"Now, then," said the Wizard, "let us talk this matter over and decide
what to do when we get to Ugu's wicker castle. There can be no doubt
that the Shoemaker is a powerful Magician, and his powers have been
increased a hundredfold since he secured the Great Book of Records, the
Magic Picture, all of Glinda's recipes for sorcery and my own black
bag--which was full of tools of wizardry. The man who could rob us of
those things, and the man with all their powers at his command, is one
who may prove somewhat difficult to conquer; therefore we should plan
our actions well before we venture too near to his castle."
"I didn't see Ozma in the Magic Picture," said Trot. "What do you
suppose Ugu has done with her?"
"Couldn't the Little Pink Bear tell us what he did with Ozma?" asked
Button-Bright.
"To be sure," replied the Lavender King; "I'll ask him."
So he turned the crank in the Little Pink Bear's side and inquired:
"Did Ugu the Shoemaker steal Ozma of Oz?"
"Yes," answered the Little Pink Bear.
"Then what did he do with her?" asked the King.
"Shut her up in a dark place," answered the Little Pink Bear.
"Oh, that must be a dungeon cell!" cried Dorothy, horrified. "How
dreadful!"
"Well, we must get her out of it," said the Wizard. "That is what we
came for and of course we must rescue Ozma. But--how?"
Each one looked at some other one for an answer and all shook their
heads in a grave and dismal manner. All but Scraps, who danced around
them gleefully.
"You're afraid," said the Patchwork Girl, "because so many things can
hurt your meat bodies. Why don't you give it up and go home? How can you
fight a great magician when you have nothing to fight with?"
Dorothy looked at her reflectively.
"Scraps," said she, "you know that Ugu couldn't hurt you, a bit,
whatever he did; nor could he hurt me, 'cause I wear the Nome King's
Magic Belt. S'pose just we two go on together, and leave the others here
to wait for us?"
"No, no!" said the Wizard positively. "That won't do at all. Ozma is
more powerful than either of you, yet she could not defeat the wicked
Ugu, who has shut her up in a dungeon. We must go to the Shoemaker in
one mighty band, for only in union is there strength."
"That is excellent advice," said the Lavender Bear, approvingly.
"But what can we do, when we get to Ugu?" inquired the Cookie Cook
anxiously.
"Do not expect a prompt answer to that important question," replied the
Wizard, "for we must first plan our line of conduct. Ugu knows, of
course, that we are after him, for he has seen our approach in the Magic
Picture, and he has read of all we have done up to the present moment in
the Great Book of Records. Therefore we cannot expect to take him by
surprise."
"Don't you suppose Ugu would listen to reason?" asked Betsy. "If we
explained to him how wicked he has been, don't you think he'd let poor
Ozma go?"
"And give me back my dishpan?" added the Cookie Cook eagerly.
"Yes, yes; won't he say he's sorry and get on his knees and beg our
pardon?" cried Scraps, turning a flip-flop to show her scorn of the
suggestion. "When Ugu the Shoemaker does that, please knock at the front
door and let me know."
The Wizard sighed and rubbed his bald head with a puzzled air.
"I'm quite sure Ugu will not be polite to us," said he, "so we must
conquer this cruel magician by force, much as we dislike to be rude to
anyone. But none of you has yet suggested a way to do that. Couldn't the
Little Pink Bear tell us how?" he asked, turning to the Bear King.
"No, for that is something that is _going_ to happen," replied the
Lavender Bear. "He can only tell us what already _has_ happened."
Again they were grave and thoughtful. But after a time Betsy said in a
hesitating voice:
"Hank is a great fighter; perhaps _he_ could conquer the magician."
The Mule turned his head to look reproachfully at his old friend, the
young girl.
"Who can fight against magic?" he asked.
"The Cowardly Lion could," said Dorothy.
The Lion, who was lying with his front legs spread out, his chin on his
paws, raised his shaggy head.
"I can fight when I'm not afraid," said he calmly; "but the mere mention
of a fight sets me to trembling."
"Ugu's magic couldn't hurt the Sawhorse," suggested tiny Trot.
"And the Sawhorse couldn't hurt the Magician," declared that wooden
animal.
"For my part," said Toto, "I am helpless, having lost my growl."
"Then," said Cayke the Cookie Cook, "we must depend upon the Frogman.
His marvelous wisdom will surely inform him how to conquer the wicked
Magician and restore to me my dishpan."
All eyes were now turned questioningly upon the Frogman. Finding himself
the center of observation, he swung his gold-headed cane, adjusted his
big spectacles and after swelling out his chest, sighed and said in a
modest tone of voice:
"Respect for truth obliges me to confess that Cayke is mistaken in
regard to my superior wisdom. I am not very wise. Neither have I had any
practical experience in conquering magicians. But let us consider this
case. What is Ugu, and what is a magician? Ugu is a renegade shoemaker
and a magician is an ordinary man who, having learned how to do magical
tricks, considers himself above his fellows. In this case, the Shoemaker
has been naughty enough to steal a lot of magical tools and things that
did not belong to him, and it is more wicked to steal than to be a
magician. Yet, with all the arts at his command, Ugu is still a man, and
surely there are ways in which a man may be conquered. How, do you say,
how? Allow me to state that I don't know. In my judgment we cannot
decide how best to act until we get to Ugu's castle. So let us go to it
and take a look at it. After that we may discover an idea that will
guide us to victory."
"That may not be a wise speech, but it sounds good," said Dorothy
approvingly. "Ugu the Shoemaker is not only a common man, but he's a
wicked man and a cruel man and deserves to be conquered. We mustn't have
any mercy on him till Ozma is set free. So let's go to his castle, as
the Frogman says, and see what the place looks like."
No one offered an objection to this plan and so it was adopted. They
broke camp and were about to start on the journey to Ugu's castle when
they discovered that Button-Bright was lost again. The girls and the
Wizard shouted his name and the Lion roared and the Donkey brayed and
the Frogman croaked and the Big Lavender Bear growled (to the envy of
Toto, who couldn't growl but barked his loudest) yet none of them could
make Button-Bright hear. So, after vainly searching for the boy a full
hour, they formed a procession and proceeded in the direction of the
wicker castle of Ugu the Shoemaker.
"Button-Bright's always getting lost," said Dorothy. "And, if he wasn't
always getting found again, I'd prob'ly worry. He may have gone ahead of
us, and he may have gone back; but, wherever he is, we'll find him
sometime and somewhere, I'm almost sure."
Ugu the Shoemaker
[Illustration]