It took them a good two hours to reach the foot of
the round, flat mountain, and then they found the
sides so steep that they were like the wall of a house.

"Even my purple kitten couldn't climb 'em," remarked
Dorothy, gazing upward.

"But there is some way for the Flatheads to get down
and up again," declared Ozma; "otherwise they couldn't
make war with the Skeezers, or even meet them and
quarrel with them."

"That's so, Ozma. Let's walk around a ways; perhaps
we'll find a ladder or something."

They walked quite a distance, for it was a big
mountain, and as they circled around it and came to the
side that faced the palm trees, they suddenly
discovered an entrance way cut out of the rock wall.
This entrance was arched overhead and not very deep
because it merely led to a short flight of stone
stairs.

"Oh, we've found a way to the top at last," announced
Ozma, and the two girls turned and walked straight
toward the entrance. Suddenly they bumped against
something and stood still, unable to proceed farther.

"Dear me!" exclaimed Dorothy, rubbing her nose, which
had struck something hard, although she could not see