The Magic of Oz
by
L. Frank Baum
Part 1 out of 3
The Magic of Oz
A Faithful Record of the Remarkable Adventures of Dorothy
and Trot and the Wizard of Oz, together with the
Cowardly Lion, the Hungry Tiger and Cap'n Bill,
in their successful search for a Magical
and Beautiful Birthday Present for
Princess Ozma of Oz
by L. Frank Baum
"Royal Historian of Oz"
Contents
--To My Readers--
1. Mount Munch
2. The Hawk
3. Two Bad Ones
4. Conspirators
5. A Happy Corner of Oz
6. Ozma's Birthday Presents
7. The Forest of Gugu
8. The Li-Mon-Eags Make Trouble
9. The Isle of the Magic Flower
10. Stuck Fast
11. The Beasts of the Forest of Gugu
12. Kiki Uses His Magic
13. The Loss of the Black Bag
14. The Wizard Learns the Magic Word
15. The Lonesome Duck
16. The Glass Cat Finds the Black Bag
17. A Remarkable Journey
18. The Magic of the Wizard
19. Dorothy and the Bumble Bees
20. The Monkeys Have Trouble
21. The College of Athletic Arts
22. Ozma's Birthday Party
23. The Fountain of Oblivion
To My Readers
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 Oz.
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 years, so I hope it will appeal to your love of novelty.
A long and confining illness has prevented my answering all the good
letters sent me--unless stamps were enclosed--but from now on I hope to
be able to give prompt attention to each and every letter with which
my readers favor me.
Assuring you that my love for you has never faltered and hoping the
Oz Books will continue to give you pleasure as long as I am able to
write them, I am
Yours affectionately,
L. FRANK BAUM,
"Royal Historian of Oz."
"OZCOT"
at HOLLYWOOD
in CALIFORNIA
1919
1. Mount Munch
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 never climb up: the sides are too steep.
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 strong-winged 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 never seen Ozma, but he knew she was his Ruler
and must be obeyed.
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 again, once you know how to pronounce
the mystical word: "Pyrzqxgl."
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 cow--Pyrzqxgl!"
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 word, properly
pronounced, would instantly restore him to his proper form.
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 mischief.
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, he
forgot how to pronounce Pyrzqxgl in the meantime.
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, anyway.
Once a year there was a festival on Mount Munch which all the Hyups
attended. It was held in the center of the saucer-shaped country, and
the day was given over to feasting and merry-making. The young folks
danced and sang songs; the women spread the tables with good things to
eat, and the men played on musical instruments and told fairy tales.
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 and be unhappy all
by himself, he said, and so they gladly let him stay.
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
magic. All had been destroyed.
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 he hidden
some of his magic tools underneath the floor?
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, and back again when the word was repeated.
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
would suspect it had been removed.
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 world--especially the Land of Oz--and
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 resume his
proper shape if he forgot the word or its pronunciation.
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 the box with small stones.
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 hawk--Pyrzqxgl!"
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: "Caw-oo! Caw-oo!"
Then he laughed and said half aloud: "I suppose that's the funny
sound this sort of a bird makes. But now let me try my wings and see
if I'm strong enough to fly across the desert."
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 saucer-shaped mountain-top.
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 strokes of his wings,
began the long flight.
2. The Hawk
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 table-land 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
tree-top in the Kingdom of Noland.
Kiki was tired by this time, and the sun was now setting, so he
decided to remain here till morning. From his tree-top he could see a
house near by, which looked very comfortable. A man was milking a cow
in the yard and a pleasant-faced woman came to the door and called
him to supper.
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 tree-top for sleeping, so he hopped
to the ground and said: "I want to become Kiki Aru again--Pyrzqxgl!"
Instantly he had resumed his natural shape, and going to the house,
he knocked upon the door and asked for some supper.
"Who are you?" asked the man of the house.
"A stranger from the Land of Oz," replied Kiki Aru.
"Then you are welcome," said the man.
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 his way feeling quite contented.
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 saucer-country 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 easily go on foot from one
to another of them.
Toward evening he came to a good Inn and asked the inn-keeper 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 folly.
Kiki Aru flew to a group of trees and, dropping the gold piece to
the ground, resumed his proper shape, and then picked up the money and
put it in his pocket.
"You'll be sorry for this!" exclaimed a small voice just over his head.
Kiki looked up and saw that a sparrow, perched upon a branch, was
watching him.
"Sorry for what?" he demanded.
"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. You'll be
sorry, some day."
"I don't care," replied Kiki Aru, scowling.
"Aren't you afraid to be wicked?" asked the sparrow.
"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 wanted to be wicked,
but I didn't know how."
"Haw, haw, haw!" laughed someone behind him, in a big voice; "that's
the proper spirit, my lad! I'm glad I've met you; shake hands."
The sparrow gave a frightened squeak and flew away.
3. Two Bad Ones
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 dull-gray clothes that were tight fitting,
and his pockets were all bunched out as if stuffed full of something.
"I didn't know you were here," said Kiki.
"I didn't come until after you did," said the queer old man.
"Who are you?" asked Kiki.
"My name's Ruggedo. I used to be the Nome King; but I got kicked
out of my country, and now I'm a wanderer."
"What made them kick you out?" inquired the Hyup boy.
"Well, it's the fashion to kick kings nowadays. I was a pretty good
King--to myself--but those dreadful Oz people wouldn't let me alone.
So I had to abdicate."
"What does that mean?"
"It means to be kicked out. But let's talk about something
pleasant. Who are you and where did you come from?"
"I'm called Kiki Aru. I used to live on Mount Munch in the Land of
Oz, but now I'm a wanderer like yourself."
The Nome King gave him a shrewd look.
"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--yes," he said.
"Then you're a wizard?"
"No; I only understand transformations," he admitted.
"Well, that's pretty good magic, anyhow," declared old Ruggedo. "I
used to have some very fine magic, myself, but my enemies took it all
away from me. Where are you going now?"
"I'm going into the inn, to get some supper and a bed," said Kiki.
"Have you the money to pay for it?" asked the Nome.
"I have one gold piece."
"Which you stole. Very good. And you're glad that you're wicked.
Better yet. I like you, young man, and I'll go to the inn with you if
you'll promise not to eat eggs for supper."
"Don't you like eggs?" asked Kiki.
"I'm afraid of 'em; they're dangerous!" said Ruggedo, with a shudder.
"All right," agreed Kiki; "I won't ask for eggs."
"Then come along," said the Nome.
When they entered the inn, the landlord scowled at Kiki and said:
"I told you I would not feed you unless you had money."
Kiki showed him the gold piece.
"And how about you?" asked the landlord, turning to Ruggedo. "Have
you money?"
"I've something better," answered the old Nome, and taking a bag
from one of his pockets he poured from it upon the table a mass of
glittering gems--diamonds, rubies and emeralds.
The landlord was very polite to the strangers after that. He served
them an excellent supper, and while they ate it, the Hyup boy asked
his companion:
"Where did you get so many jewels?"
"Well, I'll tell you," answered the Nome. "When those Oz people took
my kingdom away from me--just 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 things to have with you when
you travel; you can trade them for anything."
"Are they better than gold pieces?" asked Kiki.
"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."
After supper they took a walk together, and the former Nome King said:
"Do you know the Shaggy Man, and the Scarecrow, and the Tin Woodman,
and Dorothy, and Ozma and all the other Oz people?"
"No," replied the boy, "I have never been away from Mount Munch until
I flew over the Deadly Desert the other day in the shape of a hawk."
"Then you've never seen the Emerald City of Oz?"
"Never."
"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."
"How can you do that?" inquired Kiki Aru, wonderingly.
"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.
"I'll give you TWO pocketsful of jewels," said the Nome.
"No," answered Kiki.
"I'll give you every jewel I possess."
"No, no, no!" said Kiki, who was beginning to be frightened.
"Then," said the Nome, with a wicked look at the boy, "I'll tell
the inn-keeper that you stole that gold piece and he will have you
put in prison."
Kiki laughed at the threat.
"Before he can do that," said he, "I will transform myself into a
lion and tear him to pieces, or into a bear and eat him up, or into a
fly and fly away where he could not find me."
"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 here by the roadside."
"The wicked Nome shivered a little when he heard that, but it made
him long more than ever to possess the great secret. After a while
he said:
"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 be your Prime Minister and see that your orders are obeyed."
"I'll help do that," said Kiki, "but I won't tell you my secret."
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 wicked old Nome, which made him more furious than ever.
"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
affair--not mine."
"Wouldn't you like to be king of that splendid fairyland?"
asked Ruggedo.
"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 home-like
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 afterward."
"I'll think it over," answered Kiki, and that is all he would say
that evening.
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 transformations.
Next morning he said:
"Which way do you travel to-day?"
"I think I shall visit the Rose Kingdom," answered the boy.
"That is a long journey," declared the Nome.
"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 fly together to the
Land of Oz, and see what it looks like."
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 of his becoming its King, he must know something
about it.
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 wicked heart.
"There are wizards and magicians in Oz," remarked Kiki, after a
time. "They might discover us, in spite of our transformations."
"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 it."
"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."
"Two birds couldn't conquer the Land of Oz," asserted the boy, scornfully.
"No; that's true," admitted Ruggedo, and then he rubbed his forehead
and stroked his long pointed beard and thought some more.
"Ah, now I have the idea!" he declared. "I suppose you can
transform us into beasts as well as birds?"
"Of course."
"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 discovered."
"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."
"It is impossible to kill anyone in the Land of Oz," declared Kiki.
"It isn't necessary to kill the Oz people," rejoined Ruggedo.
"I'm afraid I don't understand you," objected the boy. "What will
happen to the Oz people, and what sort of an army could we get
together, except of people?"
"I'll tell you. The forests of Oz are full of beasts. Some of
them, in the far-away 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 trouble at all to carry it through to success."
"Will the beasts consent, do you think?" asked the boy.
"To be sure they will. We can get every beast in Oz on our
side--except a few who live in Ozma's palace, and they won't count."
4. Conspirators
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 fellow-conspirator. 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 keep him in that form forever.
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 and so be rid of him.
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
inn-keeper 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
beside him.
"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 Land of Oz from all the
rest of the world, the Nome said:
"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 mystic words before I could transform anybody."
"What became of your magic tools?" inquired Kiki.
"The Oz people took them all away from me--that horrid girl,
Dorothy, and that terrible fairy, Ozma, the Ruler of Oz--at the time
they took away my underground kingdom and kicked me upstairs into the
cold, heartless world."
"Why did you let them do that?" asked the boy.
"Well," said Ruggedo, "I couldn't help it. They rolled eggs at
me--EGGS--dreadful eggs!--and if an egg even touches a Nome, he is
ruined for life."
"Is any kind of an egg dangerous to a Nome?"
"Any kind and every kind. An egg is the only thing I'm afraid of."
5. A Happy Corner of Oz
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 evil-doers 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 over all the countries of the Land of Oz.
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 discovering new and
extraordinary places and inhabitants.
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 person, next to Ozma, in all the Land of Oz.
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
sailor-man with one wooden leg and one meat leg, who was sitting by
the open window puffing smoke from a corn-cob pipe. This sailor-man
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 said to Trot:
"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 wish."
"I know," returned Dorothy, "but that isn't the point. It isn't
that Ozma NEEDS anything, but that it will please her to know we've
remembered her birthday. But what shall we give her?"
Trot shook her head in despair.
"I've tried to think and I can't," she declared.
"It's the same way with me," said Dorothy.
"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, light-blue eyes wide open.
"What is it, Cap'n Bill?"
"It's an Enchanted Flower," said he. "It's a pretty plant that
stands in a golden flower-pot an' grows all sorts o' flowers, one
after another. One minute a fine rose buds an' blooms, an' then a
tulip, an' next a chrys--chrys--"
"--anthemum," said Dorothy, helping him.
"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 bloomin' night and day, year in an' year out."
"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Dorothy. "I think Ozma would like it."
"But where is the Magic Flower, and how can we get it?" asked Trot.
"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 little critter sees a lot o' things no one else does."
"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 sleep.
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, but the Cat refused to catch mice and was considered more
curious than useful.
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 blood-red 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 spun-glass tail that was really beautiful.
"Here, wake up," said Cap'n Bill. "We want to talk to you."
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 Gold Pot?"
"Do you think I'm a fool? Look at my brains--you can see 'em work.
Of course I remember!" said the cat.
"Well, where can we find it?"
"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 please Ozma, wouldn't you?"
"I'm not sure," replied the creature. "Why should I want
to please anybody?"
"You've got a heart, 'cause I can see it inside of you," said Trot.
"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 from a ruby, and
it's hard as nails."
"Aren't you good for ANYthing?" asked Trot.
"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 discovered it."
This was the kind of praise the crystal creature liked.
"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 Flower."
"How did you get to the island?" asked Dorothy. "Glass cats can't swim."
"No, but I'm not afraid of water," was the reply. "I just walked
across the river on the bottom."
"Under the water?" exclaimed Trot.
The cat gave her a scornful look.
"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 from the Oz people."
"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."
"All right. Come on, then, Cap'n," said the Glass Cat, starting to
move away.
"Wait a minute," begged Trot. "How long will we be gone?"
"Oh, about a week."
"Then I'll put some things in a basket to take with us," said the
girl, and ran into the palace to make her preparations for the journey.
6. Ozma's Birthday Presents
When Cap'n Bill and Trot and the Glass Cat had started for the
hidden island in the far-off river to get the Magic Flower, Dorothy
wondered again what she could give Ozma on her birthday. She met the
Patchwork Girl and said:
"What are you going to give Ozma for a birthday present?"
"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 runs this way:
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!"
"How do you like it, Dorothy?" inquired the Patchwork Girl.
"Is it good poetry, Scraps?" asked Dorothy, doubtfully.
"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 Born.'"
"That's a pretty long title, Scraps," said Dorothy.
"That makes it stylish," replied the Patchwork Girl, turning a
somersault and alighting on one stuffed foot. "Now-a-days the titles
are sometimes longer than the songs."
Dorothy left her and walked slowly toward the place, where she met
the Tin Woodman just going up the front steps.
"What are you going to give Ozma on her birthday?" she asked.
"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 fine?"
"I'm sure she'll like it," said Dorothy. "Do you know what I can
give her?"
"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.
"What are you going to give Ozma on her birthday?" asked Dorothy.
"I want to surprise her," answered the Scarecrow.
"I won't tell," promised Dorothy.
"Well, I'm having some straw slippers made for her--all 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, Scarecrow, is what to give
Ozma that she hasn't got already."
"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 those straw foot-decorations."
Dorothy left him and went to her room, where she sat down and tried
to think hard. A Pink Kitten was curled up on the window-sill and
Dorothy asked her:
"What can I give Ozma for her birthday present?"
"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?"
The little black dog wagged his tail.
"Your love," said he. "Ozma wants to be loved more than anything else."
"But I already love her, Toto!"
"Then tell her you love her twice as much as you ever did before."
"That wouldn't be true," objected Dorothy, "for I've always loved
her as much as I could, and, really, Toto, I want to give Ozma some
PRESENT, 'cause everyone else will give her a present."
"Let me see," said Toto. "How would it be to give her that useless
Pink Kitten?"
"No, Toto; that wouldn't do."
"Then six kisses."
"No; that's no present."
"Well, I guess you'll have to figure it out for yourself, Dorothy,"
said the little dog. "To MY notion you're more particular than Ozma
will be."
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 journey from the Emerald City.
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 guide him because all that was needed was
to tell him where to go.
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 birthday present?"
The Sorceress smiled and answered:
"Come into my patio and I will show you."
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 be made one of Glinda's handmaidens.
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.
"What is it, Glinda?" she asked.
"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 woven.
"I've never seen ANYthing so beautiful!" she said, with a sigh.
"But tell me, Glinda, what can I give our lovely Ozma on her birthday?"
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."
"Oh, just a CAKE!" exclaimed Dorothy, in disappointment.
"Nothing is nicer for a birthday," said the Sorceress.
"How many candles should there be on the cake?" asked the girl.
"Just a row of them," replied Glinda, "for no one knows how old Ozma
is, although she appears to us to be just a young girl--as fresh and
fair as if she had lived but a few years."
"A cake doesn't seem like much of a present," Dorothy asserted.
"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 a different sort."
"Like what?" questioned Dorothy, eagerly.
"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 merriment of Ozma's birthday banquet."
Dorothy thanked her friend and entered the Red Wagon and told the
Sawhorse to take her back home to the palace in the Emerald City.
On the way she thought the matter over seriously of making a
surprise birthday cake and finally decided what to do.
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 him to do for the welfare of her subjects.
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 he had become a great favorite with the Oz people.
"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."
"Very good," said the Wizard.
"In the center of this cake I'm going to leave a hollow place, with
just a roof of the frosting over it," continued the girl.
"Very good," repeated the Wizard, nodding his bald head.
"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 table-cloth. 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?"
"Not just now," he replied. "But where will you get such tiny monkeys?"
"That's where you're to help me," said Dorothy. "In some of those
wild forests in the Gillikin Country are lots of monkeys."
"Big ones," said the Wizard.
"Well, you and I will go there, and we'll get some of the big
monkeys, and you will make them small--just three inches high--by
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 dance--up here
in your room, where no one can see them--and on Ozma's birthday we'll
put 'em into the cake and they'll know by that time just what to do."
The Wizard looked at Dorothy with admiring approval, and chuckled again.
"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 we can get the wild
monkeys to agree to it."
"Do you think they'll object?" asked the girl.
"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 partner."
"Of course," said Dorothy; "I'll be glad to do so."
"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 beasts, these two
friendly champions will protect us from all harm."
"That's a splendid idea!" exclaimed Dorothy. "Let's go now and ask
the Hungry Tiger and the Cowardly Lion if they will help us. Shall we
ask Ozma if we can go?"
"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, that we'll be back in a few days."
7. The Forest of Gugu
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 direction--north, south,
east and west. Adjoining it on the east side is a range of rugged
mountains covered with underbrush and small twisted trees. You can
find this place by looking at the Map of the Land of Oz.
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 east.
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 King--an 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
order--Bru the Bear, Loo the Unicorn and Rango the Gray Ape--who 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 their fellows.
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 beasts--or even
people--to 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 Button-Bright 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 side.
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 alighted on a branch of a
tall tree.
"Here is the place for us to begin our work," said one, who was
Ruggedo, the Nome.
"Do many beasts live here?" asked Kiki Aru, the other eagle.
"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."
"I suppose we must take the shapes of beasts?" said Kiki.
"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 command proper respect."
"I wonder if the beasts will attack us?" asked Kiki.
"I'm a Nome, and immortal, so nothing can hurt me," replied Ruggedo.
"I was born in the Land of Oz, so nothing can hurt me," said Kiki.
"But, in order to carry out our plans, we must win the favor of all
the animals of the forest."
"Then what shall we do?" asked Kiki.
"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, with knobs of gold on the end of them instead of bunches
of hair."
"Won't that make a queer combination?" inquired Kiki.
"The queerer the better," declared Ruggedo.
"All right," said Kiki. "You stay here, and I'll fly away to
another tree and transform us both, and then we'll climb down our
trees and meet in the forest."
"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.
"All right," he said gruffly; "do as you please."
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 hair--Pyrzqxgl!"
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 between them to fly.
Kiki quickly joined his comrade and it did not take them long to
reach the ground.
8. The Li-Mon-Eags Make Trouble
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 tree threw a cocoanut at the porcupine that jammed its head into
its body.
All this was against the Laws of the Forest, and when the excitement
was over, Gugu the Leopard King called his royal Counselors together
to decide how best to punish the offenders.
The four lords of the forest were holding solemn council in a small
clearing when they saw two strange beasts approaching them--beasts the
like of which they had never seen before.
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 tree-trunk. 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 fellow-councillors. With one consent they remained silent, eyeing
with steadfast looks the intruders, who were making their way into
their forest domain.
"Well met, Brothers!" said one of the strange beasts, coming to a halt
beside the group, while his comrade with hesitation lagged behind.
"We are not brothers," returned the Gray Ape, sternly. "Who are
you, and how came you in the forest of Gugu?"
"We are two Li-Mon-Eags," 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 two-legged masters."
A low roar of anger arose from the Council of Beasts.
"WHO'S going to do that?" asked Loo the Unicorn, in a high, squeaky
voice, at the same time rising to his feet.
"The people of Oz," said Ruggedo.
"But what will WE be doing?" inquired the Unicorn.
"That's what I've come to talk to you about."
"You needn't talk! We'll fight the Oz people!" screamed the Unicorn.
"We'll smash 'em; we'll trample 'em; we'll gore 'em; we'll--"
"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
Li-Mon-Eag--you mixed-up beast who are neither one thing nor another."
"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.
"How does the Mixed Beast know that what he says is true?"
asked the Bear.
"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.
"What do YOU think, Rango?" he asked.
"Send these mixed beasts away, Your Majesty," replied the Gray Ape.
"They are mischief-makers."
"Don't do that--don't do that!" cried the Unicorn, nervously. "The
stranger said he would tell us what to do. Let him tell us, then.
Are we fools, not to heed a warning?"
Gugu the King turned to Ruggedo.
"Speak, Stranger," he commanded.
"Well," said the Nome, "it's this way: The Land of Oz is a fine
country. The people of Oz have many good things--houses with soft
beds, all sorts of nice-tasting 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 beasts will become
the masters and the people their slaves."
"What good would that do us?" asked Bru the Bear.
"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 Li-Mon-Eags 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 wonderful delights of
the Emerald City."
For a moment no beast spoke. Then the King said: "Prove it."
"Prove what?" asked Ruggedo.
"Prove that you can transform us. If you are a magician transform
the Unicorn into a man. Then we will believe you. If you fail, we
will destroy you."
"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 man-beast. "Good gracious, look what I am!
It's wonderful!"
The King of Beasts now addressed Ruggedo in a more friendly tone.
"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
Li-Mon-Eags, 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 the time
comes, and all the beasts into people."
Gugu the King turned to his Counselors.
"How shall we answer this friendly stranger?" he asked.
Loo the former Unicorn was dancing around and cutting capers like a clown.
"On my word, your Majesty," he said, "this being a man is more fun
than being a Unicorn."
"You look like a fool," said the Gray Ape.
"Well, I FEEL fine!" declared the man-beast.
"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 to live as a Bear lives."
"That," said the old Nome, "is because you know nothing better.
When we have conquered the Oz people, and you become a man, you'll be
glad of it."
The immense Leopard rested his chin on the log and seemed thoughtful.
"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 to-morrow. When all are gathered together, this mixed-up 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 to battle."
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 sunrise to-morrow," and with stately stride vanished among the trees.
The man-unicorn, 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 their friend, Loo, and they
might tear me in pieces before morning."
So Kiki changed him back to his former shape, and the Unicorn
departed to join his people.
Ruggedo the Nome was much pleased with his success.
"To-morrow," 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."
"But I am doing all the work," said Kiki.
"Never mind; you're going to be King of Oz," promised Ruggedo.
"Will the big Leopard let me be King?" asked the boy anxiously.
The Nome came close to him and whispered:
"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 lies and I cannot
trust him."
9. The Isle of the Magic Flower
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.
"Don't you want some, too?" she asked the Glass Cat.
"No," answered the creature.
"I suppose you'll hunt around an' catch a mouse," remarked
Cap'n Bill.
"Me? Catch a mouse! Why should I do that?" inquired the Glass Cat.
"Why, then you could eat it," said the sailor-man.
"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 think I'd need to eat, I suppose."
"Don't you ever get hungry or thirsty?" asked Trot.
"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 yours do."
"No; not the same way, surely," returned the Glass Cat; "for,
in that case, they'd be as good as MY brains, except that they're
hidden under a thick, boney skull."
"Brains," remarked Cap'n Bill, "is of all kinds and work
different ways. But I've noticed that them as thinks that their
brains is best is often mistook."
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 forest to attack them.
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 get to it."
Before long they reached the bank of a river. It was not very
wide, at this place, but as they followed the banks in a
northerly direction it gradually broadened.
Suddenly the blue-green leaves of the trees changed to a purple
hue, and Trot noticed this and said:
"I wonder what made the colors change like that?"
"It's because we have left the Munchkin Country and entered the
Gillikin Country," explained the Glass Cat. "Also it's a sign
our journey is nearly ended."
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 paused on the bank and said:
"There is the gold flower-pot containing the Magic Flower,
which is very curious and beautiful. If you can get to the island,
your task is ended--except to carry the thing home with you."
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
axe-blade, 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 us a raft."
"What do we need a raft for, Cap'n?"
"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 float atop the water."
"Can you make a raft, Cap'n Bill?"
"O' course, Trot, if you give me time."
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 Magic Flower changed from one sort to another.
"When I was here before," remarked the Glass Cat, lazily
reclining at the girl's feet, "I saw two Kalidahs on this very
bank, where they had come to drink."
"What are Kalidahs?" asked the girl.
"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 Kalidahs, which attack all other animals
and often fight among themselves."
"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 could not hurt me, and went away. It was great fun."
"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
knees--an' stay there!" and she obeyed him at once. The
sailor-man hobbled forward, the stake in one hand and his axe in
the other, and got between the girl and the beast, which sprang
upon him with a growl of defiance.
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 held it.
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.
"Are you sure he can't get away?" she asked.
"I'd bet a cookie on it," said Cap'n Bill, so Trot came ashore
and took off her shoes and stockings and laid them on the log to
dry, while the sailor-man resumed his work on the raft.
The Kalidah, realizing after many struggles that it could not
escape, now became quiet, but it said in a harsh, snarling voice:
"I suppose you think you're clever, to pin me to the ground in this
manner. But when my friends, the other Kalidahs, come here, they'll
tear you to pieces for treating me this way."
"P'raps," remarked Cap'n Bill, coolly, as he chopped at the logs,
"an' p'raps not. When are your folks comin' here?"
"I don't know," admitted the Kalidah. "But when they DO come, you
can't escape them."
"If they hold off long enough, I'll have my raft ready," said Cap'n Bill.
"What are you going to do with a raft?" inquired the beast.
"We're goin' over to that island, to get the Magic Flower."
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 you do with it?"
"We're going to take it to Ozma, as a present on her birthday."
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 by getting into the water; but Kalidahs don't go to that
island over there."
"Why not?" asked Trot.
The beast was silent.
"Tell us the reason," urged Cap'n Bill.
"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 wooden pin through me."
"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 to take it away to the Emerald City."
"I don't care," the beast replied in a surly tone. "We Kalidahs
would be just as contented if there wasn't a flower in our forest.
What good are the things anyhow?"
"Don't you like pretty things?" asked Trot.
"No."
"You ought to admire my pink brains, anyhow," declared the Glass
Cat. "They're beautiful and you can see 'em work."
The beast only growled in reply, and Cap'n Bill, having now cut all
his logs to a proper size, began to roll them to the water's edge and
fasten them together.
10. Stuck Fast
The day was nearly gone when, at last, the raft was ready.
"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 do, an' the glass
pussy don't count."
"But it's safe, isn't it?" inquired the girl.
"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 curious. Indeed, they did not resemble
ordinary flowers at all.
So intently did Trot and Cap'n Bill gaze upon the Golden Flower-pot
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 funny it is, Cap'n Bill, that nothing else grows here
excep' the Magic Flower."
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 Flower-pot. Then she stood beside it
motionless and filled with wonder. Cap'n Bill joined her, coming more
leisurely, and he, too, stood in silent admiration for a time.
"Ozma will like this," remarked the Glass Cat, sitting down to watch
the shifting hues of the flowers. "I'm sure she won't have as fine a
birthday present from anyone else."
"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 enough, but the other
would not budge.
"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 holdin' me down."
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 foot a hair's breadth.
"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 the ground."
She leaned down and unlaced her shoes, but found she could not pull
her feet out of them. The Glass Cat, which was walking around as
naturally as ever, now said:
"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 feet and decided that the
Glass Cat was right.
"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 this island. The horrid
creature knew we'd be caught, and wouldn't warn us."
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 satisfaction--a 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 from the ground.
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