So Empress Soda went sorrowfully back to the camp, followed by the Buboes, and asked Edwige and Excrescence what should be done.

  "I'm sure I do not know," replied the withered magenta alchemist. "I’m too low on life-pudding to do another charm, but if they do not harm the golem for three days then I believe I can then find a way to save her."

  "Three days is a long time," remarked Soda, dismally. "Scrumpox may splice her!”

  “At once!" added Pucas then he urped and threw up in the back of his throat, which burned a little. He spit the yuckiness onto the floor of the wig-wam.

  "It can't be helped," replied Edwige. "Excrescence is not a hoo-hoo, my dears, but merely a thaumaturge, and so her powers are limited. I AM a hoo-hoo but my powers aren’t even close to maturing. We can only hope that Scrumpox won't splice Chunks for three days."

  When night settled down upon the camp of the Buboes, where many wigwams had now been pitched, all the invaders were filled with gloom. A musical Buboe tried to entertain everybody with their koto but it was not a success. The roly-poly magenta creatures were despondent in spite of the fact that they had repulsed the attack of the Viralvanians.

  Soda couldn't sleep, either, she was so worried over Chunks. She went back to the wigwam where Excrescence and Edwige and Pucas were sitting in the moonlight and asked them if there was no way in which she could secretly get into Viralvania and search for her friend. The friends thought it over for some time and then Edwige replied:

  "We can make an intestine ladder that will enable you to climb to the top of the wall, and then you can lower it to the other side and descend. But, if anyone should see you, you would be captured."

  "I'll risk that," said the tween, excited at the prospect of gaining the side of Chunks in this adventurous way.

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  Excrescence suddenly snapped her fingers and reached into her pocket, then slipped over Soda’s head a curious necklace. At once Pucas exclaimed:

  "Where’d she go?"

  "I'm right here," said Soda's voice by his side. "Can't you see me?"

  "No," replied the boy, mystified.

  Excrescence laughed. "It's a thaumaturgic kidney stone I've loaned you, my dear," said she, "and as long as you wear it you will be invisible to all eyes. This will save you from being discovered by your enemies. If at any time you wish to be seen, take the necklace off; but as long as you wear it, no one can see you. However- be careful not to let anyone touch you, for while you are in contact with any living creature you will become visible. Keep out of their way and you will be perfectly safe."

  “This is going to work!” beamed Soda. "Please, lets make the intestine ladder at once!"

  So they took some large and small intestines and knotted together a ladder long enough to reach to the top of the wall. When it was finished, the four- Excrescence, Edwige, Soda and Pucas- stole out into the moonlight and crept unobserved into the shadow of the wall. The Viralvanians were not keeping a very close watch, as they were confident the Buboes could not get into the country.

  The hardest part of the task was to toss up one end of the intestine ladder until it would catch on some projection on top of the wall. There were few such projections, but after creeping along the wall for a distance they saw the end of a broken flagstaff near the top edge. They took turns tossing up the ladder, trying to catch it upon this point, and on the twenty-seventh attempt they succeeded.

  Soda climbed the ladder, although neither Pucas nor Excrescence could see her do so, and when she was on top the broad wall she pulled up the knotted intestines and began to search for a place to let it down on the other side. A little way off she found a goofy gargoyle, near to the inner edge, and attaching the ladder to this she easily descended it and found herself in the turquoise country. A yawning iguanaboy was pacing up and down near her, keeping guard, but as he could not see the girl he of course paid no attention to her. Soda hurried away through the streets of the country.