"My own deduction, exactly," agreed the Wizard walking briskly along beside Jellia. "But wherever Nick is, we'll find him--same as we have found you." "How did you find us?" asked Jellia, stopping short and staring up into the Wizard's face. "I've been wondering about that." "Well, you see," explained the little magician impressively. "On the Ozpril there is a magnetic compass that shows the exact course taken by the Oztober, provided both planes are in flight. By following the compass, I followed your exact route. The delay in our arrival was caused by the difference in speed!" "Why, then you saw the very same things we did," cried Jellia, nodding distantly to several airlanders who were bowing to the ground as the little procession passed. "The very same," said the Wizard. Then, as a little afterthought--"By the way, what did you see?" "Oh, nothing much but clouds, fog, an icecloud, and some flying airimals with spikes," Jellia told him briefly, as she started up the long steps to the Royal Pavilion. "The same with us," said the Wizard, taking out a little book and squinting hastily at the precisely written entries, "'Clouds, fogs, spiked monsters,' AH!" He closed the book with a little exclamation of admiration. "So this is the seat of Government?" "I must say I prefer a castle," observed the Scarecrow, jumping up the steps three at a time. "Still, all these columns are very pretty. Very pretty indeed!" "Is my throne comfortable?" inquired the Cowardly Lion with a lordly sniff. "That's right," giggled Jellia, "you _will_ have to sit on the throne--that is, if Wanny doesn't mind?" The little maid turned mischievously to the Soldier with Green Whiskers. "After all you are a kind of King, too!" "Not on your life!" declared Wantowin violently. "I wouldn't trade one button on my uniform for all the jewels in Strut's crown, nor one blade of Oz grass for all the rocks in Stratovania!" "Bravo! Bravo!" applauded the Scarecrow. Having tied his balloons to one of the pillars, he was bouncing up and down on a blue air cushion. "Try one," he invited, shoving a couple toward the Wizard. Instead of one, the Wizard put three of the air cushions together and stretched out at full length. "You can't imagine how tired a fellow grows after sixteen hours of flying," he murmured drowsily. "Hah, hoh, HUM! I hope you girls will excuse me if I take a little nap?" "I wouldn't mind a nap myself," yawned Dorothy. Though she had dozed part of the night before, she felt extremely sleepy. Without much urging from Jellia, she curled up on a couch at the back of the pavilion and was asleep almost before her head touched the pillows. "Best thing in the world for them," grinned the Scarecrow, as Jellia looked rather nervously from one sleeper to the other. "We'll probably have to fly all night--if we get away from here at all! The Wiz needs a good rest before he does any more piloting."