The Kingdom of the Nomes does not border on the Nonestic Ocean, from which it is
separated by the Kingdom of Rinkitink and the Country of the Wheelers, which is a part
of the Land of Ev. Rinkitink's country is separated from the country of the Nomes by a
row of high and steep mountains, from which it extends to the sea. The Country of the
Wheelers is a sandy waste that is open on one side to the Nonestic Ocean and on the other
side has no barrier to separate it from the Nome Country, therefore it was on the coast of
the Wheelers that King Cos landed -- in a spot quite deserted by any of the curious
inhabitants of that country.
The Nome Country is very large in extent, and is only separated from the Land of Oz, on
its eastern borders, by a Deadly Desert that can not be crossed by mortals, unless they are
aided by the fairies or by magic.
The nomes are a numerous and mischievous people, living in underground caverns of
wide extent, connected one with another by arches and passages. The word "nome"
means "one who knows," and these people are so called because they know where all the
gold and silver and precious stones are hidden in the earth -- a knowledge that no other
living creatures share with them. The nomes are busy people, constantly digging up gold
in one place and taking it to another place, where they secretly bury it, and perhaps this is
the reason they alone know where to find it. The nomes were ruled, at the time of which I
write, by a King named Kaliko.
King Gos had expected to be pursued by Inga in his magic boat, so he made all the haste
possible, urging his forty rowers to their best efforts night and day. To his joy he was not
overtaken but landed on the sandy beach of the Wheelers on the morning of the eighth
day.
The forty rowers were left with the boat, while Queen Cor and King Cos, with their royal
prisoners, who were still chained, began the journey to the Nome King.
It was not long before they passed the sands and reached the rocky country belonging to
the nomes, but they were still a long way from the entrance to the underground caverns in
which lived the Nome King. There was a dim path, winding between stones and boulders,
over which the walking was quite difficult, especially as the path led up hills that were
small mountains, and then down steep and abrupt slopes where any misstep might mean a
broken leg. Therefore it was the second day of their journey before they climbed halfway
up a rugged mountain and found themselves at the entrance of the Nome King's caverns.
On their arrival, the entrance seemed free and unguarded, but Gos and Cor had been there
before, and they were too wise to attempt to enter without announcing themselves, for the
passage to the caves was full of traps and pitfalls. So King Gos stood still and shouted,
and in an instant they were surrounded by a group of crooked nomes, who seemed to
have sprung from the ground.
One of these had very long ears and was called The Long-Eared Hearer. He said: "I heard
you coming early this morning."
