They now made a more careful examination of the country around them.All was fresh and beautiful after the sultriness of the desert, andthe sunshine and sweet, crisp air were delightful to the wanderers.Little mounds of yellowish green were away at the right, while on theleft waved a group of tall leafy trees bearing yellow blossoms thatlooked like tassels and pompoms. Among the grasses carpeting theground were pretty buttercups and cowslips and marigolds. Afterlooking at these a moment Dorothy said reflectively:

"We must be in the Country of the Winkies, for the color of thatcountry is yellow, and you will notice that 'most everything here isyellow that has any color at all."

"But I thought this was the Land of Oz," replied the shaggy man,as if greatly disappointed.

"So it is," she declared; "but there are four parts to the Land of Oz.The North Country is purple, and it's the Country of the Gillikins.The East Country is blue, and that's the Country of the Munchkins.Down at the South is the red Country of the Quadlings, and here, inthe West, the yellow Country of the Winkies. This is the part that isruled by the Tin Woodman, you know."

"Who's he?" asked Button-Bright.

"Why, he's the tin man I told you about. His name is Nick Chopper,and he has a lovely heart given him by the wonderful Wizard."

"Where does HE live?" asked the boy.

"The Wizard? Oh, he lives in the Emerald City, which is just in themiddle of Oz, where the corners of the four countries meet."

"Oh," said Button-Bright, puzzled by this explanation.

"We must be some distance from the Emerald City," remarked the shaggy man.

"That's true," she replied; "so we'd better start on and see if we canfind any of the Winkies. They're nice people," she continued, as thelittle party began walking toward the group of trees, "and I came hereonce with my friends the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, and theCowardly Lion, to fight a wicked witch who had made all the Winkiesher slaves."

"Did you conquer her?" asked Polly.

"Why, I melted her with a bucket of water, and that was the end ofher," replied Dorothy. "After that the people were free, you know,and they made Nick Chopper--that's the Tin Woodman--their Emp'ror."

"What's that?" asked Button-Bright.

"Emp'ror? Oh, it's something like an alderman, I guess."

"Oh," said the boy.

"But I thought Princess Ozma ruled Oz," said the shaggy man.

"So she does; she rules the Emerald City and all the four countriesof Oz; but each country has another little ruler, not so big as Ozma.It's like the officers of an army, you see; the little rulers are allcaptains, and Ozma's the general."

By this time they had reached the trees, which stood in a perfectcircle and just far enough apart so that their thick branchestouched--or "shook hands," as Button-Bright remarked. Under the shadeof the trees they found, in the center of the circle, a crystal pool,its water as still as glass. It must have been deep, too, for whenPolychrome bent over it she gave a little sigh of pleasure.

"Why, it's a mirror!" she cried; for she could see all her prettyface and fluffy, rainbow-tinted gown reflected in the pool,as natural as life.

Dorothy bent over, too, and began to arrange her hair, blown by thedesert wind into straggling tangles. Button-Bright leaned over theedge next, and then began to cry, for the sight of his fox headfrightened the poor little fellow.

"I guess I won't look," remarked the shaggy man, sadly, for he didn'tlike his donkey head, either. While Polly and Dorothy tried tocomfort Button-Bright, the shaggy man sat down near the edge of thepool, where his image could not be reflected, and stared at the waterthoughtfully. As he did this he noticed a silver plate fastened to arock just under the surface of the water, and on the silver plate wasengraved these words:

THE TRUTH POND

"Ah!" cried the shaggy man, springing to his feet with eager joy;"we've found it at last."

"Found what?" asked Dorothy, running to him.

"The Truth Pond. Now, at last, I may get rid of this frightful head;for we were told, you remember, that only the Truth Pond could restoreto me my proper face."

"Me, too!" shouted Button-Bright, trotting up to them.

"Of course," said Dorothy. "It will cure you both of your bad heads,I guess. Isn't it lucky we found it?"

"It is, indeed," replied the shaggy man. "I hated dreadfully to go toPrincess Ozma looking like this; and she's to have a birthdaycelebration, too."

Just then a splash startled them, for Button-Bright, in his anxietyto see the pool that would "cure" him, had stepped too near the edgeand tumbled heels over head into the water. Down he went, out ofsight entirely, so that only his sailor hat floated on the top ofthe Truth Pond.

He soon bobbed up, and the shaggy man seized him by his sailorcollar and dragged him to the shore, dripping and gasping for breath.They all looked upon the boy wonderingly, for the fox head with itssharp nose and pointed ears was gone, and in its place appeared thechubby round face and blue eyes and pretty curls that had belonged toButton-Bright before King Dox of Foxville transformed him.

"Oh, what a darling!" cried Polly, and would have hugged the littleone had he not been so wet.

Their joyful exclamations made the child rub the water out of his eyesand look at his friends questioningly.

"You're all right now, dear," said Dorothy. "Come and look at yourself."She led him to the pool, and although there were still a few rippleson the surface of the water he could see his reflection plainly.

"It's me!" he said, in a pleased yet awed whisper.

"'Course it is," replied the girl, "and we're all as glad asyou are, Button-Bright."

"Well," announced the shaggy man, "it's my turn next." He took offhis shaggy coat and laid it on the grass and dived head first into theTruth Pond.

When he came up the donkey head had disappeared, and the shaggy man'sown shaggy head was in its place, with the water dripping in littlestreams from his shaggy whiskers. He scrambled ashore and shookhimself to get off some of the wet, and then leaned over the pool tolook admiringly at his reflected face.

"I may not be strictly beautiful, even now," he said to hiscompanions, who watched him with smiling faces; "but I'm so muchhandsomer than any donkey that I feel as proud as I can be."

"You're all right, Shaggy Man," declared Dorothy. "And Button-Brightis all right, too. So let's thank the Truth Pond for being so nice,and start on our journey to the Emerald City."

"I hate to leave it," murmured the shaggy man, with a sigh. "A truthpond wouldn't be a bad thing to carry around with us." But he put onhis coat and started with the others in search of some one to directthem on their way.