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had promised to fight a good fight if it was necessary, but the Wizard knew

that strength alone could not avail against magical arts. The toy Bear King

seemed to have some pretty good magic, however, and the Wizard depended to

an extent on that. But something ought to be done right away, and the Wizard

didn't know what it was.

While he considered this perplexing question and the others stood looking at

him as their leader, a queer thing happened. The floor of the great circular

hall on which they were standing suddenly began to tip. Instead of being flat

and level, it became a slant, and the slant grew steeper and steeper until none

of the party could manage to stand upon it. Presently they all slid down to the

wall, which was now under them, and then it became evident that the whole

vast room was slowly turning upside down! Only Ugu the Shoemaker, kept in

place by the bars of his golden cage, remained in his former position, and the

wicked magician seemed to enjoy the surprise of his victims immensely.

First they all slid down to the wall back of them, but as the room continued to

turn over, they next slid down the wall and found themselves at the bottom of

the great dome, bumping against the big chandelier which, like everything

else, was now upside down. The turning movement now stopped, and the

room became stationary. Looking far up, they saw Ugu suspended in his cage

at the very top, which had once been the floor.

Ah," said he, grinning down at them, "the way to conquer is to act, and he

who acts promptly is sure to win. This makes a very good prison, from which

I am sure you cannot escape. Please amuse yourselves in any way you like,

but I must beg you to excuse me, as I have business in another part of my

castle."

Saying this, he opened a trap door in the floor of his cage (which was now over

his head) and climbed through it and disappeared from their view. The

diamond dishpan still remained in the cage, but the bars kept it from falling

down on their heads.

Well, I declare," said the Patchwork Girl, seizing one of the bars of the

chandelier and swinging from it, "we must peg one for the Shoemaker, for he

has trapped us very cleverly."

Get off my foot, please," said the Lion to the Sawhorse.

And oblige me, Mr. Mule," remarked the Woozy, "by taking your tail out of

my left eye."

The Lost Princess of Oz