Gugu's eyes flashed angrily

"Yes," said he, " heard of you long claimed King of Beasts, but no beast coward King over me "

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

Gugu looked at her All the other beasts were looking at her, too

"Who ? " asked the King

"Me ? Oh, I'm just Dorothy," she answered

"How dare you come here ? " demanded the King

"Why, I'm not afraid anywhere, Cowardly Lion is with me," she said " him pretty well, and so trust him He's always afraid, when we get into trouble, 's why he's cowardly; but he's terrible fighter, 's why he isn't coward He doesn't like to fight, , but when he , there isn't any beast living conquer him "

Gugu the King looked big, powerful form Cowardly Lion, and knew she spoke the truth Also the other Lions forest now came forward and bowed low strange Lion

"We welcome Your Majesty," said one " known you many , went to live Emerald City, and seen you fight the terrible Kalidahs and conquer them, so the King of all Beasts "

" true," replied the Cowardly Lion; "but come here to rule the beasts forest Gugu is King here, and I believe good King and just and wise I come, with my friends, the guest of Gugu, and welcome "

That pleased the great Leopard, who said very quickly:

"Yes; you, , are welcome to my forest But these strangers ? "

"Dorothy has introduced herself," replied the Lion, "and to like her know her better This man Wizard of Oz, friend do wonderful tricks of magic And my true and tried friend, the Hungry Tiger, who lives with me Emerald City "

"Is he ALWAYS hungry ? " asked Loo the Unicorn

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

"Can't you find any fat babies in Oz to eat ? " inquired Loo, the Unicorn

" plenty , ," said the Tiger, "but unfortunately such tender conscience won't allow me to eat babies So I'm always hungry for 'em and never can eat 'em, because my conscience won't let me "

Now of all the surprised beasts clearing, not one was surprised sudden appearance four strangers as Ruggedo the Nome frightened, too, for he recognized them as his most powerful enemies; but he also realized that know he former King Nomes, because beast's form he wore, which disguised him so effectually So courage and resolved Wizard and Dorothy defeat his plans

hard , just yet, what the vast assemblage of beasts thought new arrivals Some glared angrily at them, but more seemed curious and wondering All were interested, however, kept very quiet and listened carefully to all that was said

Kiki Aru, who had remained unnoticed shadow rock, was at first more alarmed coming strangers than even Ruggedo was, boy told himself that unless he acted quickly and without waiting to advice old Nome, their conspiracy was likely discovered and all their plans to conquer and rule Oz be defeated Kiki didn't like the way Ruggedo acted either, former King Nomes wanted everything his own way, and made the boy, who alone possessed the power of transformations, obey his orders he were slave

Another thing that disturbed Kiki Aru fact that real Wizard had arrived, who was said to possess many magical powers, and this Wizard carried his tools in black bag, and friend Oz people, and so would probably try war beasts forest people of Oz

All these things passed mind Hyup boy while the Cowardly Lion and Gugu the King were talking together, was why he now began several strange things

He had found place, near point where he stood, where deep hollow rock, so he put his face hollow and whispered softly, so heard:

" the Wizard of Oz fox--Pyrzqxgl ! "

The Wizard, who had stood smilingly beside his friends, suddenly felt his form change of fox, black bag fell ground Kiki reached out an arm and seized the bag, Fox cried as loud as it could:

"Treason ! There's traitor here with magic powers ! "

Everyone was startled cry, and Dorothy, seeing her old friend's plight, screamed and exclaimed: "Mercy me ! "

But the next instant the little girl's form had changed of lamb with fleecy white wool, and Dorothy was too bewildered anything but look around her in wonder

The Cowardly Lion's eyes now flashed fire; he crouched low and lashed the ground tail and gazed around to discover who the treacherous magician But Kiki, who had kept his face hollow rock, again whispered the magic word, great lion disappeared and place stood little boy dressed in Munchkin costume The little Munchkin boy was as angry lion , but small and helpless

Ruggedo the Nome saw happening and was afraid Kiki would spoil all his plans, so he leaned over the rock and shouted: "Stop, Kiki--stop ! "

Kiki stop, however Instead, he transformed the Nome into goose, to Ruggedo's horror and dismay But the Hungry Tiger had witnessed all these transformations, and watching which present was to blame When Ruggedo spoke to Kiki, the Hungry Tiger knew that he magician, so sudden spring and hurled his great body full form Li-Mon-Eag crouching against the rock Kiki didn't see the Tiger coming because his face was still hollow, heavy body tiger bore him earth just as "Pyrzqxgl ! " fifth time

So now the tiger crushing him changed to rabbit, and relieved weight, Kiki sprang up and, spreading his eagle's wings, flew branches of tree, where no beast could easily reach him not an instant too quick in doing this, for Gugu the King had crouched rock's edge and was about to spring boy

tree Kiki transformed Gugu into fat Gillikin woman, and laughed aloud how the woman pranced with rage, and how astonished all the beasts were at their King's new shape

The beasts were frightened, too, fearing share the fate of Gugu, so stampede began when Rango the Gray Ape sprang forest, and Bru the Bear and Loo the Unicorn followed as quickly as The elephants backed forest, and all the other animals, big and little, rushed after them, scattering jungles until the clearing was far behind The monkeys scrambled trees and swung themselves from limb to limb, to avoid being trampled upon bigger beasts, were so quick distanced all the rest panic of fear seemed overtaken the forest people got as far away terrible Magician possibly could

But the transformed ones stayed clearing, being so astonished and bewildered by their new shapes that only look at one another in dazed and helpless fashion, although was greatly annoyed trick that played on him

"Who ? " the Munchkin boy asked the Rabbit; and "Who ? " the Fox asked the Lamb; and "Who ? " the Rabbit asked the fat Gillikin woman

"I'm Dorothy," said the woolly Lamb

"I'm the Wizard," said the Fox

"I'm the Cowardly Lion," said the Munchkin boy

"I'm the Hungry Tiger," said the Rabbit

"I'm Gugu the King," said the fat Woman

But asked the Goose who , Ruggedo the Nome tell them

"I'm just Goose," he replied, "and what before, remember "

13 The Loss Black Bag

Kiki Aru, form Li-Mon-Eag, had scrambled high, thick branches tree, so no one him, and there he opened the Wizard's black bag, which he had carried away flight curious what the Wizard's magic tools looked like, and hoped use and so secure more power; but after he had taken the articles, one by one, bag, he had to admit they were puzzles to him For, unless he understood their uses, they were of no value whatever Kiki Aru, the Hyup boy, was no wizard or magician at all, and could do nothing unusual except to use the Magic Word he had stolen father on Mount Munch So he hung the Wizard's black bag on branch tree and then climbed down lower limbs that he might see what the victims transformations were doing

They were all on top flat rock, talking together in tones so low that Kiki hear what they said

" certainly misfortune," remarked the Wizard Fox's form, "but our transformations are sort of enchantment very easy to break-- know how the tools with The tools are in my Black Bag; but where Bag ? "

No one knew that, for none had seen Kiki Aru fly away with it

"Let's look find it," suggested Dorothy the Lamb