"Then," said King Dox, "perhaps you'll be good enough to get me an
invitation to Princess Ozma's birthday celebration."

"I'll try," she promised; "if I see her in time."

"It's on the twenty-first, remember," he continued; "and if you'll
just see that I'm invited I'll find a way to cross the Dreadful
Desert into the marvelous Land of Oz. I've always wanted to visit the
Emerald City, so I'm sure it was fortunate you arrived here just when
you did, you being Princess Ozma's friend and able to assist me in
getting the invitation."

"If I see Ozma I'll ask her to invite you," she replied.

The Fox-King had a delightful luncheon put up for them, which the
shaggy man shoved in his pocket, and the fox-captain escorted them to
an arch at the side of the village opposite the one by which they had
entered. Here they found more soldiers guarding the road.

"Are you afraid of enemies?" asked Dorothy.

"No; because we are watchful and able to protect ourselves," answered
the captain. "But this road leads to another village peopled by big,
stupid beasts who might cause us trouble if they thought we were
afraid of them."

"What beasts are they?" asked the shaggy man.

The captain hesitated to answer. Finally, he said: