"March your army at once to the Land of Oz, capture and destroy the
Emerald City, and bring back to me my Magic Belt!" roared the King.

"You're crazy," calmly remarked the General.

"What's that? What's that? What's that?" And the Nome King danced
around on his pointed toes, he was so enraged.

"You don't know what you're talking about," continued the General,
seating himself upon a large cut diamond. "I advise you to stand
in a corner and count sixty before you speak again. By that time
you may be more sensible."

The King looked around for something to throw at General Blug, but as
nothing was handy he began to consider that perhaps the man was right
and he had been talking foolishly. So he merely threw himself into
his glittering throne and tipped his crown over his ear and curled his
feet up under him and glared wickedly at Blug.

"In the first place," said the General, "we cannot march across the
deadly desert to the Land of Oz. And if we could, the Ruler of that
country, Princess Ozma, has certain fairy powers that would render my
army helpless. Had you not lost your Magic Belt we might have some
chance of defeating Ozma; but the Belt is gone."

"I want it!" screamed the King. "I must have it."

"Well, then, let us try in a sensible way to get it," replied the
General. "The Belt was captured by a little girl named Dorothy, who