The Scarecrow had no need to sleep; neither had the Tin Woodman or Tiktokor Jack Pumpkinhead. So they all wandered out into the palace groundsand stood beside the sparkling water of the Forbidden Fountain untildaybreak. During this time they indulged in occasional conversation.

"Nothing could make me forget what I know," remarked the Scarecrow,gazing into the fountain, "for I cannot drink the Water of Oblivion orwater of any kind. And I am glad that this is so, for I consider mywisdom unexcelled."

"You are cer-tain-ly ve-ry wise," agreed Tiktok. "For my part, I canon-ly think by ma-chin-er-y, so I do not pre-tend to know as much asyou do."

"My tin brains are very bright, but that is all I claim for them,"said Nick Chopper, modestly. "Yet I do not aspire to being very wise,for I have noticed that the happiest people are those who do not lettheir brains oppress them."

"Mine never worry me," Jack Pumpkinhead acknowledged. "There aremany seeds of thought in my head, but they do not sprout easily. I amglad that it is so, for if I occupied my days in thinking I shouldhave no time for anything else."

In this cheery mood they passed the hours until the first goldenstreaks of dawn appeared in the sky. Then Ozma joined them, as freshand lovely as ever and robed in one of her prettiest gowns.

"Our enemies have not yet arrived," said the Scarecrow, after greetingaffectionately the sweet and girlish Ruler.

"They will soon be here," she said, "for I have just glanced at myMagic Picture, and have seen them coughing and choking with the dustin the tunnel."

"Oh, is there dust in the tunnel?" asked the Tin Woodman.

"Yes; Ozma placed it there by means of the Magic Belt," explained theScarecrow, with one of his broad smiles.

Then Dorothy came to them, Uncle Henry and Aunt Em following closeafter her. The little girl's eyes were heavy because she had had asleepless and anxious night. Toto walked by her side, but the littledog's spirits were very much subdued. Billina, who was always up bydaybreak, was not long in joining the group by the fountain.

The Wizard and the Shaggy Man next arrived, and soon after appearedOmby Amby, dressed in his best uniform.

"There lies the tunnel," said Ozma, pointing to a part of the groundjust before the Forbidden Fountain, "and in a few moments the dreadfulinvaders will break through the earth and swarm over the land. Let us allstand on the other side of the Fountain and watch to see what happens."

At once they followed her suggestion and moved around the fountain ofthe Water of Oblivion. There they stood silent and expectant untilthe earth beyond gave way with a sudden crash and up leaped the powerfulform of the First and Foremost, followed by all his grim warriors.

As the leader sprang forward his gleaming eyes caught the play of thefountain and he rushed toward it and drank eagerly of the sparklingwater. Many of the other Phanfasms drank, too, in order to cleartheir dry and dusty throats. Then they stood around and looked atone another with simple, wondering smiles.

The First and Foremost saw Ozma and her companions beyond thefountain, but instead of making an effort to capture her he merelystared at her in pleased admiration of her beauty--for he hadforgotten where he was and why he had come there.

But now the Grand Gallipoot arrived, rushing from the tunnel with ahoarse cry of mingled rage and thirst. He too saw the fountain andhastened to drink of its forbidden waters. The other Growleywogs werenot slow to follow suit, and even before they had finished drinkingthe Chief of the Whimsies and his people came to push them away, whilethey one and all cast off their false heads that they might slaketheir thirst at the fountain.

When the Nome King and General Guph arrived they both made a dash todrink, but the General was so mad with thirst that he knocked his Kingover, and while Roquat lay sprawling upon the ground the Generaldrank heartily of the Water of Oblivion.

This rude act of his General made the Nome King so angry that for amoment he forgot he was thirsty and rose to his feet to glare upon thegroup of terrible warriors he had brought here to assist him. He sawOzma and her people, too, and yelled out:

"Why don't you capture them? Why don't you conquer Oz, you idiots?Why do you stand there like a lot of dummies?"

But the great warriors had become like little children. They hadforgotten all their enmity against Ozma and against Oz. They had evenforgotten who they themselves were, or why they were in this strangeand beautiful country. As for the Nome King, they did not recognizehim, and wondered who he was.

The sun came up and sent its flood of silver rays to light the facesof the invaders. The frowns and scowls and evil looks were all gone.Even the most monstrous of the creatures there assembled smiledinnocently and seemed light-hearted and content merely to be alive.

Not so with Roquat, the Nome King. He had not drunk from theForbidden Fountain and all his former rage against Ozma and Dorothynow inflamed him as fiercely as ever. The sight of General Guphbabbling like a happy child and playing with his hands in the coolwaters of the fountain astonished and maddened Red Roquat. Seeingthat his terrible allies and his own General refused to act, the NomeKing turned to order his great army of Nomes to advance from thetunnel and seize the helpless Oz people.

But the Scarecrow suspected what was in the King's mind and spoke aword to the Tin Woodman. Together they ran at Roquat and grabbing himup tossed him into the great basin of the fountain.

The Nome King's body was round as a ball, and it bobbed up and down inthe Water of Oblivion while he spluttered and screamed with fear lesthe should drown. And when he cried out, his mouth filled with water,which ran down his throat, so that straightway he forgot all he hadformerly known just as completely as had all the other invaders.

Ozma and Dorothy could not refrain from laughing to see their dreadedenemies become as harmless as babies. There was no danger now that Ozwould be destroyed. The only question remaining to solve was how toget rid of this horde of intruders.

The Shaggy Man kindly pulled the Nome King out of the fountain and sethim upon his thin legs. Roquat was dripping wet, but he chattered andlaughed and wanted to drink more of the water. No thought of injuringany person was now in his mind.

Before he left the tunnel he had commanded his fifty thousand Nomesto remain there until he ordered them to advance, as he wished to givehis allies time to conquer Oz before he appeared with his own army.Ozma did not wish all these Nomes to overrun her land, so she advancedto King Roquat and taking his hand in her own said gently:

"Who are you? What is your name?"

"I don't know," he replied, smiling at her. "Who are you, my dear?"

"My name is Ozma," she said; "and your name is Roquat."

"Oh, is it?" he replied, seeming pleased.

"Yes; you are King of the Nomes," she said.

"Ah; I wonder what the Nomes are!" returned the King, as if puzzled.

"They are underground elves, and that tunnel over there is full ofthem," she answered. "You have a beautiful cavern at the other end ofthe tunnel, so you must go to your Nomes and say: 'March home!' Thenfollow after them and in time you will reach the pretty cavern whereyou live."

The Nome King was much pleased to learn this, for he had forgotten hehad a cavern. So he went to the tunnel and said to his army: 'Marchhome!' At once the Nomes turned and marched back through the tunnel,and the King followed after them, laughing with delight to find hisorders so readily obeyed.

The Wizard went to General Guph, who was trying to count his fingers,and told him to follow the Nome King, who was his master. Guph meeklyobeyed, and so all the Nomes quitted the Land of Oz forever.

But there were still the Phanfasms and Whimsies and Growleywogsstanding around in groups, and they were so many that they filled thegardens and trampled upon the flowers and grass because they did notknow that the tender plants would be injured by their clumsy feet.But in all other respects they were perfectly harmless and playedtogether like children or gazed with pleasure upon the pretty sightsof the royal gardens.

After counseling with the Scarecrow Ozma sent Omby Amby to the palacefor the Magic Belt, and when the Captain General returned with it theRuler of Oz at once clasped the precious Belt around her waist.

"I wish all these strange people--the Whimsies and the Growleywogs andthe Phanfasms--safe back in their own homes!" she said.

It all happened in a twinkling, for of course the wish was no soonerspoken than it was granted.

All the hosts of the invaders were gone, and only the trampled grassshowed that they had ever been in the Land of Oz.