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Of course, my dear. I would not willingly part with him."

They remained in the wicker castle for three days, carefully packing all the

magical things that had been stolen by Ugu and also taking whatever in the

way of magic the shoemaker had inherited from his ancestors. "For," said

Ozma, "I have forbidden any of my subjects except Glinda the Good and the

Wizard of Oz to practice magical arts, because they cannot be trusted to do

good and not harm. Therefore Ugu must never again be permitted to work

magic of any sort."

Well," remarked Dorothy cheerfully, "a dove can't do much in the way of

magic, anyhow, and I'm going to keep Ugu in the form of a dove until he

reforms and becomes a good and honest shoemaker."

When everything was packed and loaded on the backs of the animals, they set

out for the river, taking a more direct route than that by which Cayke and the

Frogman had come. In this way they avoided the Cities of Thi and Herku and

Bear Center and after a pleasant journey reached the Winkie River and found

a jolly ferryman who had a fine, big boat and was willing to carry the entire

party by water to a place quite near to the Emerald City.

The river had many windings and many branches, and the journey did not

end in a day, but finally the boat floated into a pretty lake which was but a

short distance from Ozma's home. Here the jolly ferryman was rewarded for

his labors, and then the entire party set out in a grand procession to march to

the Emerald City. News that the Royal Ozma had been found spread quickly

throughout the neighborhood, and both sides of the road soon became lined

with loyal subjects of the beautiful and beloved Ruler. Therefore Ozma's ears

heard little but cheers, and her eyes beheld little else than waving

handkerchiefs and banners during all the triumphal march from the lake to

the city's gates.

And there she met a still greater concourse, for all the inhabitants of the

Emerald City turned out to welcome her return, and all the houses were

decorated with flags and bunting, and never before were the people so joyous

and happy as at this moment when they welcomed home their girl Ruler. For

she had been lost and was now found again, and surely that was cause for

rejoicing. Glinda was at the royal palace to meet the returning party, and the

good Sorceress was indeed glad to have her Great Book of Records returned to

her, as well as all the precious collection of magic instruments and elixirs and

chemicals that had been stolen from her castle. Cap'n Bill and the Wizard at

once hung the Magic Picture upon the wall of Ozma's boudoir, and the Wizard

The Lost Princess of Oz