The Nome King and his terrible allies sat at the banquet table untilmidnight. There was much quarreling between the Growleywogs andPhanfasms, and one of the wee-headed Whimsies got angry at GeneralGuph and choked him until he nearly stopped breathing. Yet no one wasseriously hurt, and the Nome King felt much relieved when the clockstruck twelve and they all sprang up and seized their weapons.

"Aha!" shouted the First and Foremost. "Now to conquer the Land of Oz!"

He marshaled his Phanfasms in battle array and at his word of commandthey marched into the tunnel and began the long journey through it tothe Emerald City. The First and Foremost intended to take all thetreasures of Oz for himself; to kill all who could be killed andenslave the rest; to destroy and lay waste the whole country, andafterward to conquer and enslave the Nomes, the Growleywogs and theWhimsies. And he knew his power was sufficient to enable him to doall these things easily.

Next marched into the tunnel the army of gigantic Growleywogs, withtheir Grand Gallipoot at their head. They were dreadful beings,indeed, and longed to get to Oz that they might begin to pilfer anddestroy. The Grand Gallipoot was a little afraid of the First andForemost, but had a cunning plan to murder or destroy that powerfulbeing and secure the wealth of Oz for himself. Mighty little of theplunder would the Nome King get, thought the Grand Gallipoot.

The Chief of the Whimsies now marched his false-headed forces into thetunnel. In his wicked little head was a plot to destroy both theFirst and Foremost and the Grand Gallipoot. He intended to let themconquer Oz, since they insisted on going first; but he would afterwardtreacherously destroy them, as well as King Roquat, and keep all theslaves and treasure of Ozma's kingdom for himself.

After all his dangerous allies had marched into the tunnel the NomeKing and General Guph started to follow them, at the head of fiftythousand Nomes, all fully armed.

"Guph," said the King, "those creatures ahead of us mean mischief.They intend to get everything for themselves and leave us nothing."

"I know," replied the General; "but they are not as clever as theythink they are. When you get the Magic Belt you must at once wishthe Whimsies and Growleywogs and Phanfasms all back into their owncountries--and the Belt will surely take them there."

"Good!" cried the King. "An excellent plan, Guph. I'll do it.While they are conquering Oz I'll get the Magic Belt, and thenonly the Nomes will remain to ravage the country."

So you see there was only one thing that all were agreed upon--thatOz should be destroyed.

On, on, on the vast ranks of invaders marched, filling the tunnel fromside to side. With a steady tramp, tramp, they advanced, every steptaking them nearer to the beautiful Emerald City.

"Nothing can save the Land of Oz!" thought the First and Foremost,scowling until his bear face was as black as the tunnel.

"The Emerald City is as good as destroyed already!" muttered the GrandGallipoot, shaking his war club fiercely.

"In a few hours Oz will be a desert!" said the Chief of the Whimsies,with an evil laugh.

"My dear Guph," remarked the Nome King to his General, "at last myvengeance upon Ozma of Oz and her people is about to be accomplished."

"You are right!" declared the General. "Ozma is surely lost."

And now the First and Foremost, who was in advance and nearing theEmerald City, began to cough and to sneeze.

"This tunnel is terribly dusty," he growled, angrily. "I'll punishthat Nome King for not having it swept clean. My throat and eyes aregetting full of dust and I'm as thirsty as a fish!"

The Grand Gallipoot was coughing too, and his throat was parched and dry.

"What a dusty place!" he cried. "I'll be glad when we reach Oz,where we can get a drink."

"Who has any water?" asked the Whimsie Chief, gasping and choking.But none of his followers carried a drop of water, so he hastenedon to get through the dusty tunnel to the Land of Oz.

"Where did all this dust come from?" demanded General Guph, tryinghard to swallow but finding his throat so dry he couldn't.

"I don't know," answered the Nome King. "I've been in the tunnelevery day while it was being built, but I never noticed any dust before."

"Let's hurry!" cried the General. "I'd give half the gold in Oz for adrink of water."

The dust grew thicker and thicker, and the throats and eyes and nosesof the invaders were filled with it. But not one halted or turned back.They hurried forward more fierce and vengeful than ever.