They found the houses of the town all low and square and built ofbricks, neatly whitewashed inside and out. The houses were not set inrows, forming regular streets, but placed here and there in a haphazardmanner which made it puzzling for a stranger to find his way.

"Stupid people must have streets and numbered houses in their cities,to guide them where to go," observed the grey donkey, as he walkedbefore the visitors on his hind legs, in an awkward but comical manner;"but clever donkeys know their way about without such absurd marks.Moreover, a mixed city is much prettier than one with straight streets."

Dorothy did not agree with this, but she said nothing to contradict it.Presently she saw a sign on a house that read: "Madam de Fayke, Hoofist,"and she asked their conductor:

"What's a 'hoofist,' please?"

"One who reads your fortune in your hoofs," replied the grey donkey.

"Oh, I see," said the little girl. "You are quite civilized here."

"Dunkiton," he replied, "is the center of the world'shighest civilization."

They came to a house where two youthful donkeys were whitewashing thewall, and Dorothy stopped a moment to watch them. They dipped theends of their tails, which were much like paint-brushes, into a pail ofwhitewash, backed up against the house, and wagged their tails rightand left until the whitewash was rubbed on the wall, after which theydipped these funny brushes in the pail again and repeated the performance.

"That must be fun," said Button-Bright.

"No, it's work," replied the old donkey; "but we make our youngstersdo all the whitewashing, to keep them out of mischief."

"Don't they go to school?" asked Dorothy.

"All donkeys are born wise," was the reply, "so the only school weneed is the school of experience. Books are only for those who knownothing, and so are obliged to learn things from other people."

"In other words, the more stupid one is, the more he thinks he knows,"observed the shaggy man. The grey donkey paid no attention to thisspeech because he had just stopped before a house which had paintedover the doorway a pair of hoofs, with a donkey tail between them anda rude crown and sceptre above.

"I'll see if his magnificent Majesty King Kik-a-bray is at home," saidhe. He lifted his head and called "Whee-haw! whee-haw! whee-haw!"three times, in a shocking voice, turning about and kicking with hisheels against the panel of the door. For a time there was no reply;then the door opened far enough to permit a donkey's head to stick outand look at them.

It was a white head, with big, awful ears and round, solemn eyes.

"Have the foxes gone?" it asked, in a trembling voice.

"They haven't been here, most stupendous Majesty," replied the greyone. "The new arrivals prove to be travelers of distinction."

"Oh," said the King, in a relieved tone of voice. "Let them come in."

He opened the door wide, and the party marched into a big room, which,Dorothy thought, looked quite unlike a king's palace. There were matsof woven grasses on the floor and the place was clean and neat; buthis Majesty had no other furniture at all--perhaps because he didn'tneed it. He squatted down in the center of the room and a littlebrown donkey ran and brought a big gold crown which it placed on themonarch's head, and a golden staff with a jeweled ball at the end ofit, which the King held between his front hoofs as he sat upright.

"Now then," said his Majesty, waving his long ears gently to and fro,"tell me why you are here, and what you expect me to do for you." Heeyed Button-Bright rather sharply, as if afraid of the little boy'squeer head, though it was the shaggy man who undertook to reply.

"Most noble and supreme ruler of Dunkiton," he said, trying not tolaugh in the solemn King's face, "we are strangers traveling throughyour dominions and have entered your magnificent city because the roadled through it, and there was no way to go around. All we desire isto pay our respects to your Majesty--the cleverest king in all theworld, I'm sure--and then to continue on our way."

This polite speech pleased the King very much; indeed, it pleased himso much that it proved an unlucky speech for the shaggy man. Perhapsthe Love Magnet helped to win his Majesty's affections as well as theflattery, but however this may be, the white donkey looked kindly uponthe speaker and said:

"Only a donkey should be able to use such fine, big words, and you aretoo wise and admirable in all ways to be a mere man. Also, I feelthat I love you as well as I do my own favored people, so I willbestow upon you the greatest gift within my power--a donkey's head."

As he spoke he waved his jeweled staff. Although the shaggy mancried out and tried to leap backward and escape, it proved of no use.Suddenly his own head was gone and a donkey head appeared in itsplace--a brown, shaggy head so absurd and droll that Dorothy and Pollyboth broke into merry laughter, and even Button-Bright's fox face worea smile.

"Dear me! dear me!" cried the shaggy man, feeling of his shaggy newhead and his long ears. "What a misfortune--what a great misfortune!Give me back my own head, you stupid king--if you love me at all!"

"Don't you like it?" asked the King, surprised.

"Hee-haw! I hate it! Take it away, quick!" said the shaggy man.

"But I can't do that," was the reply. "My magic works only one way.I can DO things, but I can't UNdo them. You'll have to find theTruth Pond, and bathe in its water, in order to get back your ownhead. But I advise you not to do that. This head is much morebeautiful than the old one."

"That's a matter of taste," said Dorothy.

"Where is the Truth Pond?" asked the shaggy man, earnestly.

"Somewhere in the Land of Oz; but just the exact location of it Ican not tell," was the answer.

"Don't worry, Shaggy Man," said Dorothy, smiling because her friendwagged his new ears so comically. "If the Truth Pond is in Oz, we'llbe sure to find it when we get there."

"Oh! Are you going to the Land of Oz?" asked King Kik-a-bray.

"I don't know," she replied, "but we've been told we are nearer theLand of Oz than to Kansas, and if that's so, the quickest way for meto get home is to find Ozma."

"Haw-haw! Do you know the mighty Princess Ozma?" asked the King, histone both surprised and eager.

"'Course I do; she's my friend," said Dorothy.

"Then perhaps you'll do me a favor," continued the white donkey,much excited.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Perhaps you can get me an invitation to Princess Ozma's birthdaycelebration, which will be the grandest royal function ever held inFairyland. I'd love to go."

"Hee-haw! You deserve punishment, rather than reward, for givingme this dreadful head," said the shaggy man, sorrowfully.

"I wish you wouldn't say 'hee-haw' so much," Polychrome begged him;"it makes cold chills run down my back."

"But I can't help it, my dear; my donkey head wants to braycontinually," he replied. "Doesn't your fox head want to yelp everyminute?" he asked Button-Bright.

"Don't know," said the boy, still staring at the shaggy man's ears.These seemed to interest him greatly, and the sight also made himforget his own fox head, which was a comfort.

"What do you think, Polly? Shall I promise the donkey king aninvitation to Ozma's party?" asked Dorothy of the Rainbow's Daughter,who was flitting about the room like a sunbeam because she could neverkeep still.

"Do as you please, dear," answered Polychrome. "He might help toamuse the guests of the Princess."

"Then, if you will give us some supper and a place to sleep to-night,and let us get started on our journey early to-morrow morning," saidDorothy to the King, "I'll ask Ozma to invite you--if I happen to getto Oz."

"Good! Hee-haw! Excellent!" cried Kik-a-bray, much pleased. "Youshall all have fine suppers and good beds. What food would youprefer, a bran mash or ripe oats in the shell?"

"Neither one," replied Dorothy, promptly.

"Perhaps plain hay, or some sweet juicy grass would suit you better,"suggested Kik-a-bray, musingly.

"Is that all you have to eat?" asked the girl.

"What more do you desire?"

"Well, you see we're not donkeys," she explained, "and so we're usedto other food. The foxes gave us a nice supper in Foxville."

"We'd like some dewdrops and mist-cakes," said Polychrome.

"I'd prefer apples and a ham sandwich," declared the shaggy man, "foralthough I've a donkey head, I still have my own particular stomach."

"I want pie," said Button-Bright.

"I think some beefsteak and chocolate layer-cake would taste best,"said Dorothy.

"Hee-haw! I declare!" exclaimed the King. "It seems each one of youwants a different food. How queer all living creatures are,except donkeys!"

"And donkeys like you are queerest of all," laughed Polychrome.

"Well," decided the King, "I suppose my Magic Staff will produce thethings you crave; if you are lacking in good taste it is not my fault."

With this, he waved his staff with the jeweled ball, and before theminstantly appeared a tea-table, set with linen and pretty dishes, andon the table were the very things each had wished for. Dorothy'sbeefsteak was smoking hot, and the shaggy man's apples were plump androsy-cheeked. The King had not thought to provide chairs, so they allstood in their places around the table and ate with good appetite,being hungry. The Rainbow's Daughter found three tiny dewdrops on acrystal plate, and Button-Bright had a big slice of apple pie, whichhe devoured eagerly.

Afterward the King called the brown donkey, which was his favoriteservant, and bade it lead his guests to the vacant house where theywere to pass the night. It had only one room and no furniture exceptbeds of clean straw and a few mats of woven grasses; but our travelerswere contented with these simple things because they realized it wasthe best the Donkey-King had to offer them. As soon as it was darkthey lay down on the mats and slept comfortably until morning.

At daybreak there was a dreadful noise throughout the city. Everydonkey in the place brayed. When he heard this the shaggy man wokeup and called out "Hee-haw!" as loud as he could.

"Stop that!" said Button-Bright, in a cross voice. Both Dorothy andPolly looked at the shaggy man reproachfully.

"I couldn't help it, my dears," he said, as if ashamed of his bray;"but I'll try not to do it again."

Of coursed they forgave him, for as he still had the Love Magnet inhis pocket they were all obliged to love him as much as ever.

They did not see the King again, but Kik-a-bray remembered them;for a table appeared again in their room with the same food upon itas on the night before.

"Don't want pie for breakfus'," said Button-Bright.

"I'll give you some of my beefsteak," proposed Dorothy; "there'splenty for us all."

That suited the boy better, but the shaggy man said he was contentwith his apples and sandwiches, although he ended the meal by eatingButton-Bright's pie. Polly liked her dewdrops and mist-cakes betterthan any other food, so they all enjoyed an excellent breakfast. Totohad the scraps left from the beefsteak, and he stood up nicely on hishind legs while Dorothy fed them to him.

Breakfast ended, they passed through the village to the side oppositethat by which they had entered, the brown servant-donkey guiding themthrough the maze of scattered houses. There was the road again,leading far away into the unknown country beyond.

"King Kik-a-bray says you must not forget his invitation," said thebrown donkey, as they passed through the opening in the wall.

"I shan't," promised Dorothy.

Perhaps no one ever beheld a more strangely assorted group than theone which now walked along the road, through pretty green fields andpast groves of feathery pepper-trees and fragrant mimosa. Polychrome,her beautiful gauzy robes floating around her like a rainbow cloud,went first, dancing back and forth and darting now here to pluck awild-flower or there to watch a beetle crawl across the path. Toto ranafter her at times, barking joyously the while, only to become soberagain and trot along at Dorothy's heels. The little Kansas girlwalked holding Button-Bright's hand clasped in her own, and the weeboy with his fox head covered by the sailor hat presented an oddappeaance. Strangest of all, perhaps, was the shaggy man, with hisshaggy donkey head, who shuffled along in the rear with his handsthrust deep in his big pockets.

None of the party was really unhappy. All were straying in an unknownland and had suffered more or less annoyance and discomfort; but theyrealized they were having a fairy adventure in a fairy country,and were much interested in finding out what would happen next.