UGU THE SHOEMAKER
A curious thing about Ugu the Shoemaker was that he didn’t suspect in
the least that he was wicked. He wanted to be powerful and great, and
he hoped to make himself master of all the Land of Oz that he might
compel everyone in that fairy country to obey him, His ambition blinded
him to the rights of others, and he imagined anyone else would act just
as he did if anyone else happened to be as clever as himself.
When he inhabited his little shoemaking shop in the City of Herku, he
had been discontented, for a shoemaker is not looked upon with high
respect, and Ugu knew that his ancestors had been famous magicians for
many centuries past and therefore his family was above the ordinary.
Even his father practiced magic when Ugu was a boy, but his father had
wandered away from Herku and had never come back again. So when Ugu
grew up, he was forced to make shoes for a living, knowing nothing of
the magic of his forefathers. But one day, in searching through the
attic of his house, he discovered all the books of magical recipes and
many magical instruments which had formerly been in use in his family.
From that day, he stopped making shoes and began to study magic.
Finally, he aspired to become the greatest magician in Oz, and for days
and weeks and months he thought on a plan to render all the other
sorcerers and wizards, as well as those with fairy powers, helpless to
oppose him.
From the books of his ancestors, he learned the following facts:
(1) That Ozma of Oz was the fairy ruler of the Emerald City and the
Land of Oz and that she could not be destroyed by any magic ever
devised. Also, by means of her Magic Picture she would be able to
discover anyone who approached her royal palace with the idea of
conquering it.
(2) That Glinda the Good was the most powerful Sorceress in Oz, among
her other magical possessions being the Great Book of Records, which
told her all that happened anywhere in the world. This Book of Records
was very dangerous to Ugu’s plans, and Glinda was in the service of
Ozma and would use her arts of sorcery to protect the girl Ruler.
(3) That the Wizard of Oz, who lived in Ozma’s palace, had been taught
much powerful magic by Glinda and had a bag of magic tools with which
he might be able to conquer the Shoemaker.
(4) That there existed in Oz—in the Yip Country—a jeweled dishpan made
of gold, which dishpan would grow large enough for a man to sit inside
it. Then, when he grasped both the golden handles, the dishpan would
transport him in an instant to any place he wished to go within the
borders of the Land of Oz.
No one now living except Ugu knew of the powers of the Magic Dishpan,
so after long study, the shoemaker decided that if he could manage to
secure the dishpan, he could by its means rob Ozma and Glinda and the
Wizard of Oz of all their magic, thus becoming himself the most
powerful person in all the land. His first act was to go away from the
City of Herku and build for himself the Wicker Castle in the hills.
Here he carried his books and instruments of magic, and here for a full
year he diligently practiced all the magical arts learned from his
ancestors. At the end of that time, he could do a good many wonderful
things.
Then, when all his preparations were made, he set out for the Yip
Country, and climbing the steep mountain at night he entered the house
of Cayke the Cookie Cook and stole her diamond-studded gold dishpan
while all the Yips were asleep, Taking his prize outside, he set the
pan upon the ground and uttered the required magic word. Instantly, the
dishpan grew as large as a big washtub, and Ugu seated himself in it
and grasped the two handles. Then he wished himself in the great
drawing room of Glinda the Good.
He was there in a flash. First he took the Great Book of Records and
put it in the dishpan. Then he went to Glinda’s laboratory and took all
her rare chemical compounds and her instruments of sorcery, placing
these also in the dishpan, which he caused to grow large enough to hold
them. Next he seated himself amongst the treasures he had stolen and
wished himself in the room in Ozma’s palace which the Wizard occupied
and where he kept his bag of magic tools. This bag Ugu added to his
plunder and then wished himself in the apartments of Ozma.
Here he first took the Magic Picture from the wall and then seized all
the other magical things which Ozma possessed. Having placed these in
the dishpan, he was about to climb in himself when he looked up and saw
Ozma standing beside him. Her fairy instinct had warned her that danger
was threatening her, so the beautiful girl Ruler rose from her couch
and leaving her bedchamber at once confronted the thief.
Ugu had to think quickly, for he realized that if he permitted Ozma to
rouse the inmates of her palace, all his plans and his present
successes were likely to come to naught. So he threw a scarf over the
girl’s head so she could not scream, and pushed her into the dishpan
and tied her fast so she could not move. Then he climbed in beside her
and wished himself in his own wicker castle. The Magic Dishpan was
there in an instant, with all its contents, and Ugu rubbed his hands
together in triumphant joy as he realized that he now possessed all the
important magic in the Land of Oz and could force all the inhabitants
of that fairyland to do as he willed.
So quickly had his journey been accomplished that before daylight the
robber magician had locked Ozma in a room, making her a prisoner, and
had unpacked and arranged all his stolen goods. The next day he placed
the Book of Records on his table and hung the Magic Picture on his wall
and put away in his cupboards and drawers all the elixirs and magic
compounds he had stolen. The magical instruments he polished and
arranged, and this was fascinating work and made him very happy.
By turns the imprisoned Ruler wept and scolded the Shoemaker, haughtily
threatening him with dire punishment for the wicked deeds he had done.
Ugu became somewhat afraid of his fairy prisoner, in spite of the fact
that he believed he had robbed her of all her powers; so he performed
an enchantment that quickly disposed of her and placed her out of his
sight and hearing. After that, being occupied with other things, he
soon forgot her.
But now, when he looked into the Magic Picture and read the Great Book
of Records, the Shoemaker learned that his wickedness was not to go
unchallenged. Two important expeditions had set out to find him and
force him to give up his stolen property. One was the party headed by
the Wizard and Dorothy, while the other consisted of Cayke and the
Frogman. Others were also searching, but not in the right places. These
two groups, however, were headed straight for the wicker castle, and so
Ugu began to plan how best to meet them and to defeat their efforts to
conquer him.