The Magic of Oz

was so big that as he stood on the ground his head was higher than the

trees of the forest. The monkeys raised a great chatter but did not seem to

understand that the Giant was one of themselves.

Good!" cried the Nome. "Hurry, Kiki, and transform the others."

So Kiki rushed back to the tree and putting his face to the hollow,

whispered:

I want the next monkey to be just like the first--Pyrzqxgl!"

Again the Wizard Fox heard the Magic Word, and just how it was

pronounced. But he sat still in the hollow and waited to hear it again, so it

would be impressed on his mind and he would not forget it.

Kiki kept running to the edge of the forest and back to the hollow tree

again until he had whispered the Magic Word six times and six monkeys

had been changed to six great Giants. Then the Wizard decided he would

make an experiment and use the Magic Word himself. So, while Kiki was

running back to the Nome, the Fox stuck his head out of the hollow and

said softly: "I want that creature who is running to become a hickory-nut--

Pyrzqxgl!"

Instantly the Li-Mon-Eag form of Kiki Aru the Hyup disappeared and

a small hickory-nut rolled upon the ground a moment and then lay still.

The Wizard was delighted, and leaped from the hollow just as

Ruggedo looked around to see what had become of Kiki. The Nome saw

the Fox but no Kiki, so he hastily rose to his feet. The Wizard did not

know how powerful the queer beast might be, so he resolved to take no

chances.

I want this creature to become a walnut--Pyrzqxgl!" he said aloud.

But he did not pronounce the Magic Word in quite the right way, and

Ruggedo's form did not change. But the Nome knew at once that

Pyrzqxgl!" was the Magic Word, so he rushed at the Fox and cried:

I want you to become a Goose--Pyrzqxgl!"

But the Nome did not pronounce the word aright, either, having never

heard it spoken but once before, and then with a wrong accent. So the Fox

was not transformed, but it had to run away to escape being caught by the

angry Nome.