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fierce fight, so he spread his wings and rose in the air and flew directly toward
Dorothy. The Wall of Glass had disappeared the instant Ugu became
transformed.
Dorothy had meant to command the Belt to transform the magician into a
Dove of Peace, but in her excitement she forgot to say more than "dove," and
now Ugu was not a Dove of Peace by any means, but rather a spiteful Dove of
War. His size made his sharp beak and claws very dangerous, but Dorothy
was not afraid when he came darting toward her with his talons outstretched
and his sword-like beak open. She knew the Magic Belt would protect its
wearer from harm.
But the Frogman did not know that fact and became alarmed at the little girl's
seeming danger. So he gave a sudden leap and leaped full upon the back of
the great dove. Then began a desperate struggle. The dove was as strong as
Ugu had been, and in size it was considerably bigger than the Frogman. But
the Frogman had eaten the zosozo, and it had made him fully as strong as
Ugu the Dove. At the first leap he bore the dove to the floor, but the giant bird
got free and began to bite and claw the Frogman, beating him down with its
great wings whenever he attempted to rise. The thick, tough skin of the big
frog was not easily damaged, but Dorothy feared for her champion, and by
again using the transformation power of the Magic Belt, she made the dove
grow small until it was no larger than a canary bird. Ugu had not lost his
knowledge of magic when he lost his shape as a man, and he now realized it
was hopeless to oppose the power of the Magic Belt and knew that his only
hope of escape lay in instant action. So he quickly flew into the golden
jeweled dishpan he had stolen from Cayke the Cookie Cook, and as birds can
talk as well as beasts or men in the Fairyland of Oz, he muttered the magic
word that was required and wished himself in the Country of the Quadlings,
which was as far away from the wicker castle as he believed he could get.
Our friends did not know, of course, what Ugu was about to do. They saw the
dishpan tremble an instant and then disappear, the dove disappearing with it,
and although they waited expectantly for some minutes for the magician's
return, Ugu did not come back again. "Seems to me," said the Wizard in a
cheerful voice, "that we have conquered the wicked magician more quickly
than we expected to."
"
Don't say 'we.' Dorothy did it!" cried the Patchwork Girl, turning three
somersaults in succession and then walking around on her hands. "Hurrah
for Dorothy!"
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