to conquer the Emerald City."

"Are you sure?" asked the King.

"Absolutely certain, your Majesty."

"Then what am I to do?"

"Give up the idea and mind your own business," advised the General.
"You have plenty to do trying to rule your underground kingdom."

"But I want the Magic Belt--and I'm going to have it!" roared the
Nome King.

"I'd like to see you get it," replied the General, laughing maliciously.

The King was by this time so exasperated that he picked up his
scepter, which had a heavy ball, made from a sapphire, at the end of it,
and threw it with all his force at General Blug. The sapphire hit the
General upon his forehead and knocked him flat upon the ground, where he
lay motionless. Then the King rang his gong and told his guards to
drag out the General and throw him away; which they did.

This Nome King was named Roquat the Red, and no one loved him. He was
a bad man and a powerful monarch, and he had resolved to destroy the
Land of Oz and its magnificent Emerald City, to enslave Princess Ozma
and little Dorothy and all the Oz people, and recover his Magic Belt.
This same Belt had once enabled Roquat the Red to carry out many
wicked plans; but that was before Ozma and her people marched to the
underground cavern and captured it. The Nome King could not forgive