The first thing Dorothy did was to rush into the embrace of theScarecrow, whose painted face beamed with delight as he pressed herform to his straw-padded bosom. Then the Tin Woodman embracedher--very gently, for he knew his tin arms might hurt her if hesqueezed too roughly.

These greetings having been exchanged, Dorothy took the key to Tiktokfrom her pocket and wound up the machine man's action, so that hecould bow properly when introduced to the rest of the company. Whiledoing this she told them now useful Tiktok had been to her, and boththe Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman shook hands with the machine oncemore and thanked him for protecting their friend.

Then Dorothy asked: "Where is Billina?"

"I don't know," said the Scarecrow. "Who is Billina?"

"She's a yellow hen who is another friend of mine," answered the girl,anxiously. "I wonder what has become of her?"

"She is in the chicken house, in the back yard," said the Princess."My drawing-room is no place for hens."

Without waiting to hear more Dorothy ran to get Billina, and justoutside the door she came upon the Cowardly Lion, still hitched to thechariot beside the great Tiger. The Cowardly Lion had a big bow ofblue ribbon fastened to the long hair between his ears, and the Tigerwore a bow of red ribbon on his tail, just in front of the bushy end.

In an instant Dorothy was hugging the huge Lion joyfully.

"I'm SO glad to see you again!" she cried.

"I am also glad to see you, Dorothy," said the Lion. "We've had somefine adventures together, haven't we?"

"Yes, indeed," she replied. "How are you?"

"As cowardly as ever," the beast answered in a meek voice. "Everylittle thing scares me and makes my heart beat fast. But let meintroduce to you a new friend of mine, the Hungry Tiger."

"Oh! Are you hungry?" she asked, turning to the other beast, who wasjust then yawning so widely that he displayed two rows of terribleteeth and a mouth big enough to startle anyone.

"Dreadfully hungry," answered the Tiger, snapping his jaws togetherwith a fierce click.

"Then why don't you eat something?" she asked.

"It's no use," said the Tiger sadly. "I've tried that, but I alwaysget hungry again."

"Why, it is the same with me," said Dorothy. "Yet I keep on eating."

"But you eat harmless things, so it doesn't matter," replied theTiger. "For my part, I'm a savage beast, and have an appetite for allsorts of poor little living creatures, from a chipmunk to fat babies.

"How dreadful!" said Dorothy.

"Isn't it, though?" returned the Hungry Tiger, licking his lips withhis long red tongue. "Fat babies! Don't they sound delicious? ButI've never eaten any, because my conscience tells me it is wrong. IfI had no conscience I would probably eat the babies and then gethungry again, which would mean that I had sacrificed the poor babiesfor nothing. No; hungry I was born, and hungry I shall die. But I'llnot have any cruel deeds on my conscience to be sorry for."

"I think you are a very good tiger," said Dorothy, patting the hugehead of the beast.

"In that you are mistaken," was the reply. "I am a good beast,perhaps, but a disgracefully bad tiger. For it is the nature oftigers to be cruel and ferocious, and in refusing to eat harmlessliving creatures I am acting as no good tiger has ever before acted.That is why I left the forest and joined my friend the Cowardly Lion."

"But the Lion is not really cowardly," said Dorothy. "I have seen himact as bravely as can be."

"All a mistake, my dear," protested the Lion gravely. "To others Imay have seemed brave, at times, but I have never been in any dangerthat I was not afraid."

"Nor I," said Dorothy, truthfully. "But I must go and set freeBillina, and then I will see you again."

She ran around to the back yard of the palace and soon found the chickenhouse, being guided to it by a loud cackling and crowing and a distractinghubbub of sounds such as chickens make when they are excited.

Something seemed to be wrong in the chicken house, and when Dorothylooked through the slats in the door she saw a group of hens androosters huddled in one corner and watching what appeared to be awhirling ball of feathers. It bounded here and there about thechicken house, and at first Dorothy could not tell what it was, whilethe screeching of the chickens nearly deafened her.

But suddenly the bunch of feathers stopped whirling, and then, to heramazement, the girl saw Billina crouching upon the prostrate form of aspeckled rooster. For an instant they both remained motionless, andthen the yellow hen shook her wings to settle the feathers and walkedtoward the door with a strut of proud defiance and a cluck of victory,while the speckled rooster limped away to the group of other chickens,trailing his crumpled plumage in the dust as he went.

"Why, Billina!" cried Dorothy, in a shocked voice; "have youbeen fighting?"

"I really think I have," retorted Billina. "Do you think I'd let thatspeckled villain of a rooster lord it over ME, and claim to run thischicken house, as long as I'm able to peck and scratch? Not if myname is Bill!"

"It isn't Bill, it's Billina; and you're talking slang, which is veryundig'n'fied," said Dorothy, reprovingly. "Come here, Billina, andI'll let you out; for Ozma of Oz is here, and has set us free."

So the yellow hen came to the door, which Dorothy unlatched for her topass through, and the other chickens silently watched them from theircorner without offering to approach nearer.

The girl lifted her friend in her arms and exclaimed:

"Oh, Billina! how dreadful you look. You've lost a lot of feathers,and one of your eyes is nearly pecked out, and your comb is bleeding!"

"That's nothing," said Billina. "Just look at the speckled rooster!Didn't I do him up brown?"

Dorothy shook her head.

"I don't 'prove of this, at all," she said, carrying Billina awaytoward the palace. "It isn't a good thing for you to 'sociate withthose common chickens. They would soon spoil your good manners, andyou wouldn't be respec'able any more."

"I didn't ask to associate with them," replied Billina. "It is thatcross old Princess who is to blame. But I was raised in the UnitedStates, and I won't allow any one-horse chicken of the Land of Ev to runover me and put on airs, as long as I can lift a claw in self-defense."

"Very well, Billina," said Dorothy. "We won't talk about it any more."

Soon they came to the Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger to whom thegirl introduced the Yellow Hen.

"Glad to meet any friend of Dorothy's," said the Lion, politely. "Tojudge by your present appearance, you are not a coward, as I am."

"Your present appearance makes my mouth water," said the Tiger,looking at Billina greedily. "My, my! how good you would taste if Icould only crunch you between my jaws. But don't worry. You would onlyappease my appetite for a moment; so it isn't worth while to eat you."

"Thank you," said the hen, nestling closer in Dorothy's arms.

"Besides, it wouldn't be right," continued the Tiger, looking steadilyat Billina and clicking his jaws together.

"Of course not," cried Dorothy, hastily. "Billina is my friend, andyou mustn't ever eat her under any circ'mstances."

"I'll try to remember that," said the Tiger; "but I'm a littleabsent-minded, at times."

Then Dorothy carried her pet into the drawing-room of the palace,where Tiktok, being invited to do so by Ozma, had seated himselfbetween the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. Opposite to them sat Ozmaherself and the Princess Langwidere, and beside them there was avacant chair for Dorothy.

Around this important group was ranged the Army of Oz, and as Dorothylooked at the handsome uniforms of the Twenty-Seven she said:

"Why, they seem to be all officers."

"They are, all except one," answered the Tin Woodman. "I have in myArmy eight Generals, six Colonels, seven Majors and five Captains,besides one private for them to command. I'd like to promote theprivate, for I believe no private should ever be in public life; andI've also noticed that officers usually fight better and are morereliable than common soldiers. Besides, the officers are moreimportant looking, and lend dignity to our army."

"No doubt you are right," said Dorothy, seating herself beside Ozma.

"And now," announced the girlish Ruler of Oz, "we will hold a solemnconference to decide the best manner of liberating the royal family ofthis fair Land of Ev from their long imprisonment."