumkinhead'shouse to the edge of the Quadling Country, forneither Dorothy nor Ojo could walk very fast andthey often stopped by the wayside to rest. Thefirst night they slept on the broad fields, amongthe buttercups and daisies, and the Scarecrowcovered the children with a gauze blanket takenfrom his knapsack, so they would not be chilled bythe night air. Toward evening of the second daythey reached a sandy plain where walking wasdifficult; but some distance before them they sawa group of palm trees, with many curious blackdots under them; so they trudged bravely on toreach that place by dark and spend the night underthe shelter of the trees.

The black dots grew larger as they advanced andalthough the light was dim Dorothy thought theylooked like big kettles turned upside down. Justbeyond this place a jumble of huge, jagged rockslay scattered, rising to the mountains behindthem.

Our travelers preferred to attempt to climbthese rocks by daylight, and they realized thatfor a time this would be their last night on theplains.

Twilight had fallen by the time they came to thetrees, beneath which were the black, circularobjects they had marked from a distance. Dozens ofthem were scattered around and Dorothy bent nearto one, which was about as tall as she was, toexamine it more closely. As she did so the topflew open and out popped a dusky creature, risingits length into the air and then plumping downupon the ground just beside the little girl.Another and another popped out of the circular,pot-like dwelling, while from all the other blackobjects came popping more creatures--very likejumping-jacks when their boxes are unhooked--untilfully a hundred stood gathered around our littlegroup of travelers.

By this time Dorothy had discovered theywere people, tiny and curiously formed, but stillpeople. Their skins were dusky and their hairstood straight up, like wires, and was brilliantscarlet in color. Their bodies were bare exceptfor skins fastened around their waists and theywore bracelets on their ankles and wrists, andnecklaces, and great pendant earrings.

Toto crouched beside his mistress and wailedas if he did not like these strange creatures a bit.Scraps began to mutter something about "hopity,poppity, jumpity, dump!" but no one paid anyattention to her. Ojo kept close to the Scarecrowand the Scarecrow kept close to Dorothy; but thelittle girl turned to the queer creatures andasked:

"Who are you?"

They answered this question all together, ina sort of chanting chorus, the words being as follows:

"We're the jolly Tottenhots;We do not like the day,But in the night 'tis our delightTo gambol, skip and play.

"We hate the sun and from it run,The moon is cool and clear,So on this spot each TottenhotWaits for it to appear.

"We're ev'ry one chock full of fun,And full of mischief, too;But if you're gay and with us playWe'll do no harm to you.

"Glad to meet you, Tottenhots," said theScarecrow solemnly. "But you mustn't expect usto play with you all night, for we've traveledall day and some of us are tired."

"And we never gamble," added the Patchwork Girl."It's against the Law."

These remarks were greeted with shouts oflaughter by the impish creatures and one seizedthe Scarecrow's arm and was astonished to find thestraw man whirl around so easily. So the Tottenhotraised the Scarecrow high in the air and tossedhim over the heads of the crowd. Some one caughthim and tossed him back, and so with shouts ofglee they continued throwing the Scarecrow hereand there, as if he had been a basket-ball.

Presently another imp seized Scraps and began tothrow her about, in the same way. They found her alittle heavier than the Scarecrow but still lightenough to be tossed like a sofa-cushion, and theywere enjoying the sport immensely when Dorothy,angry and indignant at the treatment her friendswere receiving, rushed among the Tottenhots andbegan slapping and pushing them until she hadrescued the Scarecrow and the Patchwork Girl andheld them close on either side of her. Perhaps shewould not have accomplished this victory so easilyhad not Toto helped her, barking and snapping atthe bare legs of the imps until they were glad toflee from his attack. As for Ojo, some of thecreatures had attempted to toss him, also, butfinding his body too heavy they threw him to theground and a row of the imps sat on him and heldhim from assisting Dorothy in her battle.

The little brown folks were much surprisedat being attacked by the girl and the dog, andone or two who had been slapped hardest beganto cry. Then suddenly they gave a shout, alltogether, and disappeared in a flash into theirvarious houses, the tops of which closed with aseries of pops that sounded like a bunch offirecrackers being exploded.

The adventurers now found themselves alone,and Dorothy asked anxiously:

"Is anybody hurt?"

"Not me," answered the Scarecrow. "They havegiven my straw a good shaking up and taken all thelumps out of it. I am now in splendid conditionand am really obliged to the Tottenhots for theirkind treatment."

"I feel much the same way," said Scraps."My cotton stuffing had sagged a good deal withthe day's walking and they've loosened it upuntil I feel as plump as a sausage. But the playwas a little rough and I'd had quite enough ofit when you interfered."

"Six of them sat on me," said Ojo, "but asthey are so little they didn't hurt me much."

Just then the roof of the house in front ofthem opened and a Tottenhot stuck his headout, very cautiously, and looked at the strangers.

"Can't you, take a joke?" he asked,reproachfully; "haven t you any fun in you atall?"

"If I had such a quality," replied theScarecrow, "your people would have knocked it outof me. But I don't bear grudges. I forgive you."

"So do I," added Scraps. "That is, if you behaveyourselves after this."

"It was just a little rough-house, that's all,"said the Tottenhot. "But the question is not ifwe will behave, but if you will behave? Wecan't be shut up here all night, because thisis our time to play; nor do we care to come outand be chewed up by a savage beast or slappedby an angry girl. That slapping hurts like sixty;some of my folks are crying about it. So here'sthe proposition: you let us alone and we'll letyou alone."

"You began it," declared Dorothy.

"Well, you ended it, so we won't argue thematter. May we come out again? Or are you stillcruel and slappy?"

"Tell you what we'll do," said Dorothy. "We'reall tired and want to sleep until morning. Ifyou'll let us get into your house, and stay thereuntil daylight, you can play outside all you wantto."

"That's a bargain!" cried the Tottenhoteagerly, and he gave a queer whistle thatbrought his people popping out of their houseson all sides. When the house before them wasvacant, Dorothy and Ojo leaned over the holeand looked in, but could see nothing becauseit was so dark. But if the Tottenhots slept thereall day the children thought they could sleepthere at night, so Ojo lowered himself downand found it was not very deep."

"There's a soft cushion all over," said he."Come on in."

Dorothy handed Toto to the boy and then climbedin herself. After her came Scraps and theScarecrow, who did not wish to sleep but preferredto keep out of the way of the mischievousTottenhots.

There seemed no furniture in the round den, butsoft cushions were strewn about the floor andthese they found made very comfortable beds. Theydid not close the hole in the roof but left itopen to admit air. It also admitted the shouts andceaseless laughter of the impish Tottenhots asthey played outside, but Dorothy and Ojo, beingweary from their journey, were soon fast asleep.

Toto kept an eye open, however, and uttered low,threatening growls whenever the racket made by thecreatures outside became too boisterous; and theScarecrow and the Patchwork Girl sat leaningagainst the wall and talked in whispers all nightlong. No one disturbed the travelers untildaylight, when in popped the Tottenhot who ownedthe place and invited them to vacate his premises.