Oz 13: The Magic of Oz by L. Frank Baum
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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 acow--Pyrzqxgl ! " in an instant he_would_be acow, 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 acow 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

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