The Magic of Oz..................................................................................................................................................1

L. Frank Baum.........................................................................................................................................1

To My Readers .........................................................................................................................................1

1. Mount Munch.....................................................................................................................................2

2. The Hawk ............................................................................................................................................4

3. Two Bad Ones .....................................................................................................................................6

4. Conspirators......................................................................................................................................11

5. A Happy Corner of Oz ......................................................................................................................12

6. Ozma's Birthday Presents.................................................................................................................15

7. The Forest of Gugu...........................................................................................................................20

8. The LiMonEags Make Trouble....................................................................................................22

9. The Isle of the Magic Flower ............................................................................................................25

10. Stuck Fast ........................................................................................................................................29

11. The Beasts of the Forest of Gugu...................................................................................................32

12. Kiki Uses His Magic .......................................................................................................................34

13. The Loss of the Black Bag ..............................................................................................................37

14. The Wizard Learns the Magic Word..............................................................................................42

15. The Lonesome Duck .......................................................................................................................46

16. The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag................................................................................................50

17. A Remarkable Journey ....................................................................................................................54

18. The Magic of the Wizard................................................................................................................58

19. Dorothy and the Bumble Bees........................................................................................................60

20. The Monkeys Have Trouble...........................................................................................................63

21. The College of Athletic Arts ...........................................................................................................66

22. Ozma's Birthday Party....................................................................................................................67

23. The Fountain of Oblivion...............................................................................................................70

Curiously enough, in the events which have taken place in the last few years in our "great outside world," we

may find incidents so marvelous and inspiring that I cannot hope to equal them with stories of The Land of

However, "The Magic of Oz" is really more strange and unusual than anything I have read or heard about on

our side of The Great Sandy Desert which shuts us off from The Land of Oz, even during the past exciting

A long and confining illness has prevented my answering all the good letters sent meunless stamps were

enclosedbut from now on I hope to be able to give prompt attention to each and every letter with which my

Assuring you that my love for you has never faltered and hoping the Oz Books will continue to give you

On the east edge of the Land of Oz, in the Munchkin Country, is a big, tall hill called Mount Munch. One one

side, the bottom of this hill just touches the Deadly Sandy Desert that separates the Fairyland of Oz from all

the rest of the world, but on the other side, the hill touches the beautiful, fertile Country of the Munchkins.

The Munchkin folks, however, merely stand off and look at Mount Munch and know very little about it; for,

about a third of the way up, its sides become too steep to climb, and if any people live upon the top of that

great towering peak that seems to reach nearly to the skies, the Munchkins are not aware of the fact.

But people DO live there, just the same. The top of Mount Munch is shaped like a saucer, broad and deep,

and in the saucer are fields where grains and vegetables grow, and flocks are fed, and brooks flow and trees

bear all sorts of things. There are houses scattered here and there, each having its family of Hyups, as the

people call themselves. The Hyups seldom go down the mountain, for the same reason that the Munchkins

In one of the houses lived a wise old Hyup named Bini Aru, who used to be a clever Sorcerer. But Ozma of

Oz, who rules everyone in the Land of Oz, had made a decree that no one should practice magic in her

dominions except Glinda the Good and the Wizard of Oz, and when Glinda sent this royal command to the

Hyups by means of a strongwinged Eagle, old Bini Aru at once stopped performing magical arts. He

destroyed many of his magic powders and tools of magic, and afterward honestly obeyed the law. He had

There was only one thing that grieved him. He had discovered a new and secret method of transformations

that was unknown to any other Sorcerer. Glinda the Good did not know it, nor did the little Wizard of Oz, nor

Dr. Pipt nor old Mombi, nor anyone else who dealt in magic arts. It was Bini Aru's own secret. By its means,

it was the simplest thing in the world to transform anyone into beast, bird or fish, or anything else, and back

Bini Aru had used this secret many times, but not to cause evil or suffering to others. When he had wandered

far from home and was hungry, he would say: "I want to become a cowPyrzqxgl!" In an instant he would

be a cow, and then he would eat grass and satisfy his hunger. All beasts and birds can talk in the Land of Oz,

so when the cow was no longer hungry, it would say: "I want to be Bini Aru again: Pyrzqxgl!" and the magic

Now, of course, I would not dare to write down this magic word so plainly if I thought my readers would

pronounce it properly and so be able to transform themselves and others, but it is a fact that no one in all the

world except Bini Aru, had ever (up to the time this story begins) been able to pronounce "Pyrzqxgl!" the

right way, so I think it is safe to give it to you. It might be well, however, in reading this story aloud, to be

careful not to pronounce Pyrzqxgl the proper way, and thus avoid all danger of the secret being able to work

Bini Aru, having discovered the secret of instant transformation, which required no tools or powders or other

chemicals or herbs and always worked perfectly, was reluctant to have such a wonderful discovery entirely

unknown or lost to all human knowledge. He decided not to use it again, since Ozma had forbidden him to do

so, but he reflected that Ozma was a girl and some time might change her mind and allow her subjects to

practice magic, in which case Bini Aru could again transform himself and others at will,unless, of course,

After giving the matter careful thought, he decided to write the word, and how it should be pronounced, in

some secret place, so that he could find it after many years, but where no one else could ever find it.

That was a clever idea, but what bothered the old Sorcerer was to find a secret place. He wandered all over

the Saucer at the top of Mount Munch, but found no place in which to write the secret word where others

might not be likely to stumble upon it. So finally he decided it must be written somewhere in his own house.

Bini Aru had a wife named Mopsi Aru who was famous for making fine huckleberry pies, and he had a son

named Kiki Aru who was not famous at all. He was noted as being cross and disagreeable because he was not

happy, and he was not happy because he wanted to go down the mountain and visit the big world below and

his father would not let him. No one paid any attention to Kiki Aru, because he didn't amount to anything,

Once a year there was a festival on Mount Munch which all the Hyups attended. It was held in the center of

the saucershaped country, and the day was given over to feasting and merrymaking. The young folks

danced and sang songs; the women spread the tables with good things to eat, and the men played on musical

Kiki Aru usually went to these festivals with his parents, and then sat sullenly outside the circle and would

not dance or sing or even talk to the other young people. So the festival did not make him any happier than

other days, and this time he told Bini Aru and Mopsi Aru that he would not go. He would rather stay at home

But after he was left alone Kiki decided to enter his father's private room, where he was forbidden to go, and

see if he could find any of the magic tools Bini Aru used to work with when he practiced sorcery. As he went

in Kiki stubbed his toe on one of the floor boards. He searched everywhere but found no trace of his father's

Much disappointed, he started to go out again when he stubbed his toe on the same floor board. That set him

thinking. Examining the board more closely, Kiki found it had been pried up and then nailed down again in

such a manner that it was a little higher than the other boards. But why had his father taken up the board? Had

Kiki got a chisel and pried up the board, but found nothing under it. He was just about to replace the board

when it slipped from his hand and turned over, and he saw something written on the underside of it. The light

was rather dim, so he took the board to the window and examined it, and found that the writing described

exactly how to pronounce the magic word Pyrzqxgl, which would transform anyone into anything instantly,

Now, at first, Kiki Aru didn't realize what a wonderful secret he had discovered; but he thought it might be of

use to him and so he took a piece of paper and made on it an exact copy of the instructions for pronouncing

Pyrzqxgl. Then he folded the paper and put it in his pocket, and replaced the board in the floor so that no one

After this Kiki went into the garden and sitting beneath a tree made a careful study of the paper. He had

always wanted to get away from Mount Munch and visit the big worldespecially the Land of Ozand the

idea now came to him that if he could transform himself into a bird, he could fly to any place he wished to go

and fly back again whenever he cared to. It was necessary, however, to learn by heart the way to pronounce

the magic word, because a bird would have no way to carry a paper with it, and Kiki would be unable to

So he studied it a long time, repeating it a hundred times in his mind until he was sure he would not forget it.

But to make safety doubly sure he placed the paper in a tin box in a neglected part of the garden and covered

By this time it was getting late in the day and Kiki wished to attempt his first transformation before his

parents returned from the festival. So he stood on the front porch of his home and said:

"I want to become a big, strong bird, like a hawkPyrzqxgl!" He pronounced it the right way, so in a flash

he felt that he was completely changed in form. He flapped his wings, hopped to the porch railing and said:

Then he laughed and said half aloud: "I suppose that's the funny sound this sort of a bird makes. But now let

For he had decided to make his first trip to the country outside the Land of Oz. He had stolen this secret of

transformation and he knew he had disobeyed the law of Oz by working magic. Perhaps Glinda or the Wizard

of Oz would discover him and punish him, so it would be good policy to keep away from Oz altogether.

Slowly Kiki rose into the air, and resting on his broad wings, floated in graceful circles above the

saucershaped mountaintop. From his height, he could see, far across the burning sands of the Deadly

Desert, another country that might be pleasant to explore, so he headed that way, and with strong, steady

Even a hawk has to fly high in order to cross the Deadly Desert, from which poisonous fumes are constantly

rising. Kiki Aru felt sick and faint by the time he reached good land again, for he could not quite escape the

effects of the poisons. But the fresh air soon restored him and he alighted in a broad tableland which is

called Hiland. Just beyond it is a valley known as Loland, and these two countries are ruled by the

Gingerbread Man, John Dough, with Chick the Cherub as his Prime Minister. The hawk merely stopped here

long enough to rest, and then he flew north and passed over a fine country called Merryland, which is ruled

by a lovely Wax Doll. Then, following the curve of the Desert, he turned north and settled on a treetop in

Kiki was tired by this time, and the sun was now setting, so he decided to remain here till morning. From his

treetop he could see a house near by, which looked very comfortable. A man was milking a cow in the yard

That made Kiki wonder what sort of food hawks ate. He felt hungry, but didn't know what to eat or where to

get it. Also he thought a bed would be more comfortable than a treetop for sleeping, so he hopped to the

Instantly he had resumed his natural shape, and going to the house, he knocked upon the door and asked for

Kiki was given a good supper and a good bed, and he behaved very well, although he refused to answer all

the questions the good people of Noland asked him. Having escaped from his home and found a way to see

the world, the young man was no longer unhappy, and so he was no longer cross and disagreeable. The

people thought him a very respectable person and gave him breakfast next morning, after which he started on

Having walked for an hour or two through the pretty country that is ruled by King Bud, Kiki Aru decided he

could travel faster and see more as a bird, so he transformed himself into a white dove and visited the great

city of Nole and saw the King's palace and gardens and many other places of interest. Then he flew westward

into the Kingdom of Ix, and after a day in Queen Zixi's country went on westward into the Land of Ev. Every

place he visited he thought was much more pleasant than the saucercountry of the Hyups, and he decided

that when he reached the finest country of all he would settle there and enjoy his future life to the utmost.

In the land of Ev he resumed his own shape again, for the cities and villages were close together and he could

Toward evening he came to a good Inn and asked the innkeeper if he could have food and lodging.

"You can if you have the money to pay," said the man, "otherwise you must go elsewhere."

This surprised Kiki, for in the Land of Oz they do not use money at all, everyone being allowed to take what

he wishes without price. He had no money, therefore, and so he turned away to seek hospitality elsewhere.

Looking through an open window into one of the rooms of the Inn, as he passed along, he saw an old man

counting on a table a big heap of gold pieces, which Kiki thought to be money. One of these would buy him

supper and a bed, he reflected, so he transformed himself into a magpie and, flying through the open window,

caught up one of the gold pieces in his beak and flew out again before the old man could interfere. Indeed, the

old man who was robbed was quite helpless, for he dared not leave his pile of gold to chase the magpie, and

before he could place the gold in a sack in his pocket the robber bird was out of sight and to seek it would be

Kiki Aru flew to a group of trees and, dropping the gold piece to the ground, resumed his proper shape, and

"Oh, I saw the whole thing," asserted the sparrow. "I saw you look in the window at the gold, and then make

yourself into a magpie and rob the poor man, and then I saw you fly here and make the bird into your former

shape. That's magic, and magic is wicked and unlawful; and you stole money, and that's a still greater crime.

"No, I didn't know I was being wicked," said Kiki, "but if I was, I'm glad of it. I hate good people. I've always

"Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's the proper spirit, my lad! I'm glad I've

Kiki turned around and saw a queer old man standing near. He didn't stand straight, for he was crooked. He

had a fat body and thin legs and arms. He had a big, round face with bushy, white whiskers that came to a

point below his waist, and white hair that came to a point on top of his head. He wore dullgray clothes that

were tight fitting, and his pockets were all bunched out as if stuffed full of something.

"My name's Ruggedo. I used to be the Nome King; but I got kicked out of my country, and now I'm a

"Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays. I was a pretty good Kingto myselfbut those dreadful Oz

"It means to be kicked out. But let's talk about something pleasant. Who are you and where did you come

"I'm called Kiki Aru. I used to live on Mount Munch in the Land of Oz, but now I'm a wanderer like

"I heard that bird say that you transformed yourself into a magpie and back again. Is that true?"

Kiki hesitated, but saw no reason to deny it. He felt that it would make him appear more important.

"Well, that's pretty good magic, anyhow," declared old Ruggedo. "I used to have some very fine magic,

"Which you stole. Very good. And you're glad that you're wicked. Better yet. I like you, young man, and I'll

"I've something better," answered the old Nome, and taking a bag from one of his pockets he poured from it

The landlord was very polite to the strangers after that. He served them an excellent supper, and while they

"Well, I'll tell you," answered the Nome. "When those Oz people took my kingdom away from mejust

because it was my kingdom and I wanted to run it to suit myself they said I could take as many precious

stones as I could carry. So I had a lot of pockets made in my clothes and loaded them all up. Jewels are fine

"The smallest of these jewels is worth a hundred gold pieces such as you stole from the old man."

"Don't talk so loud," begged Kiki, uneasily. "Some one else might hear what you are saying."

"Do you know the Shaggy Man, and the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, and Dorothy, and Ozma and all

"No," replied the boy, "I have never been away from Mount Munch until I flew over the Deadly Desert the

"Well," said the Nome, "I knew all the Oz people, and you can guess I do not love them. All during my

wanderings I have brooded on how I can be revenged on them. Now that I've met you I can see a way to

conquer the Land of Oz and be King there myself, which is better than being King of the Nomes."

"Never mind how. In the first place, I'll make a bargain with you. Tell me the secret of how to perform

transformations and I will give you a pocketful of jewels, the biggest and finest that I possess."

"No," said Kiki, who realized that to share his power with another would be dangerous to himself.

"Then," said the Nome, with a wicked look at the boy, "I'll tell the innkeeper that you stole that gold piece

"Before he can do that," said he, "I will transform myself into a lion and tear him to pieces, or into a bear and

"Can you really do such wonderful transformations?" asked the old Nome, looking at him curiously.

"Of course," declared Kiki. I can transform you into a stick of wood, in a flash, or into a stone, and leave you

"The wicked Nome shivered a little when he heard that, but it made him long more than ever to possess the

"I'll tell you what I'll do. If you will help me to conquer Oz and to transform the Oz people, who are my

enemies, into sticks or stones, by telling me your secret, I'll agree to make YOU the Ruler of all Oz, and I will

The Nome was so furious at this refusal that he jumped up and down with rage and spluttered and choked for

a long time before he could control his passion. But the boy was not at all frightened. He laughed at the

"Let's give up the idea," he proposed, when Ruggedo had quieted somewhat. "I don't know the Oz people you

mention and so they are not my enemies. If they've kicked you out of your kingdom, that's your affairnot

"Yes, I would," replied Kiki Aru; "but you want to be king yourself, and we would quarrel over it."

"No," said the Nome, trying to deceive him. "I don't care to be King of Oz, come to think it over. I don't even

care to live in that country. What I want first is revenge. If we can conquer Oz, I'll get enough magic then to

conquer my own Kingdom of the Nomes, and I'll go back and live in my underground caverns, which are

more homelike than the top of the earth. So here's my proposition: Help me conquer Oz and get revenge,

and help me get the magic away from Glinda and the Wizard, and I'll let you be King of Oz forever

In the night when all in the Inn were asleep but himself, old Ruggedo the Nome rose softly from his couch

and went into the room of Kiki Aru the Hyup, and searched everywhere for the magic tool that performed his

transformations. Of course, there was no such tool, and although Ruggedo searched in all the boy's pockets,

he found nothing magical whatever. So he went back to his bed and began to doubt that Kiki could perform

"I shall transform myself into a bird," said Kiki, "and so fly to the Rose Kingdom in an hour."

"Then transform me, also, into a bird, and I will go with you," suggested Ruggedo. "But, in that case, let us

Kiki thought this over. Pleasant as were the countries he had visited, he heard everywhere that the Land of Oz

was more beautiful and delightful. The Land of Oz was his own country, too, and if there was any possibility

While Kiki the Hyup thought, Ruggedo the Nome was also thinking. This boy possessed a marvelous power,

and although very simple in some ways, he was determined not to part with his secret. However, if Ruggedo

could get him to transport the wily old Nome to Oz, which he could reach in no other way, he might then

induce the boy to follow his advice and enter into the plot for revenge, which he had already planned in his

"There are wizards and magicians in Oz," remarked Kiki, after a time. "They might discover us, in spite of

"Not if we are careful," Ruggedo assured him. "Ozma has a Magic Picture, in which she can see whatever she

wishes to see; but Ozma will know nothing of our going to Oz, and so she will not command her Magic

Picture to show where we are or what we are doing. Glinda the Good has a Great Book called the Book of

Records, in which is magically written everything that people do in the Land of Oz, just the instant they do

"Then," said Kiki, "there is no use our attempting to conquer the country, for Glinda would read in her book

all that we do, and as her magic is greater than mine, she would soon put a stop to our plans."

"I said 'people,' didn't I?" retorted the Nome. "The book doesn't make a record of what birds do, or beasts. It

only tells the doings of people. So, if we fly into the country as birds, Glinda won't know anything about it."

"No; that's true," admitted Ruggedo, and then he rubbed his forehead and stroked his long pointed beard and

"Ah, now I have the idea!" he declared. "I suppose you can transform us into beasts as well as birds?"

"And can you make a bird a beast, and a beast a bird again, without taking a human form in between?"

"Certainly," said Kiki. "I can transform myself or others into anything that can talk. There's a magic word that

must be spoken in connection with the transformations, and as beasts and birds and dragons and fishes can

talk in Oz, we may become any of these we desire to. However, if I transformed myself into a tree, I would

always remain a tree, because then I could not utter the magic word to change the transformation."

"I see; I see," said Ruggedo, nodding his bushy, white head until the point of his hair waved back and forth

like a pendulum. "That fits in with my idea, exactly. Now, listen, and I'll explain to you my plan. We'll fly to

Oz as birds and settle in one of the thick forests in the Gillikin Country. There you will transform us into

powerful beasts, and as Glinda doesn't keep any track of the doings of beasts we can act without being

"But how can two beasts raise an army to conquer the powerful people of Oz?" inquired Kiki.

"That's easy. But not an army of PEOPLE, mind you. That would be quickly discovered. And while we are in

Oz you and I will never resume our human forms until we've conquered the country and destroyed Glinda,

and Ozma, and the Wizard, and Dorothy, and all the rest, and so have nothing more to fear from them."

"I'm afraid I don't understand you," objected the boy. "What will happen to the Oz people, and what sort of an

"I'll tell you. The forests of Oz are full of beasts. Some of them, in the faraway places, are savage and cruel,

and would gladly follow a leader as savage as themselves. They have never troubled the Oz people much,

because they had no leader to urge them on, but we will tell them to help us conquer Oz and as a reward we

will transform all the beasts into men and women, and let them live in the houses and enjoy all the good

things; and we will transform all the people of Oz into beasts of various sorts, and send them to live in the

forests and the jungles. That is a splendid idea, you must admit, and it's so easy that we won't have any

"To be sure they will. We can get every beast in Oz on our sideexcept a few who live in Ozma's palace,

Kiki Aru didn't know much about Oz and didn't know much about the beasts who lived there, but the old

Nome's plan seemed to him to be quite reasonable. He had a faint suspicion that Ruggedo meant to get the

best of him in some way, and he resolved to keep a close watch on his fellowconspirator. As long as he kept

to himself the secret word of the transformations, Ruggedo would not dare to harm him, and he promised

himself that as soon as they had conquered Oz, he would transform the old Nome into a marble statue and

Ruggedo, on his part, decided that he could, by careful watching and listening, surprise the boy's secret, and

when he had learned the magic word he would transform Kiki Aru into a bundle of faggots and burn him up

This is always the way with wicked people. They cannot be trusted even by one another. Ruggedo thought he

was fooling Kiki, and Kiki thought he was fooling Ruggedo; so both were pleased.

"It's a long way across the Desert," remarked the boy, "and the sands are hot and send up poisonous vapors.

Let us wait until evening and then fly across in the night when it will be cooler."

The former Nome King agreed to this, and the two spent the rest of that day in talking over their plans. When

evening came they paid the innkeeper and walked out to a little grove of trees that stood near by.

"Remain here for a few minutes and I'll soon be back," said Kiki, and walking swiftly away, he left the Nome

standing in the grove. Ruggedo wondered where he had gone, but stood quietly in his place until, all of a

sudden, his form changed to that of a great eagle, and he uttered a piercing cry of astonishment and flapped

his wings in a sort of panic. At once his eagle cry was answered from beyond the grove, and another eagle,

even larger and more powerful than the transformed Ruggedo, came sailing through the trees and alighted

"Now we are ready for the start," said the voice of Kiki, coming from the eagle.

Ruggedo realized that this time he had been outwitted. He had thought Kiki would utter the magic word in his

presence, and so he would learn what it was, but the boy had been too shrewd for that.

As the two eagles mounted high into the air and began their flight across the great Desert that separates the

"When I was King of the Nomes I had a magic way of working transformations that I thought was good, but

it could not compare with your secret word. I had to have certain tools and make passes and say a lot of

"The Oz people took them all away from methat horrid girl, Dorothy, and that terrible fairy, Ozma, the

Ruler of Ozat the time they took away my underground kingdom and kicked me upstairs into the cold,

"Well," said Ruggedo, "I couldn't help it. They rolled eggs at meEGGSdreadful eggs!and if an egg

There is no other country so beautiful as the Land of Oz. There are no other people so happy and contented

and prosperous as the Oz people. They have all they desire; they love and admire their beautiful girl Ruler,

Ozma of Oz, and they mix work and play so justly that both are delightful and satisfying and no one has any

reason to complain. Once in a while something happens in Oz to disturb the people's happiness for a brief

time, for so rich and attractive a fairyland is sure to make a few selfish and greedy outsiders envious, and

therefore certain evildoers have treacherously plotted to conquer Oz and enslave its people and destroy its

girl Ruler, and so gain the wealth of Oz for themselves. But up to the time when the cruel and crafty Nome,

Ruggedo, conspired with Kiki Aru, the Hyup, all such attempts had failed. The Oz people suspected no

danger. Life in the world's nicest fairyland was one round of joyous, happy days.

In the center of the Emerald City of Oz, the capital city of Ozma's dominions, is a vast and beautiful garden,

surrounded by a wall inlaid with shining emeralds, and in the center of this garden stands Ozma's Royal

Palace, the most splendid building ever constructed. From a hundred towers and domes floated the banners of

Oz, which included the Ozmies, the Munchkins, the Gillikins, the Winkies and the Quadlings. The banner of

the Munchkins is blue, that of the Winkies yellow; the Gillikin banner is purple, and the Quadling's banner is

red. The colors of the Emerald City are of course green. Ozma's own banner has a green center, and is

divided into four quarters. These quarters are colored blue, purple, yellow and red, indicating that she rules

This fairyland is so big, however, that all of it is not yet known to its girl Ruler, and it is said that in some far

parts of the country, in forests and mountain fastnesses, in hidden valleys and thick jungles, are people and

beasts that know as little about Ozma as she knows of them. Still, these unknown subjects are not nearly so

numerous as the known inhabitants of Oz, who occupy all the countries near to the Emerald City. Indeed, I'm

sure it will not be long until all parts of the fairyland of Oz are explored and their peoples made acquainted

with their Ruler, for in Ozma's palace are several of her friends who are so curious that they are constantly

One of the most frequent discoverers of these hidden places in Oz is a little Kansas girl named Dorothy, who

is Ozma's dearest friend and lives in luxurious rooms in the Royal Palace. Dorothy is, indeed, a Princess of

Oz, but she does not like to be called a princess, and because she is simple and sweet and does not pretend to

be anything but an ordinary little girl, she is called just "Dorothy" by everybody and is the most popular

One morning Dorothy crossed the hall of the palace and knocked on the door of another girl named Trot, also

a guest and friend of Ozma. When told to enter, Dorothy found that Trot had company, an old sailorman

with one wooden leg and one meat leg, who was sitting by the open window puffing smoke from a corncob

pipe. This sailorman was named Cap'n Bill, and he had accompanied Trot to the Land of Oz and was her

oldest and most faithful comrade and friend. Dorothy liked Cap'n Bill, too, and after she had greeted him, she

"You know, Ozma's birthday is next month, and I've been wondering what I can give here as a birthday

present. She's so good to us all that we certainly ought to remember her birthday."

"That's true," agreed Trot. "I've been wondering, too, what I could give Ozma. It's pretty hard to decide,

'cause she's got already all she wants, and as she's a fairy and knows a lot about magic, she could satisfy any

"I know," returned Dorothy, "but that isn't the point. It isn't that Ozma NEEDS anything, but that it will

"I know one thing that 'ud please her," remarked Cap'n Bill, turning his round face with its fringe of whiskers

toward the two girls and staring at them with his big, lightblue eyes wide open.

"It's an Enchanted Flower," said he. "It's a pretty plant that stands in a golden flowerpot an' grows all sorts o'

flowers, one after another. One minute a fine rose buds an' blooms, an' then a tulip, an' next a

"That's it; and next a dahlia, an' then a daffydil, an' on all through the range o' posies. Jus' as soon as one

fades away, another comes, of a different sort, an' the perfume from 'em is mighty snifty, an' they keeps

"Dun'no, zac'ly," slowly replied Cap'n Bill. "The Glass Cat tol' me about it only yesterday, an' said it was in

some lonely place up at the nor'east o' here. The Glass Cat goes travelin' all around Oz, you know, an' the

"That's true," said Dorothy, thoughtfully. "Northeast of here must be in the Munchkin Country, and perhaps a

good way off, so let's ask the Glass Cat to tell us how to get to the Magic Flower."

So the two girls, with Cap'n Bill stumping along on his wooden leg after them, went out into the garden, and

after some time spent in searching, they found the Glass Cat curled up in the sunshine beside a bush, fast

The Glass Cat is one of the most curious creatures in all Oz. It was made by a famous magician named Dr.

Pipt before Ozma had forbidden her subjects to work magic. Dr. Pipt had made the Glass Cat to catch mice,

This astonished cat was made all of glass and was so clear and transparent that you could see through it as

easily as through a window. In the top of its head, however, was a mass of delicate pink balls which looked

like jewels but were intended for brains. It had a heart made of bloodred ruby. The eyes were two large

emeralds. But, aside from these colors, all the rest of the animal was of clear glass, and it had a spunglass

Slowly the Glass Cat got upon its feed, yawned and then looked at the three who stood before it.

"How dare you disturb me?" it asked in a peevish voice. "You ought to be ashamed of yourselves."

"Never mind that," returned the Sailor. "Do you remember tellin' me yesterday 'bout a Magic Flower in a

"Do you think I'm a fool? Look at my brainsyou can see 'em work. Of course I remember!" said the cat.

"You can't. It's none of your business, anyhow. Go away and let me sleep," advised the Glass Cat.

"Now, see here," said Dorothy; "we want the Magic Flower to give to Ozma on her birthday. You'd be glad to

"Yes; it's a pretty heart, and I'm fond of it," said the cat, twisting around to view its own body. "But it's made

"Yes, I'm pretty to look at, and that's more than can be said of you," retorted the creature.

Trot laughed at this, and Dorothy, who understood the Glass Cat pretty well, said soothingly:

"You are indeed beautiful, and if you can tell Cap'n Bill where to find the Magic Flower, all the people in Oz

will praise your cleverness. The Flower will belong to Ozma, but everyone will know the Glass Cat

"Well," it said, while the pink brains rolled around, "I found the Magic Flower way up in the north of the

Munchkin Country where few people live or ever go. There's a river there that flows through a forest, and in

the middle of the forest there is a small island on which stands the gold pot in which grows the Magic

"No, but I'm not afraid of water," was the reply. "I just walked across the river on the bottom."

"How could I walk OVER the water on the BOTTOM of the river? If you were transparent, anyone could see

YOUR brains were not working. But I'm sure you could never find the place alone. It has always been hidden

"But you, with your fine pink brains, could find it again, I s'pose," remarked Dorothy.

"Yes; and if you want that Magic Flower for Ozma, I'll go with you and show you the way."

"That's lovely of you!" declared Dorothy. "Trot and Cap'n Bill will go with you, for this is to be their birthday

present to Ozma. While you're gone I'll have to find something else to give her."

"Then I'll put some things in a basket to take with us," said the girl, and ran into the palace to make her

When Cap'n Bill and Trot and the Glass Cat had started for the hidden island in the faroff river to get the

Magic Flower, Dorothy wondered again what she could give Ozma on her birthday. She met the Patchwork

"I've written a song for her," answered the strange Patchwork Girl, who went by the name of "Scraps," and

who, through stuffed with cotton, had a fair assortment of mixed brains. "It's a splendid song and the chorus

I am crazy; You're a daisy, Ozma dear; I'm demented; You're contented, Ozma dear; I am patched and gay

and glary; You're a sweet and lovely fairy; May your birthdays all be happy, Ozma dear!"

"It's as good as any ordinary song," was the reply. "I have given it a dandy title, too. I shall call the song:

'When Ozma Has a Birthday, Everybody's Sure to Be Gay, for She Cannot Help the Fact That She Was

"That makes it stylish," replied the Patchwork Girl, turning a somersault and alighting on one stuffed foot.

Dorothy left her and walked slowly toward the place, where she met the Tin Woodman just going up the front

"It's a secret, but I'll tell you," replied the Tin Woodman, who was Emperor of the Winkies. "I am having my

people make Ozma a lovely girdle set with beautiful tin nuggets. Each tin nugget will be surrounded by a

circle of emeralds, just to set it off to good advantage. The clasp of the girdle will be pure tin! Won't that be

"I haven't the slightest idea, Dorothy. It took me three months to think of my own present for Ozma."

The girl walked thoughtfully around to the back of the palace, and presently came upon the famous

Scarecrow of Oz, who has having two of the palace servants stuff his legs with fresh straw.

"Well, I'm having some straw slippers made for herall straw, mind you, and braided very artistically.

Ozma has always admired my straw filling, so I'm sure she'll be pleased with these lovely straw slippers."

"Ozma will be pleased with anything her loving friends give her," said the girl. "What I'M worried about,

"That's what worried me, until I thought of the slippers," said the Scarecrow. "You'll have to THINK,

Dorothy; that's the only way to get a good idea. If I hadn't such wonderful brains, I'd never have thought of

Dorothy left him and went to her room, where she sat down and tried to think hard. A Pink Kitten was curled

"Oh, give her some milk," replied the Pink Kitten; "that's the nicest thing I know of."

A fuzzy little black dog had squatted down at Dorothy's feet and now looked up at her with intelligent eyes.

"Tell me, Toto," said the girl; "what would Ozma like best for a birthday present?"

"That wouldn't be true," objected Dorothy, "for I've always loved her as much as I could, and, really, Toto, I

"Let me see," said Toto. "How would it be to give her that useless Pink Kitten?"

"Well, I guess you'll have to figure it out for yourself, Dorothy," said the little dog. "To MY notion you're

Dorothy decided that if anyone could help her it would be Glinda the Good, the wonderful Sorceress of Oz

who was Ozma's faithful subject and friend. But Glinda's castle was in the Quadling Country and quite a

So the little girl went to Ozma and asked permission to use the Wooden Sawhorse and the royal Red Wagon

to pay a visit to Glinda, and the girl Ruler kissed Princess Dorothy and graciously granted permission.

The Wooden Sawhorse was one of the most remarkable creatures in Oz. Its body was a small log and its legs

were limbs of trees stuck in the body. Its eyes were knots, its mouth was sawed in the end of the log and its

ears were two chips. A small branch had been left at the rear end of the log to serve as a tail.

Ozma herself, during one of her early adventures, had brought this wooden horse to life, and so she was much

attached to the queer animal and had shod the bottoms of its wooden legs with plates of gold so they would

not wear out. The Sawhorse was a swift and willing traveler, and though it could talk if need arose, it seldom

said anything unless spoken to. When the Sawhorse was harnessed to the Red Wagon there were no reins to

Dorothy now told him to go to Glinda's Castle and the Sawhorse carried her there with marvelous speed.

"Glinda," said Dorothy, when she had been greeted by the Sorceress, who was tall and stately, with handsome

and dignified features and dressed in a splendid and becoming gown, "what are you going to give Ozma for a

So they entered a place that was surrounded by the wings of the great castle but had no roof, and was filled

with flowers and fountains and exquisite statuary and many settees and chairs of polished marble or filigree

gold. Here there were gathered fifty beautiful young girls, Glinda's handmaids, who had been selected from

all parts of the Land of Oz on account of their wit and beauty and sweet dispositions. It was a great honor to

When Dorothy followed the Sorceress into this delightful patio all the fifty girls were busily weaving, and

their shuttles were filled with a sparkling green spun glass such as the little girl had never seen before.

"One of my recent discoveries," explained the Sorceress. "I have found a way to make threads from emeralds,

by softening the stones and then spinning them into long, silken strands. With these emerald threads we are

weaving cloth to make Ozma a splendid court gown for her birthday. You will notice that the threads have all

the beautiful glitter and luster of the emeralds from which they are made, and so Ozma's new dress will be the

most magnificent the world has ever seen, and quite fitting for our lovely Ruler of the Fairyland of Oz."

Dorothy's eyes were fairly dazed by the brilliance of the emerald cloth, some of which the girls had already

"I've never seen ANYthing so beautiful!" she said, with a sigh. "But tell me, Glinda, what can I give our

The good Sorceress considered this question for a long time before she replied. Finally she said:

"Of course there will be a grand feast at the Royal Palace on Ozma's birthday, and all our friends will be

present. So I suggest that you make a fine big birthday cake of Ozma, and surround it with candles."

"Just a row of them," replied Glinda, "for no one knows how old Ozma is, although she appears to us to be

"Make it a surprise cake," suggested the Sorceress. "Don't you remember the four and twenty blackbirds that

were baked in a pie? Well, you need not use live blackbirds in your cake, but you could have some surprise of

"If I told you, it wouldn't be YOUR present to Ozma, but MINE," answered the Sorceress, with a smile.

"Think it over, my dear, and I am sure you can originate a surprise that will add greatly to the joy and

Dorothy thanked her friend and entered the Red Wagon and told the Sawhorse to take her back home to the

On the way she thought the matter over seriously of making a surprise birthday cake and finally decided what

As soon as she reached home, she went to the Wizard of Oz, who had a room fitted up in one of the high

towers of the palace, where he studied magic so as to be able to perform such wizardry as Ozma commanded

The Wizard and Dorothy were firm friends and had enjoyed many strange adventures together. He was a little

man with a bald head and sharp eyes and a round, jolly face, and because he was neither haughty nor proud

"Wizard," said Dorothy, "I want you to help me fix up a present for Ozma's birthday."

"I'll be glad to do anything for you and for Ozma," he answered. "What's on your mind, Dorothy?"

"I'm going to make a great cake, with frosting and candles, and all that, you know."

"In the center of this cake I'm going to leave a hollow place, with just a roof of the frosting over it," continued

"In that hollow place," said Dorothy, "I want to hide a lot of monkeys about three inches high, and after the

cake is placed on the banquet table, I want the monkeys to break through the frosting and dance around on the

tablecloth. Then, I want each monkey to cut out a piece of cake and hand it to a guest."

"Mercy me!" cried the little Wizard, as he chuckled with laughter. "Is that ALL you want, Dorothy?"

"Almost," said she. "Can you think of anything more the little monkeys can do, Wizard?"

"That's where you're to help me," said Dorothy. "In some of those wild forests in the Gillikin Country are lots

"Well, you and I will go there, and we'll get some of the big monkeys, and you will make them smalljust

three inches highby means of your magic, and we'll put the little monkeys all in a basket and bring them

home with us. Then you'll train them to danceup here in your room, where no one can see themand on

Ozma's birthday we'll put 'em into the cake and they'll know by that time just what to do."

"That's really clever, my dear," he said, "and I see no reason why we can't do it, just the way you say, if only

"Yes; but perhaps we can argue them into it. Anyhow it's worth trying, and I'll help you if you'll agree to let

this Surprise Cake be a present to Ozma from you and me together. I've been wondering what I could give

Ozma, and as I've got to train the monkeys as well as make them small, I think you ought to make me your

"Then it's a bargain," declared the Wizard. "We must go to seek those monkeys at once, however, for it will

take time to train them and we'll have to travel a good way to the Gillikin forests where they live."

"I'm ready to go any time," agreed Dorothy. "Shall we ask Ozma to let us take the Sawhorse?"

The Wizard did not answer that at once. He took time to think of the suggestion.

"No," he answered at length, "the Red Wagon couldn't get through the thick forests and there's some danger

to us in going into the wild places to search for monkeys. So I propose we take the Cowardly Lion and the

Hungry Tiger. We can ride on their backs as well as in the Red Wagon, and if there is danger to us from other

"That's a splendid idea!" exclaimed Dorothy. "Let's go now and ask the Hungry Tiger and the Cowardly Lion

"I think not," said the Wizard, getting his hat and his black bag of magic tools. "This is to be a surprise for her

birthday, and so she mustn't know where we're going. We'll just leave word, in case Ozma inquires for us,

In the central western part of the Gillikin Country is a great tangle of trees called Gugu Forest. It is the

biggest forest in all Oz and stretches miles and miles in every directionnorth, south, east and west.

Adjoining it on the east side is a range of rugged mountains covered with underbrush and small twisted trees.

Gugu Forest is the home of most of the wild beasts that inhabit Oz. These are seldom disturbed in their leafy

haunts because there is no reason why Oz people should go there, except on rare occasions, and most parts of

the forest have never been seen by any eyes but the eyes of the beasts who make their home there. The

biggest beasts inhabit the great forest, while the smaller ones live mostly in the mountain underbrush at the

Now, you must know that there are laws in the forests, as well as in every other place, and these laws are

made by the beasts themselves, and are necessary to keep them from fighting and tearing one another to

pieces. In Gugu Forest there is a Kingan enormous yellow leopard called "Gugu"after whom the forest

is named. And this King has three other beasts to advise him in keeping the laws and maintaining orderBru

the Bear, Loo the Unicorn and Rango the Gray Apewho are known as the King's Counselors. All these are

fierce and ferocious beasts, and hold their high offices because they are more intelligent and more feared then

Since Oz became a fairyland, no man, woman or child ever dies in that land nor is anyone ever sick. Likewise

the beasts of the forests never die, so that long years add to their cunning and wisdom, as well as to their size

and strength. It is possible for beastsor even peopleto be destroyed, but the task is so difficult that it is

seldom attempted. Because it is free from sickness and death is one reason why Oz is a fairyland, but it is

doubtful whether those who come to Oz from the outside world, as Dorothy and ButtonBright and Trot and

Cap'n Bill and the Wizard did, will live forever or cannot be injured. Even Ozma is not sure about this, and so

the guests of Ozma from other lands are always carefully protected from any danger, so as to be on the safe

In spite of the laws of the forests there are often fights among the beasts; some of them have lost an eye or an

ear or even had a leg torn off. The King and the King's Counselors always punish those who start a fight, but

so fierce is the nature of some beasts that they will at times fight in spite of laws and punishment.

Over this vast, wild Forest of Gugu flew two eagles, one morning, and near the center of the jungle the eagles

"Here is the place for us to begin our work," said one, who was Ruggedo, the Nome.

"The forest is full of them," said the Nome. "There are enough beasts right here to enable us to conquer the

people of Oz, if we can get them to consent to join us. To do that, we must go among them and tell them our

plans, so we must now decide on what shapes we had better assume while in the forest."

"Of course. But that requires some thought. All kinds of beasts live here, and a yellow leopard is King. If we

become leopards, the King will be jealous of us. If we take the forms of some of the other beasts, we shall not

"But, in order to carry out our plans, we must win the favor of all the animals of the forest."

"Let us mix the shapes of several beasts, so we will not look like any one of them," proposed the wily old

Nome. "Let us have the heads of lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles and the tails of wild asses,

"All right," said Kiki. "You stay here, and I'll fly away to another tree and transform us both, and then we'll

"No," said the Nome, "we mustn't separate. You must transform us while we are together."

"I won't do that," asserted Kiki, firmly. "You're trying to get my secret, and I won't let you."

The eyes of the other eagle flashed angrily, but Ruggedo did not dare insist. If he offended this boy, he might

have to remain an eagle always and he wouldn't like that. Some day he hoped to be able to learn the secret

word of the magical transformations, but just now he must let Kiki have his own way.

So Kiki flew to a tree that was far enough distant so that Ruggedo could not overhear him and said: "I want

Ruggedo, the Nome, and myself to have the heads of lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles and

the tails of wild asses, with knobs of gold on the ends of them instead of bunches of hairPyrzqxgl!"

He pronounced the magic word in the proper manner and at once his form changed to the one he had

described. He spread his eagle's wings and finding they were strong enough to support his monkey body and

lion head he flew swiftly to the tree where he had left Ruggedo. The Nome was also transformed and was

climbing down the tree because the branches all around him were so thickly entwined that there was no room

Kiki quickly joined his comrade and it did not take them long to reach the ground.

There had been trouble in the Forest of Gugu that morning. Chipo the Wild Boar had bitten the tail off Arx

the Giraffe while the latter had his head among the leaves of a tree, eating his breakfast. Arx kicked with his

heels and struck Tirrip, the great Kangaroo, who had a new baby in her pouch. Tirrip knew it was the Wild

Boar's fault, so she knocked him over with one powerful blow and then ran away to escape Chipo's sharp

tusks. In the chase that followed a giant porcupine stuck fifty sharp quills into the Boar and a chimpanzee in a

All this was against the Laws of the Forest, and when the excitement was over, Gugu the Leopard King called

The four lords of the forest were holding solemn council in a small clearing when they saw two strange beasts

Not one of the four, however, relaxed his dignity or showed by a movement that he was startled. The great

Leopard crouched at full length upon a fallen treetrunk. Bru the Bear sat on his haunches before the King;

Rango the Gray Ape stood with his muscular arms folded, and Loo the Unicorn reclined, much as a horse

does, between his fellowcouncillors. With one consent they remained silent, eyeing with steadfast looks the

"Well met, Brothers!" said one of the strange beasts, coming to a halt beside the group, while his comrade

"We are not brothers," returned the Gray Ape, sternly. "Who are you, and how came you in the forest of

"We are two LiMonEags," said Ruggedo, inventing the name. "Our home is in Sky Island, and we have

come to earth to warn the forest beasts that the people of Oz are about to make war upon them and enslave

them, so that they will become beasts of burden forever after and obey only the will of their twolegged

"WHO'S going to do that?" asked Loo the Unicorn, in a high, squeaky voice, at the same time rising to his

"You needn't talk! We'll fight the Oz people!" screamed the Unicorn. "We'll smash 'em; we'll trample 'em;

"Silence!" growled Gugu the King, and Loo obeyed, although still trembling with wrath. The cold, steady

gaze of the Leopard wandered over the two strange beasts. "The people of Oz," said he, "have not been our

friends; they have not been our enemies. They have let us alone, and we have let them alone. There is no

reason for war between us. They have no slaves. They could not use us as slaves if they should conquer us. I

think you are telling us lies, you strange LiMonEagyou mixedup beast who are neither one thing nor

"Oh, on my word, it's the truth!" protested the Nome in the beast's shape. "I wouldn't lie for the world; I"

"Silence!" again growled Gugu the King; and somehow, even Ruggedo was abashed and obeyed the edict.

"What do you say, Bru?" asked the King, turning to the great Bear, who had until now said nothing.

"Why, I can fly, you know, having the wings of an Eagle," explained the Nome. "I and my comrade yonder,"

turning to Kiki, "flew to a grove in Oz, and there we heard the people telling how they will make many ropes

to snare you beasts, and then they will surround this forest, and all other forests, and make you prisoners. So

we came here to warn you, for being beasts ourselves, although we live in the sky, we are your friends."

The Leopard's lip curled and showed his enormous teeth, sharp as needles. He turned to the Gray Ape.

"Send these mixed beasts away, Your Majesty," replied the Gray Ape. "They are mischiefmakers."

"Don't do thatdon't do that!" cried the Unicorn, nervously. "The stranger said he would tell us what to do.

"Well," said the Nome, "it's this way: The Land of Oz is a fine country. The people of Oz have many good

thingshouses with soft beds, all sorts of nicetasting food, pretty clothes, lovely jewels, and many other

things that beasts know nothing of. Here in the dark forests the poor beasts have hard work to get enough to

eat and to find a bed to rest in. But the beasts are better than the people, and why should they not have all the

good things the people have? So I propose that before the Oz people have the time to make all those ropes to

snare you with, that all we beasts get together and march against the Oz people and capture them. Then the

"It would save you from slavery, for one thing, and you could enjoy all the fine things of Oz people have."

"Beasts wouldn't know what to do with the things people use," said the Gray Ape.

"But this is only part of my plan," insisted the Nome. "Listen to the rest of it. We two LiMonEags are

powerful magicians. When you have conquered the Oz people we will transform them all into beasts, and

send them to the forests to live, and we will transform all the beasts into people, so they can enjoy all the

"Prove that you can transform us. If you are a magician transform the Unicorn into a man. Then we will

"All right," said the Nome. "But I'm tired, so I'll let my comrade make the transformation."

Kiki Aru had stood back from the circle, but he had heard all that was said. He now realized that he must

make good Ruggedo's boast, so he retreated to the edge of the clearing and whispered the magic word.

Instantly the Unicorn became a fat, chubby little man, dressed in the purple Gillikin costume, and it was hard

to tell which was the more astonished, the King, the Bear, the Ape or the former Unicorn.

"It's true!" shorted the manbeast. "Good gracious, look what I am! It's wonderful!"

"We must believe your story, since you have given us proof of your power," said he. "But why, if you are so

great a magician, cannot you conquer the Oz people without our help, and so save us the trouble?"

"Alas!" replied the crafty old Nome, "no magician is able to do everything. The transformations are easy to us

because we are LiMonEags, but we cannot fight, or conquer even such weak creatures as the Oz people.

But we will stay with you and advise and help you, and we will transform all the Oz people into beasts, when

"On my word, your Majesty," he said, "this being a man is more fun than being a Unicorn."

"I think I prefer to be a Bear," said Big Bru. "I was born a Bear, and I know a Bear's ways. So I am satisfied

"That," said the old Nome, "is because you know nothing better. When we have conquered the Oz people,

"The beasts of the forest must decide this matter for themselves," he said. "Go you, Rango the Gray Ape, and

tell your monkey tribe to order all the forest beasts to assemble in the Great Clearing at sunrise tomorrow.

When all are gathered together, this mixedup Beast who is a magician shall talk to them and tell them what

he has told us. Then, if they decide to fight the Oz people, who have declared war on us, I will lead the beasts

Rango the Gray Ape turned at once and glided swiftly through the forest on his mission. The Bear gave a

grunt and walked away. Gugu the King rose and stretched himself. Then he said to Ruggedo: "Meet us at

The manunicorn, left alone with the strangers, suddenly stopped his foolish prancing.

"You'd better make me a Unicorn again," he said. "I like being a man, but the forest beasts won't know I'm

So Kiki changed him back to his former shape, and the Unicorn departed to join his people.

"Tomorrow," he said to Kiki Aru, "we'll win over these beasts and set them to fight and conquer the Oz

people. Then I will have my revenge on Ozma and Dorothy and all the rest of my enemies."

"If Gugu the Leopard opposes us, you will transform him into a tree, and then he will be helpless."

"Of course," agreed Kiki, and he said to himself: "I shall also transform this deceitful Nome into a tree, for he

The Glass Cat was a good guide and led Trot and Cap'n Bill by straight and easy paths through all the settled

part of the Munchkin Country, and then into the north section where there were few houses, and finally

through a wild country where there were no houses or paths at all. But the walking was not difficult and at

last they came to the edge of a forest and stopped there to make camp and sleep until morning.

From branches of trees Cap'n Bill made a tiny house that was just big enough for the little girl to crawl into

and lie down. But first they ate some of the food Trot had carried in the basket.

"I beg to inform you," returned the crystal tabby, "that I do not eat mice. Being transparent, so anyone can see

through me, I'd look nice, wouldn't I, with a common mouse inside me? But the fact is that I haven't any

stomach or other machinery that would permit me to eat things. The careless magician who made me didn't

"Never. I don't complain, you know, at the way I'm made, for I've never yet seen any living thing as beautiful

as I am. I have the handsomest brains in the world. They're pink, and you can see 'em work."

"I wonder," said Trot thoughtfully, as she ate her bread and jam, "if MY brains whirl around in the same way

"No; not the same way, surely," returned the Glass Cat; "for, in that case, they'd be as good as MY brains,

"Brains," remarked Cap'n Bill, "is of all kinds and work different ways. But I've noticed that them as thinks

Trot was a little disturbed by sounds from the forest, that night, for many beasts seemed prowling among the

trees, but she was confident Cap'n Bill would protect her from harm. And in fact, no beast ventured from the

At daybreak they were up again, and after a simple breakfast Cap'n Bill said to the Glass Cat:

"Up anchor, Mate, and let's forge ahead. I don't suppose we're far from that Magic Flower, are we?"

"Not far," answered the transparent one, as it led the way into the forest, "but it may take you some time to

Before long they reached the bank of a river. It was not very wide, at this place, but as they followed the

Suddenly the bluegreen leaves of the trees changed to a purple hue, and Trot noticed this and said:

"It's because we have left the Munchkin Country and entered the Gillikin Country," explained the Glass Cat.

The river made a sudden turn, and after the travelers had passed around the bend, they saw that the stream

had now become as broad as a small lake, and in the center of the Lake they beheld a little island, not more

than fifty feet in extent, either way. Something glittered in the middle of this tiny island, and the Glass Cat

"There is the gold flowerpot containing the Magic Flower, which is very curious and beautiful. If you can

Cap'n Bill looked at the broad expanse of water and began to whistle a low, quavering tune. Trot knew that

the whistle meant that Cap'n Bill was thinking, and the old sailor didn't look at the island as much as he

looked at the trees upon the bank where they stood. Presently he took from the big pocket of his coat an

axeblade, wound in an old cloth to keep the sharp edge from cutting his clothing. Then, with a large pocket

knife, he cut a small limb from a tree and whittled it into a handle for his axe.

"Sit down, Trot," he advised the girl, as he worked. "I've got quite a job ahead of me now, for I've got to build

"Why, to take us to the island. We can't walk under water, in the river bed, as the Glass Cat did, so we must

The little girl sat down on a log and gazed at the Island of the Magic Flower. Nothing else seemed to grow on

the tiny isle. There was no tree, no shrub, no grass, even, as far as she could make out from that distance. But

the gold pot glittered in the rays of the sun, and Trot could catch glimpses of glowing colors above it, as the

"When I was here before," remarked the Glass Cat, lazily reclining at the girl's feet, "I saw two Kalidahs on

"The most powerful and ferocious beasts in all Oz. This forest is their especial home, and so there are few

other beasts to be found except monkeys. The monkeys are spry enough to keep out of the way of the fierce

"Did they try to fight you when you saw 'em?" asked Trot, getting very much excited.

"Yes. They sprang upon me in an instant; but I lay flat on the ground, so I wouldn't get my legs broken by the

great weight of the beasts, and when they tried to bite me I laughed at them and jeered them until they were

frantic with rage, for they nearly broke their teeth on my hard glass. So, after a time, they discovered they

"I hope they don't come here again to drink,not while we're here, anyhow," returned the girl, "for I'm not

made of glass, nor is Cap'n Bill, and if those bad beasts bit us, we'd get hurt."

Cap'n Bill was cutting from the trees some long stakes, making them sharp at one end and leaving a crotch at

the other end. These were to bind the logs of his raft together. He had fashioned several and was just finishing

another when the Glass Cat cried: "Look out! There's a Kalidah coming toward us."

Trot jumped up, greatly frightened, and looked at the terrible animal as if fascinated by its fierce eyes, for the

Kalidah was looking at her, too, and its look wasn't at all friendly. But Cap'n Bill called to her: "Wade into

the river, Trot, up to your kneesan' stay there!" and she obeyed him at once. The sailorman hobbled

forward, the stake in one hand and his axe in the other, and got between the girl and the beast, which sprang

Cap'n Bill moved pretty slowly, sometimes, but now he was quick as could be. As the Kalidah sprang toward

him he stuck out his wooden leg and the point of it struck the beast between the eyes and sent it rolling upon

the ground. Before it could get upon its feet again the sailor pushed the sharp stake right through its body and

then with the flat side of the axe he hammered the stake as far into the ground as it would go. By this means

he captured the great beast and made it harmless, for try as it would, it could not get away from the stake that

Cap'n Bill knew he could not kill the Kalidah, for no living thing in Oz can be killed, so he stood back and

watched the beast wriggle and growl and paw the earth with its sharp claws, and then, satisfied it could not

escape, he told Trot to come out of the water again and dry her wet shoes and stockings in the sun.

"I'd bet a cookie on it," said Cap'n Bill, so Trot came ashore and took off her shoes and stockings and laid

The Kalidah, realizing after many struggles that it could not escape, now became quiet, but it said in a harsh,

"I suppose you think you're clever, to pin me to the ground in this manner. But when my friends, the other

"P'raps," remarked Cap'n Bill, coolly, as he chopped at the logs, "an' p'raps not. When are your folks comin'

"I don't know," admitted the Kalidah. "But when they DO come, you can't escape them."

The huge beast looked at him in surprise a moment, and then it began to laugh. The laugh was a good deal

like a roar, and it had a cruel and derisive sound, but it was a laugh nevertheless.

"Good!" said the Kalidah. "Good! Very good! I'm glad you're going to get the Magic Flower. But what will

The Kalidah laughed again; then it became sober. "If you get to the land on your raft before my people can

catch you," it said, "you will be safe from us. We can swim like ducks, so the girl couldn't have escaped me

"Well, it's the Isle of the Magic Flower," answered the Kalidah, "and we don't care much for magic. If you

hadn't had a magic leg, instead of a meat one, you couldn't have knocked me over so easily and stuck this

"I've been to the Magic Isle," said the Glass Cat, "and I've watched the Magic Flower bloom, and I'm sure it's

too pretty to be left in that lonely place where only beasts prowl around it and no else sees it. So we're going

"I don't care," the beast replied in a surly tone. "We Kalidahs would be just as contented if there wasn't a

"You ought to admire my pink brains, anyhow," declared the Glass Cat. "They're beautiful and you can see

The beast only growled in reply, and Cap'n Bill, having now cut all his logs to a proper size, began to roll

"It ain't so very big," said the old sailor, "but I don't weigh much, an' you, Trot, don't weigh half as much as I

"Yes; it's good enough to carry us to the island an' back again, an' that's about all we can expect of it."

Saying this, Cap'n Bill pushed the raft into the water, and when it was afloat, stepped upon it and held out his

hand to Trot, who quickly followed him. The Glass Cat boarded the raft last of all.

The sailor had cut a long pole, and had also whittled a flat paddle, and with these he easily propelled the raft

across the river. As they approached the island, the Wonderful Flower became more plainly visible, and they

quickly decided that the Glass Cat had not praised it too highly. The colors of the flowers that bloomed in

quick succession were strikingly bright and beautiful, and the shapes of the blossoms were varied and

So intently did Trot and Cap'n Bill gaze upon the Golden Flowerpot that held the Magic Flower that they

scarcely noticed the island itself until the raft beached upon its sands. But then the girl exclaimed: "How

Then the sailor glanced at the island and saw that it was all bare ground, without a weed, a stone or a blade of

grass. Trot, eager to examine the Flower closer, sprang from the raft and ran up the bank until she reached the

Golden Flowerpot. Then she stood beside it motionless and filled with wonder. Cap'n Bill joined her,

"Ozma will like this," remarked the Glass Cat, sitting down to watch the shifting hues of the flowers. "I'm

"Do you 'spose it's very heavy, Cap'n? And can we get it home without breaking it?" asked Trot anxiously.

"Well, I've lifted many bigger things than that," he replied; "but let's see what it weighs."

He tried to take a step forward, but could not lift his meat foot from the ground. His wooden leg seemed free

"I seem stuck, Trot," he said, with a perplexed look at his foot. "It ain't mud, an' it ain't glue, but somethin's

The girl attempted to lift her own feet, to go nearer to her friend, but the ground held them as fast as it held

Cap'n Bill's foot. She tried to slide them, or to twist them around, but it was no use; she could not move either

"This is funny!" she exclaimed. "What do you 'spose has happened to us, Cap'n Bill?"

"I'm tryin' to make out," he answered. "Take off your shoes, Trot. P'raps it's the leather soles that's stuck to

She leaned down and unlaced her shoes, but found she could not pull her feet out of them. The Glass Cat,

"Your foot has got roots to it, Cap'n, and I can see the roots going into the ground, where they spread out in

all directions. It's the same way with Trot. That's why you can't move. The roots hold you fast."

Cap'n Bill was rather fat and couldn't see his own feet very well, but he squatted down and examined Trot's

"This is hard luck," he declared, in a voice that showed he was uneasy at the discovery. "We're pris'ners, Trot,

on this funny island, an' I'd like to know how we're ever goin' to get loose, so's we can get home again."

"Now I know why the Kalidah laughed at us," said the girl, "and why he said none of the beasts ever came to

In the meantime, the Kalidah, although pinned fast to the earth by Cap'n Bill's stake, was facing the island,

and now the ugly expression which passed over its face when it defied and sneered at Cap'n Bill and Trot,

had changed to one of amusement and curiosity. When it saw the adventurers had actually reached the island

and were standing beside the Magic Flower, it heaved a breath of satisfactiona long, deep breath that

swelled its deep chest until the beast could feel the stake that held him move a little, as if withdrawing itself

"Ah ha!" murmured the Kalidah, "a little more of this will set me free and allow me to escape!"

So he began breathing as hard as he could, puffing out his chest as much as possible with each indrawing

breath, and by doing this he managed to raise the stake with each powerful breath, until at last the

Kalidahusing the muscles of his four legs as well as his deep breathsfound itself free of the sandy soil.

The stake was sticking right through him, however, so he found a rock deeply set in the bank and pressed the

sharp point of the stake upon the surface of this rock until he had driven it clear through his body. Then, by

getting the stake tangled among some thorny bushes, and wiggling his body, he managed to draw it out

"There!" he exclaimed, "except for those two holes in me, I'm as good as ever; but I must admit that that old

Now the Kalidahs, although the most disagreeable creatures in the Land of Oz, were nevertheless magical

inhabitants of a magical Fairyland, and in their natures a certain amount of good was mingled with the evil.

This one was not very revengeful, and now that his late foes were in danger of perishing, his anger against

"Our own Kalidah King," he reflected, "has certain magical powers of his own. Perhaps he knows how to fill

So without paying any more attention to Trot and Cap'n Bill than they were paying to him, he entered the

forest and trotted along a secret path that led to the hidden lair of all the Kalidahs.

While the Kalidah was making good its escape Cap'n Bill took his pipe from his pocket and filled it with

tobacco and lighted it. Then, as he puffed out the smoke, he tried to think what could be done.

"The Glass Cat seems all right," he said, "an' my wooden leg didn't take roots and grow, either. So it's only

"I know, Trot, and that's what sticks me. We're livin' in a magic country, but neither of us knows any magic

"Ah, now we're beginnin' to reason," he answered. "I'd probably thought o' that, myself, in a minute more. By

good luck the Glass Cat is free, an' so it can run back to the Emerald City an' tell the Wizard about our fix, an'

"I'm no messenger, to be sent here and there," asserted the curious animal in a sulky tone of voice.

"Well," said Cap'n Bill, "you've got to go home, anyhow, 'cause you don't want to stay here, I take it. And,

when you get home, it wouldn't worry you much to tell the Wizard what's happened to us."

"That's true," said the cat, sitting on its haunches and lazily washing its face with one glass paw. "I don't mind

"Won't you go now?" pleaded Trot. "We don't want to stay here any longer than we can help, and everybody

in Oz will be interested in you, and call you a hero, and say nice things about you because you helped your

That was the best way to manage the Glass Cat, which was so vain that it loved to be praised.

"I'm going home right away," said the creature, "and I'll tell the Wizard to come and help you."

Saying this, it walked down to the water and disappeared under the surface. Not being able to manage the raft

alone, the Glass Cat walked on the bottom of the river as it had done when it visited the island before, and

soon they saw it appear on the farther bank and trot into the forest, where it was quickly lost to sight among

"Cap'n," said she, "we're in a bad fix. There's nothing here to eat, and we can't even lie down to sleep. Unless

the Glass Cat hurries, and the Wizard hurries, I don't know what's going to become of us!"

That was a wonderful gathering of wild animals in the Forest of Gugu next sunrise. Rango, the Gray Ape, had

even called his monkey sentinels away from the forest edge, and every beast, little and big, was in the great

In the center of the clearing stood a great shelving rock, having a flat, inclined surface, and on this sat the

stately Leopard Gugu, who was King of the Forest. On the ground beneath him squatted Bru the Bear, Loo

the Unicorn, and Rango the Gray Ape, the King's three Counselors, and in front of them stood the two strange

beasts who had called themselves LiMonEags, but were really the transformations of Ruggedo the Nome,

Then came the beastsrows and rows and rows of them! The smallest beasts were nearest the King's rock

throne; then there were wolves and foxes, lynxes and hyenas, and the like; behind them were gathered the

monkey tribes, who were hard to keep in order because they teased the other animals and were full of

mischievous tricks. Back of the monkeys were the pumas, jaguars, tigers and lions, and their kind; next the

bears, all sizes and colors; after them bisons, wild asses, zebras and unicorns; farther on the rhinoceri and

hippopotami, and at the far edge of the forest, close to the trees that shut in the clearing, was a row of

Many other kinds of beasts, too numerous to mention, were there, and some were unlike any beasts we see in

the menageries and zoos in our country. Some were from the mountains west of the forest, and some from the

plains at the east, and some from the river; but all present acknowledged the leadership of Gugu, who for

When the beasts had taken their places in the clearing and the rising sun was shooting its first bright rays over

the treetops, King Gugu rose on his throne. The Leopard's giant form, towering above all the others, caused a

"Brothers," he said in his deep voice, "a stranger has come among us, a beast of curious form who is a great

magician and is able to change the shapes of men or beasts at his will. This stranger has come to us, with

another of his kind, from out of the sky, to warn us of a danger which threatens us all, and to offer us a way to

escape from that danger. He says he is our friend, and he has proved to me and to my Counselors his magic

powers. Will you listen to what he has to say to youto the message he has brought from the sky?"

"Let him speak!" came in a great roar from the great company of assembled beasts.

So Ruggedo the Nome sprang upon the flat rock beside Gugu the King, and another roar, gentle this time,

showed how astonished the beasts were at the sight of his curious form. His lion's face was surrounded by a

mane of pure white hair; his eagle's wings were attached to the shoulders of his monkey body and were so

long that they nearly touched the ground; he had powerful arms and legs in addition to the wings, and at the

end of his long, strong tail was a golden ball. Never had any beast beheld such a curious creature before, and

so the very sight of the stranger, who was said to be a great magician, filled all present with awe and wonder.

Kiki stayed down below and, half hidden by the shelf of rock, was scarcely noticed. The boy realized that the

old Nome was helpless without his magic power, but he also realized that Ruggedo was the best talker. So he

"Beasts of the Forest of Gugu," began Ruggedo the Nome, "my comrade and I are your friends. We are

magicians, and from our home in the sky we can look down into the Land of Oz and see everything that is

going on. Also we can hear what the people below us are saying. That is how we heard Ozma, who rules the

Land of Oz, say to her people: 'The beasts in the Forest of Gugu are lazy and are of no use to us. Let us go to

their forest and make them all our prisoners. Let us tie them with ropes, and beat them with sticks, until they

work for us and become our willing slaves.' And when the people heard Ozma of Oz say this, they were glad

and raised a great shout and said: 'We will do it! We will make the beasts of the Forest of Gugu our slaves!'"

The wicked old Nome could say no more, just then, for such a fierce roar of anger rose from the multitude of

beasts that his voice was drowned by the clamor. Finally the roar died away, like distant thunder, and

"Having heard the Oz people plot against your liberty, we watched to see what they would do, and saw them

all begin making ropesropes long and shortwith which to snare our friends the beasts. You are angry,

but we also were angry, for when the Oz people became the enemies of the beasts they also became our

enemies; for we, too, are beasts, although we live in the sky. And my comrade and I said: 'We will save our

friends and have revenge on the Oz people,' and so we came here to tell you of your danger and of our plan to

"The Oz people are fairies, and you can't fight against magic unless you also have magic," answered the

"Tell us your plan!" shouted the huge Tiger, and the other beasts echoed his words, crying: "Tell us your

"My plan is simple," replied Ruggedo. "By our magic we will transform all you animals into men and

womenlike the Oz peopleand we will transform all the Oz people into beasts. You can then live in the

fine houses of the Land of Oz, and eat the fine food of the Oz people, and wear their fine clothes, and sing

and dance and be happy. And the Oz people, having become beasts, will have to live here in the forest and

hunt and fight for food, and often go hungry, as you now do, and have no place to sleep but a bed of leaves or

a hole in the ground. Having become men and women, you beasts will have all the comforts you desire, and

having become beasts, the Oz people will be very miserable. That is our plan, and if you agree to it, we will

When the stranger ceased speaking, a great silence fell on the assemblage, for the beasts were thinking of

"He canhe can!" cried Loo the Unicorn, prancing up and down in an excited manner. "He transformed ME,

"You have heard the stranger speak," said he, "and now you must answer him. It is for you to decide. Shall

"Take more time to think," he suggested. "Your answer is very important. Up to this time we have had no

trouble with the Oz people, but we are proud and free, and never will become slaves. Think carefully, and

Then arose a great confusion of sounds as all the animals began talking to their fellows. The monkeys

chattered and the bears growled and the voices of the jaguars and lions rumbled, and the wolves yelped and

the elephants had to trumpet loudly to make their voices heard. Such a hubbub had never been known in the

forest before, and each beast argued with his neighbor until it seemed the noise would never cease.

Ruggedo the Nome waved his arms and fluttered his wings to try to make them listen to him again, but the

beasts paid no attention. Some wanted to fight the Oz people, some wanted to be transformed, and some

The growling and confusion had grown greater than ever when in a flash silence fell on all the beasts present,

For into the circle strode a great Lionbigger and more powerful than any other lion thereand on his back

rode a little girl who smiled fearlessly at the multitude of beasts. And behind the Lion and the little girl came

another beasta monstrous Tiger, who bore upon his back a funny little man carrying a black bag. Right

past the rows of wondering beasts the strange animals walked, advancing until they stood just before the rock

Then the little girl and the funny little man dismounted, and the great Lion demanded in a loud voice:

"I am!" answered Gugu, looking steadily at the other. "I am Gugu the Leopard, and I am King of this forest."

"Then I greet Your Majesty with great respect," said the Lion. "Perhaps you have heard of me, Gugu. I am

"Yes," said he, "I have heard of you. You have long claimed to be King of Beasts, but no beast who is a

"He isn't a coward, Your Majesty," asserted the little girl, "He's just cowardly, that's all."

"Why, I'm not afraid to go anywhere, if the Cowardly Lion is with me," she said. "I know him pretty well,

and so I can trust him. He's always afraid, when we get into trouble, and that's why he's cowardly; but he's a

terrible fighter, and that's why he isn't a coward. He doesn't like to fight, you know, but when he HAS to,

Gugu the King looked at the big, powerful form of the Cowardly Lion, and knew she spoke the truth. Also

the other Lions of the forest now came forward and bowed low before the strange Lion.

"We welcome Your Majesty," said one. "We have known you many years ago, before you went to live at the

Emerald City, and we have seen you fight the terrible Kalidahs and conquer them, so we know you are the

"It is true," replied the Cowardly Lion; "but I did not come here to rule the beasts of this forest. Gugu is King

here, and I believe he is a good King and just and wise. I come, with my friends, to be the guest of Gugu, and

"Yes; you, at least, are welcome to my forest. But who are these strangers with you?"

"Dorothy has introduced herself," replied the Lion, "and you are sure to like her when you know her better.

This man is the Wizard of Oz, a friend of mine who can do wonderful tricks of magic. And here is my true

"I am," replied the Tiger, answering the question himself. "I am always hungry for fat babies."

"There are plenty of them, of course," said the Tiger, "but unfortunately I have such a tender conscience that

it won't allow me to eat babies. So I'm always hungry for 'em and never can eat 'em, because my conscience

Now of all the surprised beasts in that clearing, not one was so much surprised at the sudden appearance of

these four strangers as Ruggedo the Nome. He was frightened, too, for he recognized them as his most

powerful enemies; but he also realized that they could not know he was the former King of the Nomes,

because of the beast's form he wore, which disguised him so effectually. So he took courage and resolved that

It was hard to tell, just yet, what the vast assemblage of beasts thought of the new arrivals. Some glared

angrily at them, but more of them seemed to be curious and wondering. All were interested, however, and

Kiki Aru, who had remained unnoticed in the shadow of the rock, was at first more alarmed by the coming of

the strangers than even Ruggedo was, and the boy told himself that unless he acted quickly and without

waiting to ask the advice of the old Nome, their conspiracy was likely to be discovered and all their plans to

conquer and rule Oz be defeated. Kiki didn't like the way Ruggedo acted either, for the former King of the

Nomes wanted to do everything his own way, and made the boy, who alone possessed the power of

Another thing that disturbed Kiki Aru was the fact that a real Wizard had arrived, who was said to possess

many magical powers, and this Wizard carried his tools in a black bag, and was the friend of the Oz people,

and so would probably try to prevent war between the beasts of the forest and the people of Oz.

All these things passed through the mind of the Hyup boy while the Cowardly Lion and Gugu the King were

He had found a place, near to the point where he stood, where there was a deep hollow in the rock, so he put

The Wizard, who had stood smilingly beside his friends, suddenly felt his form change to that of a fox, and

his black bag fell to the ground. Kiki reached out an arm and seized the bag, and the Fox cried as loud as it

Everyone was startled at this cry, and Dorothy, seeing her old friend's plight, screamed and exclaimed:

But the next instant the little girl's form had changed to that of a lamb with fleecy white wool, and Dorothy

The Cowardly Lion's eyes now flashed fire; he crouched low and lashed the ground with his tail and gazed

around to discover who the treacherous magician might be. But Kiki, who had kept his face in the hollow

rock, again whispered the magic word, and the great lion disappeared and in his place stood a little boy

dressed in Munchkin costume. The little Munchkin boy was as angry as the lion had been, but he was small

Ruggedo the Nome saw what was happening and was afraid Kiki would spoil all his plans, so he leaned over

Kiki would not stop, however. Instead, he transformed the Nome into a goose, to Ruggedo's horror and

dismay. But the Hungry Tiger had witnessed all these transformations, and he was watching to see which of

those present was to blame for them. When Ruggedo spoke to Kiki, the Hungry Tiger knew that he was the

magician, so he made a sudden spring and hurled his great body full upon the form of the LiMonEag

crouching against the rock. Kiki didn't see the Tiger coming because his face was still in the hollow, and the

heavy body of the tiger bore him to the earth just as he said "Pyrzqxgl!" for the fifth time.

So now the tiger which was crushing him changed to a rabbit, and relieved of its weight, Kiki sprang up and,

spreading his eagle's wings, flew into the branches of a tree, where no beast could easily reach him. He was

not an instant too quick in doing this, for Gugu the King had crouched on the rock's edge and was about to

From his tree Kiki transformed Gugu into a fat Gillikin woman, and laughed aloud to see how the woman

pranced with rage, and how astonished all the beasts were at their King's new shape.

The beasts were frightened, too, fearing they would share the fate of Gugu, so a stampede began when Rango

the Gray Ape sprang into the forest, and Bru the Bear and Loo the Unicorn followed as quickly as they could.

The elephants backed into the forest, and all the other animals, big and little, rushed after them, scattering

through the jungles until the clearing was far behind. The monkeys scrambled into the trees and swung

themselves from limb to limb, to avoid being trampled upon by the bigger beasts, and they were so quick that

they distanced all the rest. A panic of fear seemed to have overtaken the forest people and they got as far

But the transformed ones stayed in the clearing, being so astonished and bewildered by their new shapes that

they could only look at one another in a dazed and helpless fashion, although each one was greatly annoyed

"Who are you?" the Munchkin boy asked the Rabbit; and "Who are you?" the Fox asked the Lamb; and "Who

Kiki Aru, in the form of the LiMonEag, had scrambled into the high, thick branches of the tree, so no one

could see him, and there he opened the Wizard's black bag, which he had carried away in his flight. He was

curious to see what the Wizard's magic tools looked like, and hoped he could use some of them and so secure

more power; but after he had taken the articles, one by one, from the bag, he had to admit they were puzzles

to him. For, unless he understood their uses, they were of no value whatever. Kiki Aru, the Hyup boy, was no

wizard or magician at all, and could do nothing unusual except to use the Magic Word he had stolen from his

father on Mount Munch. So he hung the Wizard's black bag on a branch of the tree and then climbed down to

the lower limbs that he might see what the victims of his transformations were doing.

They were all on top of the flat rock, talking together in tones so low that Kiki could not hear what they said.

"This is certainly a misfortune," remarked the Wizard in the Fox's form, "but our transformations are a sort of

enchantment which is very easy to breakwhen you know how and have the tools to do it with. The tools

So they left the rock, and all of them searched the clearning high and low without finding the Bag of Magic

Tools. The Goose searched as earnestly as the others, for if he could discover it, he meant to hide it where the

Wizard could never find it, because if the Wizard changed him back to his proper form, along with the others,

he would then be recognized as Ruggedo the Nome, and they would send him out of the Land of Oz and so

Ruggedo was not really sorry, now that he thought about it, that Kiki had transformed all these Oz folks. The

forest beasts, it was true, had been so frightened that they would now never consent to be transformed into

men, but Kiki could transform them against their will, and once they were all in human forms, it would not be

So all was not lost, thought the old Nome, and the best thing for him to do was to rejoin the Hyup boy who

had the secret of the transformations. So, having made sure the Wizard's black bag was not in the clearing,

the Goose wandered away through the trees when the others were not looking, and when out of their hearing,

The Boy and the Woman, the Fox, the Lamb, and the Rabbit, not being able to find the bag, went back to the

"I think," said Gugu the King, who was the fat Woman, "that the Goose was the stranger who proposed that

we make war upon the Oz people. If so, his transformation was merely a trick to deceive us, and he has now

"What shall we do now?" asked Dorothy. "Shall we go back to the Emerald City, as we are, and then visit

"I think so," replied the Wizard Fox. "And we can take Gugu the King with us, and have Glinda restore him

to his natural shape. But I hate to leave my Bag of Magic Tools behind me, for without it I shall lose much of

my power as a Wizard. Also, if I go back to the Emerald City in the shape of a Fox, the Oz people will think

"Let us make still another search for your tools," suggested the Cowardly Lion, "and then, if we fail to find

"We wanted to borrow a dozen monkeys, to use on Ozma's birthday," explained the Wizard. "We were going

to make them small, and train them to do tricks, and put them inside Ozma's birthday cake."

"Well," said the Forest King, "you would have to get the consent of Rango the Gray Ape, to do that. He

"I'm afraid it's too late, now," said Dorothy, regretfully. "It was a splendid plan, but we've got troubles of our

"That's nothing," declared Dorothy. "I've never been 'specially proud of myself, but I'd rather be the way I

The Glass Cat, although it had some disagreeable ways and manners, nevertheless realized that Trot and

Cap'n Bill were its friends and so was quite disturbed at the fix it had gotten them into by leading them to the

Isle of the Magic Flower. The ruby heart of the Glass Cat was cold and hard, but still it was a heart, and to

have a heart of any sort is to have some consideration for others. But the queer transparent creature didn't

want Trot and Cap'n Bill to know it was sorry for them, and therefore it moved very slowly until it had

crossed the river and was out of sight among the trees of the forest. Then it headed straight toward the

Emerald City, and trotted so fast that it was like a crystal streak crossing the valleys and plains. Being glass,

the cat was tireless, and with no reason to delay its journey, it reached Ozma's palace in wonderfully quick

"Where's the Wizard?" it asked the Pink Kitten, which was curled up in the sunshine on the lowest step of the

The Glass Cat darted up the stairway and came upon Toto, Dorothy's little black dog.

"They went yesterday, and I heard them say they would go to the Great Forest in the Munchkin Country."

"But they rode on the Hungry Tiger and the Cowardly Lion," explained Toto, "and the Wizard carried his

The Glass Cat knew the Great Forest of Gugu well, for it had traveled through this forest many times in its

journeys through the Land of Oz. And it reflected that the Forest of Gugu was nearer to the Isle of the Magic

Flower than the Emerald City was, and so, if it could manage to find the Wizard, it could lead him across the

Gillikin Country to where Trot and Cap'n Bill were prisoned. It was a wild country and little traveled, but the

Without stopping to ask any more questions the Cat darted out of the palace and away from the Emerald City,

taking the most direct route to the Forest of Gugu. Again the creature flashed through the country like a

streak of light, and it would surprise you to know how quickly it reached the edge of the Great Forest.

There were no monkey guards among the trees to cry out a warning, and this was so unusual that it astonished

the Glass Cat. Going farther into the forest it presently came upon a wolf, which at first bounded away in

terror. But then, seeing it was only a Glass Cat, the Wolf stopped, and the Cat could see it was trembling, as

"A dreadful Magician has come among us!" exclaimed the Wolf, "and he's changing the forms of all the

"Why, that's only the Wizard of Oz. He may be having some fun with you forest people, but the Wizard

"I don't mean the Wizard," explained the Wolf. "And if the Wizard of Oz is that funny little man who rode a

great Tiger into the clearing, he's been transformed himself by the terrible Magician."

"No; it isn't. I saw him with my own eyes, changed into the form of a Fox, and the girl who was with him was

"Just a little while ago in the clearing. All the animals had met there, but they ran away when the Magician

began his transformations, and I'm thankful I escaped with my natural shape. But I'm still afraid, and I'm

With this the Wolf ran on, and the Glass Cat, which knew where the big clearing was, went toward it. But

now it walked more slowly, and its pink brains rolled and tumbled around at a great rate because it was

When the Glass Cat reached the clearing, it saw a Fox, a Lamb, a Rabbit, a Munchkin boy and a fat Gillikin

woman, all wandering around in an aimless sort of way, for they were again searching for the Black Bag of

The Cat watched them a moment and then it walked slowly into the open space. At once the Lamb ran toward

The Boy and the Woman and the Rabbit now joined the Fox and the Lamb, and they all stood before the

Glass Cat and speaking together, almost like a chorus, asked: "Have you seen the Black Bag?"

The Glass Cat sat on its hind legs and began to laugh. "My, what a funny lot!" exclaimed the Creature. "Who

"It's no joke at all," declared the Wizard. "It was a cruel, wicked transformation, and the Magician that did it

has the head of a lion, the body of a monkey, the wings of an eagle and a round ball on the end of his tail."

The Glass Cat laughed again. "That Magician must look funnier than you do," it said. "Where is he now?"

"Somewhere in the forest," said the Cowardly Lion. "He just jumped into that tall maple tree over there, for

he can climb like a monkey and fly like an eagle, and then he disappeared in the forest."

"And there was another Magician, just like him, who was his friend," added Dorothy, "but they probably

"He must have gone away to find his friend," answered Gugu the King. "But a Goose can't travel very fast, so

"The worst thing of all," said the Wizard, "is that my Black Bag is lost. It disappeared when I was

transformed. If I could find it I could easily break these enchantments by means of my magic, and we would

resume our own forms again. Will you help us search for the Black Bag, Friend Cat?"

"Of course," replied the Glass Cat. "But I expect the strange Magician carried it away with him. If he's a

magician, he knows you need that Bag, and perhaps he's afraid of your magic. So he's probably taken the Bag

"That sounds reasonable," remarked the Lamb, which was Dorothy. "Those pink brains of yours seem to be

"If the Glass Cat is right," said the Wizard in a solemn voice, "there's more trouble ahead of us. That

Magician is dangerous, and if we go near him he may transform us into shapes not as nice as these."

"I don't see how we could be any WORSE off," growled Gugu, who was indignant because he was forced to

"Anyway," said the Cowardly Lion, "our best plan is to find the Magician and try to get the Black Bag from

him. We may manage to steal it, or perhaps we can argue him into giving it to us."

"Why not find the Goose, first?" asked Dorothy. "The Goose will be angry at the Magician, and he may be

"That isn't a bad idea," returned the Wizard. "Come on, Friends; let's find that Goose. We will separate and

search in different directions, and the first to find the Goose must bring him here, where we will all meet

Now, the Goose was the transformation of old Ruggedo, who was at one time King of the Nomes, and he was

even more angry at Kiki Aru than were the others who shapes had been changed. The Nome detested

anything in the way of a bird, because birds lay eggs and eggs are feared by all the Nomes more than

anything else in the world. A goose is a foolish bird, too, and Ruggedo was dreadfully ashamed of the shape

he was forced to wear. And it would make him shudder to reflect that the Goose might lay an egg!

So the Nome was afraid of himself and afraid of everything around him. If an egg touched him he could then

be destroyed, and almost any animal he met in the forest might easily conquer him. And that would be the

Aside from these fears, however, he was filled with anger against Kiki, whom he had meant to trap by

cleverly stealing from him the Magic Word. The boy must have been crazy to spoil everything the way he

did, but Ruggedo knew that the arrival of the Wizard had scared Kiki, and he was not sorry the boy had

transformed the Wizard and Dorothy and made them helpless. It was his own transformation that annoyed

him and made him indignant, so he ran about the forest hunting for Kiki, so that he might get a better shape

Kiki Aru hadn't gone very far away, for he had surprised himself as well as the others by the quick

transformations and was puzzled as to what to do next. Ruggedo the Nome was overbearing and tricky, and

Kiki knew he was not to be depended on; but the Nome could plan and plot, which the Hyup boy was not

wise enough to do, and so, when he looked down through the branches of a tree and saw a Goose waddling

along below and heard it cry out, "Kiki Aru! Quackquack! Kiki Aru!" the boy answered in a low voice,

"You've bungled things in a dreadful way!" exclaimed the Goose. "Why did you do it?"

"Because I wanted to," answered Kiki. "You acted as if I was your slave, and I wanted to show these forest

Old Ruggedo quickly recovered his wits and muttered to himself: "This boy is the goose, although it is I who

wear the goose's shape. I will be gentle with him now, and fierce with him when I have him in my power."

"Well, hereafter I will be content to acknowledge you the master. You bungled things, as I said, but we can

"First give me back the shape of the LiMonEag, and then we can talk together more conveniently,"

"Wait a moment, then," said Kiki, and climbed higher up the tree. There he whispered the Magic Word and

"Good!" said the Nome, well pleased, as Kiki joined him by dropping down from the tree. "Now let us find a

So the two started away and crossed the forest until they came to a place where the trees were not so tall nor

so close together, and among these scattered trees was another clearing, not so large as the first one, where

the meeting of the beasts had been held. Standing on the edge of this clearing and looking across it, they saw

the trees on the farther side full of monkeys, who were chattering together at a great rate of the sights they

The old Nome whispered to Kiki not to enter the clearing or allow the monkeys to see them.

"Because those monkeys are to be our armythe army which will conquer Oz," said the Nome. "Sit down

Now, neither Kiki Aru nor Ruggedo had noticed that a sly Fox had followed them all the way from the tree

where the Goose had been transformed to the LiMonEag. Indeed, this Fox, who was none other than the

Wizard of Oz, had witnessed the transformation of the Goose and now decided he would keep watch on the

A Fox can move through a forest very softly, without making any noise, and so the Wizard's enemies did not

suspect his presence. But when they sat down by the edge of the clearing, to talk, with their backs toward

him, the Wizard did not know whether to risk being seen, by creeping closer to hear what they said, or

While he considered this question he discovered near him a great tree which had a hollow trunk, and there

was a round hole in this tree, about three feet above the ground. The Wizard Fox decided it would be safer for

him to hide inside the hollow tree, so he sprang into the hole and crouched down in the hollow, so that his

eyes just came to the edge of the hole by which he had entered, and from here he watched the forms of the

"This is my plan," said the Nome to Kiki, speaking so low that the Wizard could only hear the rumble of his

voice. "Since you can transform anything into any form you wish, we will transform these monkeys into an

"We need a great army, but not a numerous one," responded the Nome. "You will transform each monkey

into a giant man, dressed in a fine uniform and armed with a sharp sword. There are fifty monkeys over there

"What will they do with the swords?" asked Kiki. "Nothing can kill the Oz people."

"True," said Ruggedo. "The Oz people cannot be killed, but they can be cut into small pieces, and while every

piece will still be alive, we can scatter the pieces around so that they will be quite helpless. Therefore, the Oz

people will be afraid of the swords of our army, and we will conquer them with ease."

"That seems like a good idea," replied the boy, approvingly. "And in such a case, we need not bother with the

"No; you have frightened the beasts, and they would no longer consent to assist us in conquering Oz. But

those monkeys are foolish creatures, and once they are transformed to Giants, they will do just as we say and

"No, I must take one at a time," said Kiki. "But the fifty transformations can be made in an hour or so. Stay

here, Ruggedo, and I will change the first monkeythat one at the left, on the end of the limbinto a Giant

"I must not speak the Magic Word in the presence of another person," declared Kiki, who was determined not

to allow his treacherous companion to learn his secret, "so I will go where you cannot hear me."

Ruggedo the Nome was disappointed, but he hoped still to catch the boy unawares and surprise the Magic

Word. So he merely nodded his lion head, and Kiki got up and went back into the forest a short distance.

Here he spied a hollow tree, and by chance it was the same hollow tree in which the Wizard of Oz, now in the

As Kiki ran up to the tree the Fox ducked its head, so that it was out of sight in the dark hollow beneath the

hole, and then Kiki put his face into the hole and whispered: "I want that monkey on the branch at the left to

become a Giant man fifty feet tall, dressed in a uniform and with a sharp swordPyrzqxgl!"

Then he ran back to Ruggedo, but the Wizard Fox had heard quite plainly every word that he had said.

The monkey was instantly transformed into the Giant, and the Giant was so big that as he stood on the ground

his head was higher than the trees of the forest. The monkeys raised a great chatter but did not seem to

Again the Wizard Fox heard the Magic Word, and just how it was pronounced. But he sat still in the hollow

and waited to hear it again, so it would be impressed on his mind and he would not forget it.

Kiki kept running to the edge of the forest and back to the hollow tree again until he had whispered the Magic

Word six times and six monkeys had been changed to six great Giants. Then the Wizard decided he would

make an experiment and use the Magic Word himself. So, while Kiki was running back to the Nome, the Fox

stuck his head out of the hollow and said softly: "I want that creature who is running to become a

Instantly the LiMonEag form of Kiki Aru the Hyup disappeared and a small hickorynut rolled upon the

The Wizard was delighted, and leaped from the hollow just as Ruggedo looked around to see what had

become of Kiki. The Nome saw the Fox but no Kiki, so he hastily rose to his feet. The Wizard did not know

"I want this creature to become a walnutPyrzqxgl!" he said aloud. But he did not pronounce the Magic

Word in quite the right way, and Ruggedo's form did not change. But the Nome knew at once that

But the Nome did not pronounce the word aright, either, having never heard it spoken but once before, and

then with a wrong accent. So the Fox was not transformed, but it had to run away to escape being caught by

Ruggedo now began pronouncing the Magic Word in every way he could think of, hoping to hit the right one,

and the Fox, hiding in a bush, was somewhat troubled by the fear that he might succeed. However, the

Wizard, who was used to magic arts, remained calm and soon remembered exactly how Kiki Aru had

pronounced the word. So he repeated the sentence he had before uttered and Ruggedo the Nome became an

The Wizard now crept out from the bush and said: "I want my own form againPyrzqxgl!"

Instantly he was the Wizard of Oz, and after picking up the hickorynut and the walnut, and carefully placing

Dorothy the Lamb uttered a bleat of delight when she saw her old friend restored to his natural shape. The

others were all there, not having found the Goose. The fat Gillikin woman, the Munchkin boy, the Rabbit and

Before he explained anything of his adventure, he transformed them allexcept, of course, the Glass

Catinto their natural shapes, and when their joy permitted them to quiet somewhat, he told how he had by

chance surprised the Magician's secret and been able to change the two LiMonEags into shapes that could

not speak, and therefore would be unable to help themselves. And the little Wizard showed his astonished

"Butsee here!"exclaimed Dorothy. "What has become of those Giant Soldiers who used to be

"I forgot all about them!" admitted the Wizard; "but I suppose they are still standing there in the forest."

"Aren't you hungry, Cap'n?" asked the little girl, with a long sigh, for she had been standing there for hours

"Well," replied the sailorman, "I ain't sayin' as I couldn't EAT, Trotif a dinner was handybut I guess

"I'm not sure 'bout that, Cap'n Bill," she said thoughtfully. "Age MIGHT make a diff'rence, but seems to me

SIZE would make a bigger diff'rence. Seeing you're twice as big as me, you ought to be twice as hungry."

"I hope I am," he rejoined, "for I can stand it a while longer. I do hope the Glass Cat will hurry, and I hope

Trot sighed again and watched the wonderful Magic Flower, because there was nothing else to do. Just now a

lovely group of pink peonies budded and bloomed, but soon they faded away, and a mass of deep blue lilies

took their place. Then some yellow chrysanthemums blossomed on the plant, and when they had opened all

their petals and reached perfection, they gave way to a lot of white floral balls spotted with crimsona

"But I get awful tired watchin' flowers an' flowers an' flowers," she said impatiently.

"I know; and if a person could come and look at the Magic Flower just when she felt like it, it would be a fine

thing, but to HAVE TO stand and watch it, whether you want to or not, isn't so much fun. I wish, Cap'n Bill,

Scarcely had she spoken when the white balls with crimson spots faded away and a lot of beautiful ripe

peaches took their place. With a cry of mingled surprise and delight Trot reached out and plucked a peach

from the bush and began to eat it, finding it delicious. Cap'n Bill was somewhat dazed at the girl's wish being

granted so quickly, so before he could pick a peach they had faded away and bananas took their place. "Grab

one, Cap'n!" exclaimed Trot, and even while eating the peach she seized a banana with her other hand and

The old sailor was still bewildered. He put out a hand indeed, but he was too late, for now the bananas

"Pshaw!" cried Trot. "You can't eat those things; but watch out, Cap'n, for something else."

"Ca'n't crack 'em," he remarked, "'cause we haven't anything handy to smash 'em with."

"Well, take one, anyhow," advised Trot; but the cocoanuts were gone now, and a deep, purple, pearshaped

fruit which was unknown to them took their place. Again Cap'n Bill hesitated, and Trot said to him:

"You ought to have captured a peach and a banana, as I did. If you're not careful, Cap'n, you'll miss all your

Even as she spoke, the Magic Plant was covered with big red apples, growing on every branch, and Cap'n Bill

hesitated no longer. He grabbed with both hands and picked two apples, while Trot had only time to secure

"It's curious," remarked the sailor, munching his apple, "how these fruits keep good when you've picked 'em,

"The whole thing is curious," declared the girl, "and it couldn't exist in any country but this, where magic is

so common. Those are limes. Don't pick 'em, for they'd pucker up your mouth andOoo! here come plums!"

and she tucked her apple in her apron pocket and captured three plumseach one almost as big as an

eggbefore they disappeared. Cap'n Bill got some too, but both were too hungry to fast any longer, so they

began eating their apples and plums and let the magic bush bear all sorts of fruits, one after another. The

Cap'n stopped once to pick a fine cantaloupe, which he held under his arm, and Trot, having finished her

plums, got a handful of cherries and an orange; but when almost every sort of fruit had appeared on the bush,

"I wonder why it changed back," mused Trot, who was not worried because she had enough fruit to satisfy

"Well, you only wished it would bear fruit 'for a while,'" said the sailor, "and it did. P'raps if you'd said

"But why should MY wish be obeyed?" asked the girl. "I'm not a fairy or a wizard or any kind of a

"I guess," replied Cap'n Bill, "that this little island is a magic island, and any folks on it can tell the bush what

"Do you think I could wish for anything else, Cap'n and get it?" she inquired anxiously.

"I'm thinking of wishing that these roots on our feet would disappear, and let us free."

"No," said he, "it's no use; the wishes only affect the Magic Plant; but I'm glad we can make it bear fruit,

"But I'm gett'n' tired standing here so long," complained the girl. "If I could only lift one foot, and rest it, I'd

"Same with me, Trot. I've noticed that if you've got to do a thing, and can't help yourself, it gets to be a

"Folks that can raise their feet don't appreciate what a blessing it is," said Trot thoughtfully. "I never knew

before what fun it is to raise one foot, an' then another, any time you feel like it."

"There's lots o' things folks don't 'preciate," replied the sailorman. "If somethin' would 'most stop your

breath, you'd think breathin' easy was the finest thing in life. When a person's well, he don't realize how jolly

it is, but when he gets sick he 'members the time he was well, an' wishes that time would come back. Most

folks forget to thank God for givin' 'em two good legs, till they lose one o' 'em, like I did; and then it's too

"Your wooden leg ain't so bad, Cap'n," she remarked, looking at it critically. "Anyhow, it don't take root on a

"I ain't complainin'," said Cap'n Bill. "What's that swimmin' towards us, Trot?" he added, looking over the

"It's a bird of some sort. It's like a duck, only I never saw a duck have so many colors."

The bird swam swiftly and gracefully toward the Magic Isle, and as it drew nearer its gorgeously colored

plumage astonished them. The feathers were of many hues of glistening greens and blues and purples, and it

had a yellow head with a red plume, and pink, white and violet in its tail. When it reached the Isle, it came

ashore and approached them, waddling slowly and turning its head first to one side and then to the other, so

"You're strangers," said the bird, coming to a halt near them, "and you've been caught by the Magic Isle and

"You'll grow small," said the Bird. "You'll keep growing smaller every day, until bye and bye there'll be

"Not a friend. And I've nothing to do. I've lived a long time, and I've got to live forever, because I belong in

the Land of Oz, where no living thing dies. Think of existing year after year, with no friends, no family, and

"Why don't you make a few friends, and find something to do?" inquired Cap'n Bill.

"I can't make friends because everyone I meetbird, beast, or personis disagreeable to me. In a few

minutes I shall be unable to bear your society longer, and then I'll go away and leave you," said the

Lonesome Duck. "And, as for doing anything, there's no use in it. All I meet are doing something, so I have

"No. In my diamond palace, a little way up the river, food is magically supplied me; but I seldom eat, because

"True; and that's another reason why I'm lonesome. You must remember I'm the only Duck in the Land of

"I can't say I like it, exactly," replied the Duck, "but since it seems to be my fate, I'm rather proud of it."

"How do you s'pose a single, solitary Duck happened to be in the Land of Oz?" asked Trot, wonderingly.

"I used to know the reason, many years ago, but I've quite forgotten it," declared the Duck. "The reason for a

thing is never so important as the thing itself, so there's no use remembering anything but the fact that I'm

"I guess you'd be happier if you tried to do something," asserted Trot. "If you can't do anything for yourself,

you can do things for others, and then you'd get lots of friends and stop being lonesome."

"Now you're getting disagreeable," said the Lonesome Duck, "and I shall have to go and leave you."

"Can't you help us any," pleaded the girl. "If there's anything magic about you, you might get us out of this

"I haven't any magic strong enough to get you off the Magic Isle," replied the Lonesome Duck. "What magic

"If we could only sit down a while, we could stand it better," said Trot, "but we have nothing to sit on."

"P'raps you've enough magic to give us a couple of stools," suggested Cap'n Bill.

"That is true." The strange creature seemed to reflect for a moment, looking at them sharply from its round

black eyes. Then it said: "Sometimes, when the sun is hot, I grow a toadstool to shelter me from its rays.

"Then, before I do I'll give you a couple," said the Lonesome Duck, and began waddling about in a small

circle. It went around the circle to the right three times, and then it went around to the left three times. Then it

"Don't interrupt. This is an incantation," replied the Lonesome Duck, but now it began making a succession

of soft noises that sounded like quacks and seemed to mean nothing at all. And it kept up these sounds so

"Can't you hurry up and finish that 'cantation? If it takes all summer to make a couple of toadstools, you're

"I told you not to interrupt," said the Lonesome Duck, sternly. "If you get TOO disagreeable, you'll drive me

Trot kept quiet, after the rebuke, and the Duck resumed the quacky muttering. Cap'n Bill chuckled a little to

himself and remarked to Trot in a whisper: "For a bird that ain't got anything to do, this Lonesome Duck is

makin' consider'ble fuss. An' I ain't sure, after all, as toadstools would be worth sittin' on."

Even as he spoke, the sailorman felt something touch him from behind and, turning his head, he found a big

toadstool in just the right place and of just the right size to sit upon. There was one behind Trot, too, and with

a cry of pleasure the little girl sank back upon it and found it a very comfortable seatsolid, yet almost like a

cushion. Even Cap'n Bill's weight did not break his toadstool down, and when both were seated, they found

"Thank you, ever so much!" cried Trot, and the sailor called out: "Much obliged!"

But the Lonesome Duck paid no attention. Without even looking in their direction again, the gaudy fowl

When the six monkeys were transformed by Kiki Aru into six giant soldiers fifty feet tall, their heads came

above the top of the trees, which in this part of the forest were not so high as in some other parts; and,

although the trees were somewhat scattered, the bodies of the giant soldiers were so big that they quite filled

Of course, Kiki was foolish to have made his soldiers so big, for now they could not get out of the forest.

Indeed, they could not stir a step, but were imprisoned by the trees. Even had they been in the little clearing

they could not have made their way out of it, but they were a little beyond the clearing. At first, the other

monkeys who had not been enchanted were afraid of the soldiers, and hastily quitted the place; but soon

finding that the great men stood stock still, although grunting indignantly at their transformation, the band of

monkeys returned to the spot and looked at them curiously, not guessing that they were really monkeys and

The soldiers couldn't see them, their heads being above the trees; they could not even raise their arms or draw

their sharp swords, so closely were they held by the leafy branches. So the monkeys, finding the giants

helpless, began climbing up their bodies, and presently all the band were perched on the shoulders of the

"I'm Ebu, your father," cried one soldier to a monkey who had perched upon his left ear, "but some cruel

So, very soon all the monkeys knew the truth and were sorry for their friends and relations and angry at the

personwhoever it waswho had transformed them. There was a great chattering among the treetops, and

the noise attracted other monkeys, so that the clearing and all the trees around were full of them.

Rango the Gray Ape, who was the Chief of all the monkey tribes of the forest, heard the uproar and came to

see what was wrong with his people. And Rango, being wiser and more experienced, at once knew that the

strange magician who looked like a mixedup beast was responsible for the transformations. He realized that

the six giant soldiers were helpless prisoners, because of their size, and knew he was powerless to release

them. So, although he feared to meet the terrible magician, he hurried away to the Great Clearing to tell Gugu

the King what had happened and to try to find the Wizard of Oz and get him to save his six enchanted

Rango darted into the Great Clearing just as the Wizard had restored all the enchanted ones around him to

their proper shapes, and the Gray Ape was glad to hear that the wicked magicianbeast had been conquered.

"But now, O mighty Wizard, you must come with me to where six of my people are transformed into six

great giant men," he said, "for if they are allowed to remain there, their happiness and their future lives will

The Wizard did not reply at once, for he was thinking this a good opportunity to win Rango's consent to his

"It is a great thing you ask of me, O Rango the Gray Ape," said he, "for the bigger the giants are the more

powerful their enchantment, and the more difficult it will be to restore them to their natural forms. However, I

Then the Wizard went to another part of the clearing and sat on a log and appeared to be in deep thought.

The Glass Cat had been greatly interested in the Gray Ape's story and was curious to see what the giant

soldiers looked like. Hearing that their heads extended above the treetops, the Glass Cat decided that if it

climbed the tall avocado tree that stood at the side of the clearing, it might be able to see the giants' heads. So,

without mentioning her errand, the crystal creature went to the tree and, by sticking her sharp glass claws in

the bark, easily climbed the tree to its very top and, looking over the forest, saw the six giant heads, although

they were now a long way off. It was, indeed, a remarkable sight, for the huge heads had immense soldier

caps on them, with red and yellow plumes and looked very fierce and terrible, although the monkey hearts of

Having satisfied her curiosity, the Glass Cat began to climb down from the tree more slowly. Suddenly she

discerned the Wizard's black bag hanging from a limb of the tree. She grasped the black bag in her glass

teeth, and although it was rather heavy for so small an animal, managed to get it free and to carry it safely

down to the ground. Then she looked around for the Wizard and seeing him seated upon the stump she hid

"I forgot to tell you," said the Glass Cat, "that Trot and Cap'n Bill are in trouble, and I came here to hunt you

"For the reason that I found so much excitement here that I forgot Trot and Cap'n Bill."

Then the Glass Cat explained how they had gone to get the Magic Flower for Ozma's birthday gift and had

been trapped by the magic of the queer island. The Wizard was really alarmed, but he shook his head and said

"Of course," replied the Wizard. "But I do not think that a Glass Cat with nothing but pink brains can succeed

"They're pretty," admitted the Wizard, "but they're not regular brains, you know, and so we don't expect them

"But if I find your black bagand find it inside of five minuteswill you admit my pink brains are better

"Well, I'll admit they're better HUNTERS," said the Wizard, reluctantly, "but you can't do it. We've searched

"That shows how much you know!" retorted the Glass Cat, scornfully. "Watch my brains a minute, and see

The Wizard watched, for he was anxious to regain his black bag, and the pink brains really did whirl around

"Now, come with me," commanded the Glass Cat, and led the Wizard straight to the spot where it had

covered the bag with leaves. "According to my brains," said the creature, "your black bag ought to be here."

Then it scratched at the leaves and uncovered the bag, which the Wizard promptly seized with a cry of

delight. Now that he had regained his Magic Tools, he felt confident he could rescue Trot and Cap'n Bill.

Rango the Gray Ape was getting impatient. He now approached the Wizard and said:

"I'll make a bargain with you, Rango," replied the little man. "If you will let me take a dozen of your

monkeys to the Emerald City, and keep them until after Ozma's birthday, I'll break the enchantment of the six

"I can't do it," he declared. "The monkeys would be very lonesome and unhappy in the Emerald City and

your people would tease them and throw stones at them, which would cause them to fight and bite."

"The people won't see them till Ozma's birthday dinner," promised the Wizard. "I'll make them very

smallabout four inches high, and I'll keep them in a pretty cage in my own room, where they will be safe

from harm. I'll feed them the nicest kind of food, train them to do some clever tricks, and on Ozma's birthday

I'll hide the twelve little monkeys inside a cake. When Ozma cuts the cake the monkeys will jump out on to

the table and do their tricks. The next day I will bring them back to the forest and make them big as ever, and

they'll have some exciting stories to tell their friends. What do you say, Rango?"

"I say no!" answered the Gray Ape. "I won't have my monkeys enchanted and made to do tricks for the Oz

"Very well," said the Wizard calmly; "then I'll go. Come, Dorothy," he called to the little girl, "let's start on

"Aren't you going to save those six monkeys who are giant soldiers?" asked Rango, anxiously.

"Why should I?" returned the Wizard. "If you will not do me the favor I ask, you cannot expect me to favor

"Wait a minute," said the Gray Ape. "I've changed my mind. If you will treat the twelve monkeys nicely and

"Thank you," replied the Wizard, cheerfully. "We'll go at once and save those giant soldiers."

So all the party left the clearing and proceeded to the place where the giants still stood among the trees.

Hundreds of monkeys, apes, baboons and orangoutangs had gathered round, and their wild chatter could be

heard a mile away. But the Gray Ape soon hushed the babel of sounds, and the Wizard lost no time in

breaking the enchantments. First one and then another giant soldier disappeared and became an ordinary

monkey again, and the six were shortly returned to their friends in their proper forms.

This action made the Wizard very popular with the great army of monkeys, and when the Gray Ape

announced that the Wizard wanted to borrow twelve monkeys to take to the Emerald City for a couple of

weeks, and asked for volunteers, nearly a hundred offered to go, so great was their confidence in the little

The Wizard selected a dozen that seemed intelligent and goodtempered, and then he opened his black bag

and took out a queerly shaped dish that was silver on the outside and gold on the inside. Into this dish he

poured a powder and set fire to it. It made a thick smoke that quite enveloped the twelve monkeys, as well as

the form of the Wizard, but when the smoke cleared away the dish had been changed to a golden cage with

silver bars, and the twelve monkeys had become about three inches high and were all seated comfortably

The thousands of hairy animals who had witnessed this act of magic were much astonished and applauded the

Wizard by barking aloud and shaking the limbs of the trees in which they sat. Dorothy said: "That was a fine

trick, Wizard!" and the Gray Ape remarked: "You are certainly the most wonderful magician in all the Land

"Oh, no," modestly replied the little man. "Glinda's magic is better than mine, but mine seems good enough to

use on ordinary occasions. And now, Rango, we will say goodbye, and I promise to return your monkeys as

The Wizard rode on the back of the Hungry Tiger and carried the cage of monkeys very carefully, so as not to

joggle them. Dorothy rode on the back of the Cowardly Lion, and the Glass Cat trotted, as before, to show

Gugu the King crouched upon a log and watched them go, but as he bade them farewell, the enormous

"I know now that you are the friends of beasts and that the forest people may trust you. Whenever the Wizard

of Oz and Princess Dorothy enter the Forest of Gugu hearafter, they will be as welcome and as safe with us as

"You see," explained the Glass Cat, "that Magic Isle where Trot and Cap'n Bill are stuck is also in this

Gillikin Countryover at the east side of it, and it's no farther to go acrosslots from here than it is from

"I know all the Land of Oz better than any other living creature knows it," asserted the Glass Cat.

"Go ahead, then, and guide us," said the Wizard. "We've left our poor friends helpless too long already, and

"I've no doubt of it," the Wizard assured her. "But I can't tell what sort of magic I must use until I get to the

"I've heard of that Magic Isle where the Wonderful Flower grows," remarked the Cowardly Lion. "Long ago,

when I used to live in the forests, the beasts told stories about the Isle and how the Magic Flower was placed

"I have heard it is the most beautiful plant in the world," answered the Lion. "I have never seen it myself, but

friendly beasts have told me that they have stood on the shore of the river and looked across at the plant in the

gold flowerpot and seen hundreds of flowers, of all sorts and sizes, blossom upon it in quick succession. It is

said that if one picks the flowers while they are in bloom they will remain perfect for a long time, but if they

are not picked they soon disappear and are replaced by other flowers. That, in my opinion, make the Magic

"But these are only stories," said the girl. "Has any of your friends ever picked a flower from the wonderful

"No," admitted the Cowardly Lion, "for if any living thing ventures upon the Magic Isle, where the golden

flowerpot stands, that man or beast takes root in the soil and cannot get away again."

"They grow smaller, hour by hour and day by day, and finally disappear entirely."

"Then," said the girl anxiously, "we must hurry up, or Cap'n Bill an' Trot will get too small to be comf'table."

They were proceeding at a rapid pace during this conversation, for the Hungry Tiger and the Cowardly Lion

were obliged to move swiftly in order to keep pace with the Glass Cat. After leaving the Forest of Gugu they

crossed a mountain range, and then a broad plain, after which they reached another forest, much smaller than

"The Magic Isle is in this forest," said the Glass Cat, "but the river is at the other side of the forest. There is

no path through the trees, but if we keep going east, we will find the river, and then it will be easy to find the

"Not exactly," admitted the Cat, "but I know we shall reach the river if we go east through the forest."

The Glass Cat started away, and at first it was easy to pass between the trees; but before long the underbrush

and vines became thick and tangled, and after pushing their way through these obstacles for a time, our

"I'm surprised, myself," replied the Cat. "But it's a long way around the forest to where the river enters it, and

"No one can blame you," said the Wizard, "and I think, instead of turning back, I can make a path that will

He opened his black bag and after searching among his magic tools drew out a small axe, made of some

metal so highly polished that it glittered brightly even in the dark forest. The Wizard laid the little axe on the

"Chop, Little Axe, chop clean and true; A path for our feet you must quickly hew. Chop till this tangle of

Then the little axe began to move and flashed its bright blade right and left, clearing a way through vine and

brush and scattering the tangled barrier so quickly that the Lion and the Tiger, carrying Dorothy and the

Wizard and the cage of monkeys on their backs, were able to stride through the forest at a fast walk. The

brush seemed to melt away before them and the little axe chopped so fast that their eyes only saw a twinkling

of the blade. Then, suddenly, the forest was open again, and the little axe, having obeyed its orders, lay still

The Wizard picked up the magic axe and after carefully wiping it with his silk handkerchief put it away in his

"Let me see," said the Glass Cat, looking up and down the stream, "I think we are below the Magic Isle; so

So up the stream they traveled, walking comfortably on the river bank, and after a while the water broadened

and a sharp bend appeared in the river, hiding all below from their view. They walked briskly along,

however, and had nearly reached the bend when a voice cried warningly: "Look out!"

"You almost stepped on my Diamond Palace," replied the voice, and a duck with gorgeously colored feathers

appeared before them. "Beasts and men are terribly clumsy," continued the Duck in an irritated tone, "and

"We've come to rescue some friends of ours who are stuck fast on the Magic Isle in this river," explained

"I know 'em," said the Duck. "I've been to see 'em, and they're stuck fast, all right. You may as well go back

"Well, I'm the Lonesome Duck," was the reply, as the fowl strutted up and down to show its feathers to best

advantage. "I'm the great Forest Magician, as any beast can tell you, but even I have no power to destroy the

"No; I'm lonesome because I have no family and no friends. But I like to be lonesome, so please don't offer to

Dorothy hopped off the lion's back and ran around the bush to see the Diamond Palace of the Lonesome

Duck, although the gaudy fowl protested in a series of low quacks. The girl found, indeed, a glistening dome

formed of clearest diamonds, neatly cemented together, with a doorway at the side just big enough to admit

"I know a place in the mountains where they are thick as pebbles," said the Lonesome Duck, "and I brought

them here in my bill, one by one and put them in the river and let the water run over them until they were

brightly polished. Then I built this palace, and I'm positive it's the only Diamond Palace in all the world."

"It's the only one I know of," said the little girl; "but if you live in it all alone, I don't see why it's any better

"You're not supposed to understand that," retorted the Lonesome Duck. "But I might tell you, as a matter of

education, that a home of any sort should be beautiful to those who live in it, and should not be intended to

please strangers. The Diamond Palace is my home, and I like it. So I don't care a quack whether YOU like it

"Oh, but I do!" exclaimed Dorothy. "It's lovely on the outside, but" Then she stopped speaking, for the

Lonesome Duck had entered his palace through the little door without even saying goodbye. So Dorothy

"Do you think, Wizard, the Duck was right in saying no magic can rescue Trot and Cap'n Bill?" asked the girl

"No, I don't think the Lonesome Duck was right in saying that," answered the Wizard, gravely, "but it is

possible that their enchantment will be harder to overcome than I expected. I'll do my best, of course, and no

That didn't entirely relieve Dorothy's anxiety, but she said nothing more, and soon, on turning the bend in the

"Yes, I see them," replied the Wizard, nodding. "They are sitting on two big toadstools."

"That's queer," remarked the Glass Cat. "There were no toadstools there when I left them."

"What a lovely flower!" cried Dorothy in rapture, as her gaze fell on the Magic Plant.

"Never mind the Flower, just now," advised the Wizard. "The most important thing is to rescue our friends."

By this time they had arrived at a place just opposite the Magic Isle, and now both Trot and Cap'n Bill saw

"How are you?" shouted the Wizard, putting his hands to his mouth so they could hear him better across the

"We're in hard luck," shouted Cap'n Bill, in reply. "We're anchored here and can't move till you find a way to

It was hard to talk from so great a distance, so the Wizard said to the Glass Cat:

"Go to the island and tell our friends to be patient, for we have come to save them. It may take a little time to

release them, for the Magic of the Isle is new to me and I shall have to experiment. But tell them I'll hurry as

So the Glass Cat walked across the river under the water to tell Trot and Cap'n Bill not to worry, and the

He first set up a small silver tripod and placed a gold basin at the top of it. Into this basin he put two

powdersa pink one and a skyblue oneand poured over them a yellow liquid from a crystal vial. Then

he mumbled some magic words, and the powders began to sizzle and burn and send out a cloud of violet

smoke that floated across the river and completely enveloped both Trot and Cap'n Bill, as well as the

toadstools on which they sat, and even the Magic Plant in the gold flowerpot. Then, after the smoke had

The Wizard rubbed his bald head thoughtfully and then took some other magic tools from the bag.

First he placed a little black ball in a silver pistol and shot it toward the Magic Isle. The ball exploded just

But Trot's feet were still rooted in the ground of the Magic Isle, and the disappointed Wizard had to try

For almost an hour he worked hard, using almost every magic tool in his black bag, and still Cap'n Bill and

"Dear me!" exclaimed Dorothy, "I'm 'fraid we'll have to go to Glinda, after all."

That made the little Wizard blush, for it shamed him to think that his magic was not equal to that of the

"I won't give up yet, Dorothy," he said, "for I know a lot of wizardry that I haven't yet tried. I don't know

what magician enchanted this little island, or what his powers were, but I DO know that I can break any

enchantment known to the ordinary witches and magicians that used to inhabit the Land of Oz. It's like

"But 'spose you haven't the right key with you." suggested Dorothy; "what then?"

The Glass Cat now came back to their side of the river, walking under the water, and said to the Wizard:

"They're getting frightened over there on the island because they're both growing smaller every minute. Just

now, when I left them, both Trot and Cap'n Bill were only about half their natural sizes."

"I think," said the Wizard reflectively, "that I'd better go to the shore of the island, where I can talk to them

"I'll try to get it for you," volunteered the Cowardly Lion. "I'm dreadfully scared for fear the Magic Isle will

capture me, too; but I'll try to get the raft and bring it to this side for you."

So the Lion plunged into the river and swam with powerful strokes across to where the raft was beached upon

the island. Placing one paw on the raft, he turned and struck out with his other three legs and so strong was

the great beast that he managed to drag the raft from off the beach and propel it slowly to where the Wizard

"If you'll take care not to leave the raft or step foot on the island, you'll be quite safe," he decided. So the

Wizard told the Hungry Tiger and the Cowardly Lion to guard the cage of monkeys until he returned, and

then he and Dorothy got upon the raft. The paddle which Cap'n Bill had made was still there, so the little

Wizard paddled the clumsy raft across the water and ran it upon the beach of the Magic Isle as close to the

Dorothy was shocked to see how small the prisoners had become, and Trot said to her friends: "If you can't

"Be patient, my dear," counseled the Wizard, and took the little axe from his black bag.

"It's a magic axe," replied the Wizard, "and when I tell it to chop, it will chop those roots from your feet and

"Don't!" shouted the sailor in alarm. "Don't do it! Those roots are all flesh roots, and our bodies are feeding

"To cut off the roots," said Trot, "would be like cutting off our fingers and toes."

The Wizard put the little axe back in the black bag and took out a pair of silver pincers.

"Growgrowgrow!" he said to the pincers, and at once they grew and extended until they reached from

"What are you going to do now?" demanded Cap'n Bill, fearfully eyeing the pincers.

"This magic tool will pull you up, roots and all, and land you on this raft," declared the Wizard.

"It would be just like pulling teeth to pull us up by the roots," explained Trot.

"Grow small!" said the Wizard to the pincers, and at once they became small and he threw them into the

"I guess, friends, it's all up with us, this time," remarked Cap'n Bill, with a dismal sigh.

"Please tell Ozma, Dorothy," said Trot, "that we got into trouble trying to get her a nice birthday present.

Then she'll forgive us. The Magic Flower is lovely and wonderful, but it's just a lure to catch folks on this

dreadful island and then destroy them. You'll have a nice birthday party, without us, I'm sure; and I hope,

Dorothy, that none of you in the Emerald City will forget meor dear ol' Cap'n Bill."

Dorothy was greatly distressed and had hard work to keep the tears from her eyes.

"It's all I can think of just now," he replied sadly. "But I intend to keep on thinking as longas longwell,

They were all silent for a time, Dorothy and the Wizard sitting thoughtfully on the raft, and Trot and Cap'n

Bill sitting thoughtfully on the toadstools and growing gradually smaller and smaller in size.

"Then you can transform Trot and Cap'n Bill into birds or bumblebees, and they can fly away to the other

shore. When they're there, you can transform 'em into their reg'lar shapes again!"

"Why, the roots are now a part of you, and if you were transformed to a bumblebee the whole of you would

Fortunately, he pronounced the Magic Word in the right way, and instantly Trot and Cap'n Bill vanished from

The bees hovered over the raft an instant and then flew across the river to where the Lion and the Tiger

waited. The Wizard picked up the paddle and paddled the raft across as fast as he could. When it reached the

river bank, both Dorothy and the Wizard leaped ashore and the little man asked excitedly:

"The bees?" inquired the Lion, who was half asleep and did not know what had happened on the Magic Isle.

"Two bees?" said the Hungry Tiger, yawning. "Why, I ate one of them and the Cowardly Lion ate the other."

"It was little enough for our lunch," remarked the Tiger, "but the bees were the only things we could find."

"How dreadful!" wailed Dorothy, wringing her hands in despair. "You've eaten Trot and Cap'n Bill."

But just then she heard a buzzing overhead and two bees alighted on her shoulder.

Dorothy almost fainted, with relief, and the Wizard, who was close by and had heard the tiny voices, gave a

"You are not the only two bees in the forest, it seems, but I advise you to keep away from the Lion and the

"Do it now, Wizard!" advised Dorothy. "They're so small that you never can tell what might happen to 'em."

So the Wizard gave the command and pronounced the Magic Word, and in the instant Trot and Cap'n Bill

stood beside them as natural as before they had met their fearful adventure. For they were no longer small in

size, because the Wizard had transformed them from bumblebees into the shapes and sizes that nature had

formerly given them. The ugly roots on their feet had disappeared with the transformation.

While Dorothy was hugging Trot, and Trot was softly crying because she was so happy, the Wizard shook

hands with Cap'n Bill and congratulated him on his escape. The old sailorman was so pleased that he also

shook the Lion's paw and took off his hat and bowed politely to the cage of monkeys.

Then Cap'n Bill did a curious thing. He went to a big tree and, taking out his knife, cut away a big, broad

piece of thick bark. Then he sat down on the ground and after taking a roll of stout cord from his

pocketwhich seemed to be full of all sorts of thingshe proceeded to bind the flat piece of bark to the

"I hate to be stumped," replied the sailorman; "so I'm goin' back to that island."

"No; this time I'll dodge the magic of the island. I noticed that my wooden leg didn't get stuck, or take root,

an' neither did the glass feet of the Glass Cat. It's only a thing that's made of meatlike man an' beaststhat

the magic can hold an' root to the ground. Our shoes are leather, an' leather comes from a beast's hide. Our

stockin's are wool, an' wool comes from a sheep's back. So, when we walked on the Magic Isle, our feet took

root there an' held us fast. But not my wooden leg. So now I'll put a wooden bottom on my other foot an' the

"Well, Trot an' I set out to get the magic plant for a present to Ozma on her birthday, and I mean to get it an'

"That would be fine," cried Trot eagerly, "if you think you can do it, and it would be safe to try!"

"I'm pretty sure it is safe, the way I've fixed my foot," said the sailor, "an' if I SHOULD happen to get caught,

"I suppose I could," agreed the Wizard. "Anyhow, if you wish to try it, Cap'n Bill, go ahead and we'll stand

So the sailorman got upon the raft again and paddled over to the Magic Isle, landing as close to the golden

flowerpot as he could. They watched him walk across the land, put both arms around the flowerpot and lift

it easily from its place. Then he carried it to the raft and set it down very gently. The removal did not seem to

affect the Magic Flower in any way, for it was growing daffodils when Cap'n Bill picked it up and on the way

to the raft it grew tulips and gladioli. During the time the sailor was paddling across the river to where his

friends awaited him, seven different varieties of flowers bloomed in succession on the plant.

"I guess the Magician who put it on the island never thought that any one would carry it off," said Dorothy.

"He figured that only men would want the plant, and any man who went upon the island to get it would be

"After this," remarked Trot, "no one will care to go on the island, so it won't be a trap any more."

"There," exclaimed Cap'n Bill, setting down the Magic Plant in triumph upon the river bank, "if Ozma gets a

"It'll s'prise her, all right," declared Dorothy, standing in awed wonder before the gorgeous blossoms and

"It'll s'prise ev'rybody in the Em'rald City," Trot asserted in glee, "and it'll be Ozma's present from Cap'n Bill

"I think I ought to have a little credit," objected the Glass Cat. "I discovered the thing, and led you to it, and

"That's true," admitted Trot, "and I'll tell Ozma the whole story, so she'll know how good you've been."

"Now," said the Wizard, "we must start for home. But how are we going to carry that big gold flowerpot?

"No," acknowledged the sailorman; "it's pretty heavy. I could carry it for a little while, but I'd have to stop

"Couldn't we put it on your back?" Dorothy asked the Cowardly Lion, with a goodnatured yawn.

"I'll fix it," promised Cap'n Bill. "I'll make a flat board out of one of these tree trunks, an' tie the board on the

lion's back, an' set the flowerpot on the board." He set to work at once to do this, but as he only had his big

So the Wizard took from his black bag a tiny saw that shone like silver and said to it:

And at once the Little Saw began to move and it sawed the log so fast that those who watched it work were

astonished. It seemed to understand, too, just what the board was to be used for, for when it was completed it

was flat on top and hollowed beneath in such a manner that it exactly fitted the Lion's back.

"That beats whittlin'!" exclaimed Cap'n Bill, admiringly. "You don't happen to have TWO o' them saws; do

"No," replied the Wizard, wiping the Magic Saw carefully with his silk handkerchief and putting it back in

the black bag. "It's the only saw of its kind in the world; and if there were more like it, it wouldn't be so

They now tied the board on the Lion's back, flat side up, and Cap'n Bill carefully placed the Magic Flower on

"For fear o' accidents," he said, "I'll walk beside the Lion and hold onto the flowerpot."

Trot and Dorothy could both ride on the back of the Hungry Tiger, and between them they carried the cage of

monkeys. But this arrangement left the Wizard, as well as the sailor, to make the journey on foot, and so the

procession moved slowly and the Glass Cat grumbled because it would take so long to get to the Emerald

The Cat was sourtempered and grumpy, at first, but before they had journeyed far, the crystal creature had

discovered a fine amusement. The long tails of the monkeys were constantly sticking through the bars of their

cage, and when they did, the Glass Cat would slyly seize the tails in her paws and pull them. That made the

monkeys scream, and their screams pleased the Glass Cat immensely. Trot and Dorothy tried to stop this

naughty amusement, but when they were not looking the Cat would pull the tails again, and the creature was

so sly and quick that the monkeys could seldom escape. They scolded the Cat angrily and shook the bars of

After the party had left the forest and were on the plains of the Munchkin Country, it grew dark, and they

were obliged to make camp for the night, choosing a pretty place beside a brook. By means of his magic the

Wizard created three tents, pitched in a row on the grass and nicely fitted with all that was needful for the

comfort of his comrades. The middle tent was for Dorothy and Trot, and had in it two cosy white beds and

two chairs. Another tent, also with beds and chairs, was for the Wizard and Cap'n Bill, while the third tent

was for the Hungry Tiger, the Cowardly Lion, the cage of Monkeys and the Glass Cat. Outside the tents the

Wizard made a fire and placed over it a magic kettle from which he presently drew all sorts of nice things for

After they had eaten and talked together for a while under the twinkling stars, they all went to bed and the

people were soon asleep. The Lion and the Tiger had almost fallen asleep, too, when they were roused by the

screams of the monkeys, for the Glass Cat was pulling their tails again. Annoyed by the uproar, the Hungry

Tiger cried: "Stop that racket!" and getting sight of the Glass Cat, he raised his big paw and struck at the

creature. The cat was quick enough to dodge the blow, but the claws of the Hungry Tiger scraped the

Then the Tiger lay down again to sleep, but the monkeys soon discovered that the bending of the bars would

allow them to squeeze through. They did not leave the cage, however, but after whispering together they let

their tails stick out and all remained quiet. Presently the Glass Cat stole near the cage again and gave a yank

to one of the tails. Instantly the monkeys leaped through the bars, one after another, and although they were

so small the entire dozen of them surrounded the Glass Cat and clung to her claws and tail and ears and made

her a prisoner. Then they forced her out of the tent and down to the banks of the stream. The monkeys had

noticed that these banks were covered with thick, slimy mud of a dark blue color, and when they had taken

the Cat to the stream, they smeared this mud all over the glass body of the cat, filling the creature's ears and

eyes with it, so that she could neither see nor hear. She was no longer transparent and so thick was the mud

In this condition they led the pussy back to the tent and then got inside their cage again.

By morning the mud had dried hard on the Glass Cat and it was a dull blue color throughout. Dorothy and

Trot were horrified, but the Wizard shook his head and said it served the Glass Cat right for teasing the

Cap'n Bill, with his strong hands, soon bent the golden wires of the monkeys' cage into the proper position

and then he asked the Wizard if he should wash the Glass Cat in the water of the brook.

"Not just yet," answered the Wizard. "The Cat deserves to be punished, so I think I'll leave that blue

mudwhich is as bad as paintupon her body until she gets to the Emerald City. The silly creature is so

vain that she will be greatly shamed when the Oz people see her in this condition, and perhaps she'll take the

However, the Glass Cat could not see or hear, and to avoid carrying her on the journey the Wizard picked the

mud out of her eyes and ears and Dorothy dampened her handkerchief and washed both the eyes and ears

As soon as she could speak the Glass Cat asked indignantly: "Aren't you going to punish those monkeys for

"No," answered the Wizard. "You played a trick on them by pulling their tails, so this is only titfortat, and

He wouldn't allow the Glass Cat to go near the water, to wash herself, but made her follow them when they

"This is only part of your punishment," said the Wizard, severely. "Ozma will laugh at you, when we get to

her palace, and so will the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman, and TikTok, and the Shaggy Man, and

That suggestion hurt the Glass Cat more than anything else. The Pink Kitten always quarreled with the Glass

Cat and insisted that flesh was superior to glass, while the Glass Cat would jeer at the Pink Kitten, because it

had no pink brains. But the pink brains were all daubed with blue mud, just now, and if the Pink Kitten

should see the Glass Cat in such a condition, it would be dreadfully humiliating.

For several hours the Glass Cat walked along very meekly, but toward noon it seized an opportunity when no

one was looking and darted away through the long grass. It remembered that there was a tiny lake of pure

The others never missed her until they stopped for lunch, and then it was too late to hunt for her.

"Never mind," replied the Wizard. "Perhaps this glass creature has been punished enough, and we must not

"After first leading 'em onto an enchanted island," added Dorothy. "But I think, as you do, that the Glass Cat

The Glass Cat did not rejoin the party of travelers. She was still resentful, and they moved too slowly to suit

her, besides. When they arrived at the Royal Palace, one of the first things they saw was the Glass Cat curled

up on a bench as bright and clean and transparent as ever. But she pretended not to notice them, and they

Dorothy and her friends arrived at the Royal Palace at an opportune time, for Ozma was holding high court in

her Throne Room, where Professor H. M. Wogglebug, T.E., was appealing to her to punish some of the

This College is located in the Munchkin Country, but not far from the Emerald City. To enable the students

to devote their entire time to athletic exercises, such as boating, football, and the like, Professor Wogglebug

had invented an assortment of Tablets of Learning. One of these tablets, eaten by a scholar after breakfast,

would instantly enable him to understand arithmetic or algebra or any other branch of mathematics. Another

tablet eaten after lunch gave a student a complete knowledge of geography. Another tablet made it possible

for the eater to spell the most difficult words, and still another enabled him to write a beautiful hand. There

were tablets for history, mechanics, home cooking and agriculture, and it mattered not whether a boy or a girl

was stupid or bright, for the tablets taught them everything in the twinkling of an eye.

This method, which is patented in the Land of Oz by Professor Wogglebug, saves paper and books, as well as

the tedious hours devoted to study in some of our less favored schools, and it also allows the students to

devote all their time to racing, baseball, tennis and other manly and womanly sports, which are greatly

interfered with by study in those Temples of Learning where Tablets of Learning are unknown.

But it so happened that Professor Wogglebug (who had invented so much that he had acquired the habit)

carelessly invented a SquareMeal Tablet, which was no bigger than your little fingernail but contained, in

condensed form, the equal of a bowl of soup, a portion of fried fish, a roast, a salad and a dessert, all of which

The Professor was so proud of these SquareMeal Tablets that he began to feed them to the students at his

college, instead of other food, but the boys and girls objected because they wanted food that they could enjoy

the taste of. It was no fun at all to swallow a tablet, with a glass of water, and call it a dinner; so they refused

to eat the SquareMeal Tablets. Professor Wogglebug insisted, and the result was that the Senior Class seized

the learned Professor one day and threw him into the riverclothes and all. Everyone knows that a

wogglebug cannot swim, and so the inventor of the wonderful SquareMeal Tablets lay helpless on the

bottom of the river for three days before a fisherman caught one of his legs on a fishhook and dragged him

The learned Professor was naturally indignant at such treatment, and so he brought the entire Senior Class to

I do not suppose the girl Ruler was very severe with the rebellious boys and girls, because she had herself

refused to eat the SquareMeal Tablets in place of food, but while she was listening to the interesting case in

her Throne Room, Cap'n Bill managed to carry the golden flowerpot containing the Magic Flower up to

Trot's room without it being seen by anyone except Jellia Jamb, Ozma's chief Maid of Honor, and Jellia

Also the Wizard was able to carry the cage of monkeys up to one of the top towers of the palace, where he

had a room of his own, to which no one came unless invited. So Trot and Dorothy and Cap'n Bill and the

Wizard were all delighted at the successful end of their adventure. The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger

went to the marble stables behind the Royal Palace, where they lived while at home, and they too kept the

secret, even refusing to tell the Wooden Sawhorse, and Hank the Mule, and the Yellow Hen, and the Pink

Trot watered the Magic Flower every day and allowed no one in her room to see the beautiful blossoms

except her friends, Betsy Bobbin and Dorothy. The wonderful plant did not seem to lose any of its magic by

being removed from its island, and Trot was sure that Ozma would prize it as one of her most delightful

Up in his tower the little Wizard of Oz began training his twelve tiny monkeys, and the little creatures were

so intelligent that they learned every trick the Wizard tried to teach them. The Wizard treated them with great

kindness and gentleness and gave them the food that monkeys love best, so they promised to do their best on

It seems odd that a fairy should have a birthday, for fairies, they say, were born at the beginning of time and

live forever. Yet, on the other hand, it would be a shame to deprive a fairy, who has so many other good

things, of the delights of a birthday. So we need not wonder that the fairies keep their birthdays just as other

Ozma, the beautiful girl Ruler of the Fairyland of Oz, was a real fairy, and so sweet and gentle in caring for

her people that she was greatly beloved by them all. She lived in the most magnificent palace in the most

magnificent city in the world, but that did not prevent her from being the friend of the most humble person in

her dominions. She would mount her Wooden Sawhorse, and ride out to a farm house and sit in the kitchen to

talk with the good wife of the farmer while she did her family baking; or she would play with the children

and give them rides on her famous wooden steed; or she would stop in a forest to speak to a charcoal burner

and ask if he was happy or desired anything to make him more content; or she would teach young girls how

to sew and plan pretty dresses, or enter the shops where the jewelers and craftsmen were busy and watch

And then Ozma would sit in her jeweled throne, with her chosen courtiers all about her, and listen patiently to

any complaint brought to her by her subjects, striving to accord equal justice to all. Knowing she was fair in

her decisions, the Oz people never murmured at her judgments, but agreed, if Ozma decided against them,

When Dorothy and Trot and Betsy Bobbin and Ozma were together, one would think they were all about of

an age, and the fairy Ruler no older and no more "grown up" than the other three. She would laugh and romp

with them in regular girlish fashion, yet there was an air of quiet dignity about Ozma, even in her merriest

moods, that, in a manner, distinguished her from the others. The three girls loved her devotedly, but they

were never able to quite forget that Ozma was the Royal Ruler of the wonderful Fairyland of Oz, and by birth

Ozma's palace stood in the center of a delightful and extensive garden, where splendid trees and flowering

shrubs and statuary and fountains abounded. One could walk for hours in this fascinating park and see

something interesting at every step. In one place was an aquarium, where strange and beautiful fish swam; at

another spot all the birds of the air gathered daily to a great feast which Ozma's servants provided for them,

and were so fearless of harm that they would alight upon one's shoulders and eat from one's hand. There was

also the Fountain of the Water of Oblivion, but it was dangerous to drink of this water, because it made one

forget everything he had ever before known, even to his own name, and therefore Ozma had placed a sign of

warning upon the fountain. But there were also fountains that were delightfully perfumed, and fountains of

delicious nectar, cool and richly flavored, where all were welcome to refresh themselves.

Around the palace grounds was a great wall, thickly encrusted with glittering emeralds, but the gates stood

open and no one was forbidden entrance. On holidays the people of the Emerald City often took their children

to see the wonders of Ozma's gardens, and even entered the Royal Palace, if they felt so inclined, for they

knew that they and their Ruler were friends, and that Ozma delighted to give them pleasure.

When all this is considered, you will not be surprised that the people throughout the Land of Oz, as well as

Ozma's most intimate friends and her royal courtiers, were eager to celebrate her birthday, and made

preparations for the festival weeks in advance. All the brass bands practiced their nicest tunes, for they were

to march in the numerous processions to be made in the Winkie Country, the Gillikin Country, the Munchkin

Country and the Quadling Country, as well as in the Emerald City. Not all the people could go to

congratulate their Ruler, but all could celebrate her birthday, in one way or another, however far distant from

her palace they might be. Every home and building throughout the Land of Oz was to be decorated with

banners and bunting, and there were to be games, and plays, and a general good time for every one.

It was Ozma's custom on her birthday to give a grand feast at the palace, to which all her closest friends were

invited. It was a queerly assorted company, indeed, for there are more quaint and unusual characters in Oz

than in all the rest of the world, and Ozma was more interested in unusual people than in ordinary onesjust

On this especial birthday of the lovely girl Ruler, a long table was set in the royal Banquet Hall of the palace,

at which were placecards for the invited guests, and at one end of the great room was a smaller table, not so

high, for Ozma's animal friends, whom she never forgot, and at the other end was a big table where all of the

When the guests arrived, they placed their gifts on this table and then found their places at the banquet table.

And, after the guests were all placed, the animals entered in a solemn procession and were placed at their

table by Jellia Jamb. Then, while an orchestra hidden by a bank of roses and ferns played a march composed

for the occasion, the Royal Ozma entered the Banquet Hall, attended by her Maids of Honor, and took her

She was greeted by a cheer from all the assembled company, the animals adding their roars and growls and

barks and mewing and cackling to swell the glad tumult, and then all seated themselves at their tables.

At Ozma's right sat the famous Scarecrow of Oz, whose strawstuffed body was not beautiful, but whose

happy nature and shrewd wit had made him a general favorite. On the left of the Ruler was placed the Tin

Woodman, whose metal body had been brightly polished for this event. The Tin Woodman was the Emperor

Next to the Scarecrow, Dorothy was seated, and next to her was TikTok, the Clockwork Man, who had been

wound up as tightly as his clockwork would permit, so he wouldn't interrupt the festivities by running down.

Then came Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, Dorothy's own relations, two kindly old people who had a cozy home

in the Emerald City and were very happy and contented there. Then Betsy Bobbin was seated, and next to her

On the other side of the table, opposite the Tin Woodman was placed Trot, and next to her, Cap'n Bill. Then

was seated ButtonBright and Ojo the Lucky, and Dr. Pipt and his good wife Margalot, and the astonishing

Frogman, who had come from the Yip country to be present at Ozma's birthday feast.

At the foot of the table, facing Ozma, was seated the queenly Glinda, the good Sorceress of Oz, for this was

really the place of honor next to the head of the table where Ozma herself sat. On Glinda's right was the Little

Wizard of Oz, who owed to Glinda all of the magical arts he knew. Then came Jinjur, a pretty girl farmer of

whom Ozma and Dorothy were quite fond. The adjoining seat was occupied by the Tin Soldier, and next to

On Glinda's left was placed the jolly Patchwork Girl, who was a little afraid of the Sorceress and so was

likely to behave herself pretty well. The Shaggy Man's brother was beside the Patchwork Girl, and then came

that interesting personage, Jack Pumpkinhead, who had grown a splendid big pumpkin for a new head to be

worn on Ozma's birthday, and had carved a face on it that was even jollier in expression than the one he had

last worn. New heads were not unusual with Jack, for the pumpkins did not keep long, and when the

seedswhich served him as brainsbegan to get soft and mushy, he realized his head would soon spoil, and

so he procured a new one from his great field of pumpkinsgrown by him so that he need never lack a head.

You will have noticed that the company at Ozma's banquet table was somewhat mixed, but every one invited

was a tried and trusted friend of the girl Ruler, and their presence made her quite happy.

No sooner had Ozma seated herself, with her back to the birthday table, than she noticed that all present were

eyeing with curiosity and pleasure something behind her, for the gorgeous Magic Flower was blooming

gloriously and the mammoth blossoms that quickly succeeded one another on the plant were beautiful to view

and filled the entire room with their delicate fragrance. Ozma wanted to look, too, to see what all were staring

at, but she controlled her curiosity because it was not proper that she should yet view her birthday gifts.

So the sweet and lovely Ruler devoted herself to her guests, several of whom, such as the Scarecrow, the Tin

Woodman, the Patchwork Girl, TikTok, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Tin Soldier, never ate anything but sat

very politely in their places and tried to entertain those of the guests who did eat.

And, at the animal table, there was another interesting group, consisting of the Cowardly Lion, the Hungry

Tiger, TotoDorothy's little shaggy black dogHank the Mule, the Pink Kitten, the Wooden Sawhorse, the

Yellow Hen, and the Glass Cat. All of these had good appetites except the Sawhorse and the Glass Cat, and

Finally, when the banquet was nearly over and the icecream was to be served, four servants entered bearing

a huge cake, all frosted and decorated with candy flowers. Around the edge of the cake was a row of lighted

"Oh, how beautiful!" cried Ozma, greatly delighted, and Dorothy said eagerly: "Now you must cut the cake,

Jellia Jamb brought a large golden knife with a jeweled handle, and Ozma stood up in her place and

attempted to cut the cake. But as soon as the frosting in the center broke under the pressure of the knife there

leaped from the cake a tiny monkey three inches high, and he was followed by another and another, until

"Congratulations to our gracious Ruler!" they exclaimed in a chorus, and then they began a dance, so droll

and amusing that all the company roared with laughter and even Ozma joined in the merriment. But after the

dance the monkeys performed some wonderful acrobatic feats, and then they ran to the hollow of the cake

and took out some band instruments of burnished goldcornets, horns, drums, and the likeand forming

into a procession the monkeys marched up and down the table playing a jolly tune with the ease of skilled

Dorothy was delighted with the success of her "Surprise Cake," and after the monkeys had finished their

Now was the time for Ozma to see her other presents, so Glinda the Good rose and, taking the girl Ruler by

her hand, led her to the table where all her gifts were placed in magnificent array. The Magic Flower of

course attracted her attention first, and Trot had to tell her the whole story of their adventures in getting it.

The little girl did not forget to give due credit to the Glass Cat and the little Wizard, but it was really Cap'n

Ozma thanked them all, and said she would place the Magic Flower in her boudoir where she might enjoy its

beauty and fragrance continually. But now she discovered the marvelous gown woven by Glinda and her

maidens from strands drawn from pure emeralds, and being a girl who loved pretty clothes, Ozma's ecstasy at

being presented with this exquisite gown may well be imagined. She could hardly wait to put it on, but the

table was loaded with other pretty gifts and the night was far spent before the happy girl Ruler had examined

The morning after the birthday fete, as the Wizard and Dorothy were walking in the grounds of the palace,

"I want to hear more of your adventures in the Forest of Gugu, and how you were able to get those dear little

So they sat down on a marble bench near to the Fountain of the Water of Oblivion, and between them

"I was dreadfully fussy while I was a woolly lamb," said Dorothy, "for it didn't feel good, a bit. And I wasn't

"You might have been a woolly lamb yet, if I hadn't happened to have discovered that Magic Transformation

"But what became of the walnut and the hickorynut into which you transformed those dreadful beast

"Why, I'd almost forgotten them," was the reply; "but I believe they are still here in my pocket."

Then he searched in his pockets and brought out the two nuts and showed them to her.

"It isn't right to leave any living creatures in such helpless forms," said she. "I think, Wizard, you ought to

"But I don't know what their natural shapes are," he objected, "for of course the forms of mixed animals

which they had assumed were not natural to them. And you must not forget, Ozma, that their natures were

cruel and mischievous, so if I bring them back to life they might cause us a great deal of trouble."

"Nevertheless," said the Ruler of Oz, "we must free them from their present enchantments. When you restore

them to their natural forms we will discover who they really are, and surely we need not fear any two people,

"I am not so sure of that," protested the Wizard, with a shake of his bald head. "The one bit of magic I robbed

them ofwhich was the Word of Transformationis so simple, yet so powerful, that neither Glinda nor I

can equal it. It isn't all in the word, you know, it's the way the word is pronounced. So if the two strange

magicians have other magic of the same sort, they might prove very dangerous to us, if we liberated them."

"I've an idea!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I'm no wizard, and no fairy, but if you do as I say, we needn't fear these

"Well," replied the girl, "here is this Fountain of the Water of Oblivion, and that's what put the notion into my

head. When the Wizard speaks that ter'ble word that will change 'em back to their real forms, he can make

'em dreadful thirsty, too, and we'll put a cup right here by the fountain, so it'll be handy. Then they'll drink the

"I don't know whether the real forms of these magicians are those of men or beasts. If they're beasts, they

would not drink from a cup but might attack us at once and drink afterward. So it might be safer for us to

Ozma drew out a silver whistle which was attached to a slender gold chain and blew upon the whistle two

shrill blasts. The sound, though not harsh, was very penetrating, and as soon as it reached the ears of the

Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger, the two huge beasts quickly came bounding toward them. Ozma

explained to them what the Wizard was about to do, and told them to keep quiet unless danger threatened. So

the two powerful guardians of the Ruler of Oz crouched beside the fountain and waited.

Dorothy returned and set the cup on the edge of the fountain. Then the Wizard placed the hickorynut beside

In an instant there appeared, in the place of the hickorynut, the form of Kiki Aru, the Hyup boy. He seemed

bewildered, at first, as if trying to remember what had happened to him and why he was in this strange place.

But he was facing the fountain, and the bubbling water reminded him that he was thirsty. Without noticing

Ozma, the Wizard and Dorothy, who were behind him, he picked up the cup, filled it with the Water of

He was now no longer thirsty, but he felt more bewildered than ever, for now he could remember nothing at

allnot even his name or where he came from. He looked around the beautiful garden with a pleased

expression, and then, turning, he beheld Ozma and the Wizard and Dorothy regarding him curiously and the

Kiki Aru did not know who they were, but he thought Ozma very lovely and Dorothy very pleasant. So he

smiled at themthe same innocent, happy smile that a baby might have indulged in, and that pleased

"Why, I thought you were a dreadful magician," she exclaimed, "and you're only a boy!"

"It's very curious," remarked the Wizard. "He wears the dress of the Munchkins, so he must have lived at one

time in the Munchkin Country. Of course the boy can tell us nothing of his history or his family, for he has

"He seems a nice boy, now that all the wickedness has gone from him," said Ozma. "So we will keep him

"Why, in that case, it's lucky for him he drank the Water of Oblivion," said Dorothy.

"It is indeed," agreed the Wizard. "But the remarkable thing, to me, is how such a young boy ever learned the

secret of the Magic Word of Transformation. Perhaps his companion, who is at present this walnut, was the

real magician, although I seem to remember that it was this boy in the beast's form who whispered the Magic

"Well, we will soon know who the other is," suggested Ozma. "He may prove to be another Munchkin boy."

The Wizard placed the walnut near the fountain and said, as slowly and solemnly as before:

Then the walnut disappeared and Ruggedo the Nome stood in its place. He also was facing the fountain, and

he reached for the cup, filled it, and was about to drink when Dorothy exclaimed:

"Yes," he said in an angry voice, "it's the old Nome King, and I'm going to conquer all Oz and be revenged

on you for kicking me out of my throne." He looked around a moment, and then continued: "There isn't an

egg in sight, and I'm stronger than all of you people put together! I don't know how I came here, but I'm

His long white hair and beard waved in the breeze; his eyes flashed hate and vengeance, and so astonished

and shocked were they by the sudden appearance of this old enemy of the Oz people that they could only

Ruggedo laughed. He drank the water, threw the cup on the ground and said fiercely:

His voice grew gentle. He rubbed his forehead with a puzzled air and stroked his long beard.

"He's a stranger to me. You are all strangers. II'm a stranger to myself," he said.

Then he patted the Lion's head and murmured, "Good doggie!" and the Lion growled indignantly.

"Once before the wicked old Nome came here to conquer us, and then, as now, he drank of the Water of

Oblivion and became harmless. But we sent him back to the Nome Kingdom, where he soon learned the old

"For that reason," said Ozma, "we must find a place for him in the Land of Oz, and keep him here. For here

he can learn no evil and will always be as innocent of guile as our own people."

And so the wandering exKing of the Nomes found a new home, a peaceful and happy home, where he was