Herbert and George remained in the foyer after the grown-ups had left and they waited for them to return.

"Do you think after Papa and Scarecrow's talk to them they will understand that all we want is to be their friends and for them to like us?" George wondered to his brother.

"I really don't know," Herbert admitted solemnly. "I really do want to be their friends as much as you do. But like Papa says, friendship is like a tree in that with proper care and attention it grows very deep roots, and a friendship that has no roots is easily pulled apart."

"So do you think we messed up in trying to make them our friends?" George asked weakly.

"Well, I hope not," said Herbert. "But it isn't our fault if we're..."

"Hey! What is that up there!" George exclaimed cutting him off as he pointed to something he saw outside of the large window beside them.

Herbert followed his brother's gaze and saw what he was pointing to. He saw in the sky overhead there was a large object that was shining in the sun. It seemed to be serenely floating through the air and was slowly gliding closer and lowering itself.

"What in Oz is that?" wondered George.

"I don't know," said Herbert. "Maybe it is a flying dragon or a giant bird of kind."

Then they watched as it flew steadily closer into their line of view and began to make out more of its features. They could see great white triangles on top of it that were billowing in the wind.

"Look!" exclaimed Herbert. "I had thought those things on top of it were clouds, but now I see they are actually sails! Why, I do believe it is a ship that is flying in the air!"

"A flying ship!" exclaimed George. "But didn't Papa tell us ships are things for water and not the sky as things like airplanes are?"

"True, yes," said Herbert. "But he also told us that here in Oz a lot of times things are not always what they seem and are often very different from normal things. So I suppose it is very possible here for a ship to fly on the wind."

"And, look! It seems to be about to land in that field across from here!" George exclaimed pointing again.

"I wonder what kind of ship it actually is," Herbert wondered curiously. "And who is on board it and why they have come here."

"Well, let's find out," said George brightly. "Let's go outside and check it out."

"I don't know if that is a good idea, George," Herbert said.

However, George was already rushing out of the room. So Herbert rushed quickly after him and followed him down the hallway and out of the door leading to outside. He grabbed his brother by the hand and said to him,

"Do you want to get us in trouble or something? We don't where that ship is from or who it even belongs to."

"Well, look at it this way," said George. "If the ship turns out to belong to someone who is bad and means harm here then we will be the first to find out and thus be the ones to save everyone when we warn about it."

Herbert looked in awe at his sibling. "George, you amaze me sometimes. Now let's get going and ctach that ship!"

They then ran as fast as they could to the field which the massive ship was landed in. When they reached it they paused momentarily to catch their breaths. Then they looked all around the area to see if there was anyone around them. When they saw there was no one, they looked up and saw that there were stairs leading up to a door in the middle of the ship which appeared to be open.

They climbed up the stairs silently and then stepped cautiously inside of the ship, first peering around the corners to see if there might be someone inside. Once again they saw no one and so they stepped inside and looked around.

They didn't see much in the room they were immediately in. They found a large old-fashioned desk in one corner that was covered with books and maps and feathered pens. In another corner they saw a set of old trunks. Then looking towards the center of the room they saw an opening that had no door attached to it and there was a long flight of stairs leading downward.

"What do you suppose is down there?" George asked his twin.

"I don't know at the moment," replied Herbert. "But I have a feeling that down there is where all the good stuff is kept. So let's go check it out, shall we?"

George smiled and nodded and then they went down the stairs and into the ship's brig. They entered a room in which were many boxes and chests and trunks, and shelves upon shelves that were loaded with books of every size. In the center of the room there was a very large painting of a very young and slender girl with a face so angelic and sweet it captured their attention at once.

"Who do you think she could be?" asked George.

"I don't know," said Herbert. "Though I admit she looks almost too gorgeous to be a mortal."

"Let's take a look in some of these old boxes," suggested George. "We might find some clues about who has come."

Herbert agreed and so they at once opened the largest box they saw and started rummaging through its contents.

"What is this?" asked George as he held up a most curious looking instrument.

"It's a gyroscope," replied Herbert. "It's used for navigation for where compasses can't work."

"Look at this here," said George as he pulled out another strange item. "What is it?"

"It looks like a fossil of some kind of ancient plant. But I couldn't be sure," replied Herbert.

"And look at this," said George as he picked up a rather large and heavy bright red rock. "What could this be?"

"I'm not sure," said Herbert. "It isn't shiny so it can't be a gem, but it's too bright to be an ordinary rock."

The twins continued to look through the boxes and chests. While just then back at the Emerald Palace, the other kids were just coming into the foyer after they, and especially Scarecrow, had received a good lecture from their parents on courtesy and also consideration.

"Hey! Where are the twins?" exclaimed Scarecrow worriedly. "How can I apologize to them like Dad said to if they're not here!"

"Well, maybe they went back into the courtyard," suggested Dot.

So then they rushed back outside and looked for the twins but they were nowhere to be found there either. Now they were extremely worried and frantic.

"Where could they have gone?" wondered Neddy. "And what could have happened to them?"

"It must have been all my fault," muttered Scarecrow ruefully. "If we don't find them and soon my Dad is gonna hang me up to dry for a long time!"

"Hey, look!" exclaimed Jack pointing outward as far as he could. "What is that big thing way over there?"

They all looked in the direction he was pointing to and Andrea exclaimed, "Why, it looks like a ship! And the kind that is sailed by pirates also!"

"But what is it doing here, and on land no less?" wondered Tin Boy.

"I have no idea," said Andrea. "But maybe that is where the twins went."

"They could have spotted it and went to explore it! Of course!" exclaimed Bella.

"Then let's go get them back! Quick!" exclaimed Scarecrow as he began running toward it ahead of the others.

They all rushed up to the ship, and climbed up the stairs leading to its entrance. Then they looked all around the room but could see no one in it.

"Maybe they went down here," suggested Andrea as she pointed to the stairs leading down into the brig of the ship.

And so they quickly climbed down the stairs and upon entering the quarters below them there they found the woggle-beetle twins as they were rummaging through the many boxes and barrels of curious things.

"So there you two are!" exclaimed Scarecrow on seeing them.

The twin each turned at once toward them startled.

"What are you doing in here?" asked Dot. "And why did you come here anyway? We've been so worried."

"We just saw this ship landing and we wanted to know what it was doing here for," replied George sheepishly. "So we came to it to investigate. And you'll be pleased to know that we have found nothing bad about it. But a whole lot of neat stuff around here though!"

"Your father must be worried!" said Andrea scoldingly. "You shouldn't have come here all by yourselves."

"And I'm sure our own parents would be upset also," added Tin Boy.

"Come on," said Dot. "We've got to get out of here and get back to the Emerald City."

So then Herbert and George went with them up the stairs to the room above.

They paused as Scarecrow turned to them and said softly, "Herbert, George, I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for the things I said to you. I never meant them."

Herbert and George smiled, but then Herbert stopped and asked, "Are you really sorry, or are you just saying so because your father told you too?"

"Well, yes... uh... I mean no! Of course not!" exclaimed Scarecrow very perturbed. "Well, let's just get back and talk this over there!"

He then flung open the door of the ship and started to step outside of it. However, as soon as he did so he stepped into thin air as the ship had risen far off of the ground now and was reaching for the sky again.

"Hey! What the...?" Scarecrow stammered as he lost his footing in the doorway and started to fall.

Then Herbert and George at once grabbed him around his waist and pulled him back up and into the ship again.

"Thanks," he said. "That was close."

"Well," said George rather cheerfully. "Now it looks as if we are stowaways!"

"Stowaways! Oh no!" moaned Andrea. "This is so terrible."

"Why?" asked Jack.

"Because this is a pirate ship is why!" Andrea exclaimed. "And from what I've heard about pirates is they don't take kindly to stowaways on their ships."

Now all of them looked very worried. "Well," said Scarecrow to the twins. "This is a fine situation you two have gotten us into. What are we supposed to do now?"

"Well," said Herbert rationally. "I suppose we ought to find the captain of this ship and introduce ourselves to him and then he can bring us back."

"Oh, right," said Scarecrow. "I should have figured that."