“Well, folks,” announced the General the next morning as he sat down to breakfast with several of his officers, the Lady of Fashion and the Poet, “we must make ready for the march home. We have a long journey ahead of us and we must get started as soon as possible.” “I don’t see how we can,” answered the Doctor, who was helping himself to a piece of frog ham. “The Sailor is in no condition to be moved and, besides, I still have a couple of the wild men on my hands, who are in such shape I can’t leave them for a few days.”
“That’s so! That’s so!” exclaimed the General. “Of course we’ll have to stay until our duty is done.”
“My patients are all doing well and I don’t see why we won’t be able to get away in five or six days,” said the Doctor.
The little soldiers were greatly disappointed when they heard that the army would not start immediately for home, for now that the war was over they were all anxious to return. However, they made the best of their time by fishing, swimming and playing games.
One morning a sentinel came to the General’s tent, followed by one of the wild men.
“This fellow has a message for you,” said the sentinel pointing to the wild man, who held a piece of folded birch bark in his hand. “There are about twenty-five more of ’em waiting out beyond our lines and they’ve each got a big bundle all wrapped up in leaves.”
The General opened the note which the wild man handed him, but when he found it was written in the Sabo language he sent for the Poet.
“You’ll have to translate this gibberish for me,” said the General when the Poet appeared. “It’s too much for me.”
The Poet carefully read the note and then repeated it to the General.
“It’s from the Queen and she is sending you greetings and some presents,” said the Poet. “She also invites you to the great Dance of Peace and Plenty. This is the dance the wild men dance whenever they make peace with their enemies. You must go to the dance, for that is the way the wild men have of showing that they want to be friendly.”
“All right,” answered the General; “tell her I’ll come. Thank her for the presents and give her my regards.”
A number of soldiers were sent out to bring in the presents the Queen had sent and when they were unwrapped the little people were surprised to find a number of fat frog hams, a quantity of wild rice, a large jar of fruit paste made out of wild berries, many nut meats and sweet seeds.
“We ought to send a present to the Queen in return for all this food,” said the General. “What shall we send her?”
“Send her that thimble the Dunce ruined trying to make a suit of armor,” answered the Poet, who had heard the story of the Dunce’s armor.
“Not that old thimble!” exclaimed the General.
“Sure,” laughed the Poet. “She will think that it is wonderful!”
 
So the thimble was sent to the Queen, who prized it more than anything else she owned.
On the appointed day the General set off for the dance with a number of the Teenie Weenies, and as they drew near the village they were met by a body of wil............