performed his
transformations. Of course, there was no such tool, and although
Ruggedo searched in all the boy's pockets, he found nothing magical
whatever. So he went back to his bed and began to doubt that Kiki
could perform transformations.

Next morning he said:

"Which way do you travel to-day?"

"I think I shall visit the Rose Kingdom," answered the boy.

"That is a long journey," declared the Nome.

"I shall transform myself into a bird," said Kiki, "and so fly to the
Rose Kingdom in an hour."

"Then transform me, also, into a bird, and I will go with you,"
suggested Ruggedo. "But, in that case, let us fly together to the Land
of Oz, and see what it looks like."

Kiki thought this over. Pleasant as were the countries he had visited,
he heard everywhere that the Land of Oz was more beautiful and
delightful. The Land of Oz was his own country, too, and if there was
any possibility of his becoming its King, he must know something about
it.

While Kiki the Hyup thought, Ruggedo the Nome was also thinking. This
boy possessed a marvelous power, and although very simple in some ways,
he was determined not to part with his secret. However, if Ruggedo
could get him to transport the wily old Nome to Oz, which he could
reach in no other way, he might then induce the boy to follow his
advice and enter into the plot for revenge, which he had already
planned in his wicked heart.

"There are wizards and magicians in Oz," remarked Kiki, after a time.
"They might discover us, in spite of our transformations."

"Not if we are careful," Ruggedo assured him. "Ozma has a Magic
Picture, in which she can see whatever she wishes to see; but Ozma will
know nothing of our going to Oz, and so she will not command her Magic
Picture to show where we are or what we are doing. Glinda the Good has
a Great Book called the Book of Records, in which is magically written
everything that people do in the Land of Oz, just the instant they do
it."

"Then," said Kiki, "there is no use our attempting to conquer the
country, for Glinda would read in her book all that we do, and as her
magic is greater than mine, she would soon put a stop to our plans."

"I said 'people,' didn't I?" retorted the Nome. "The book doesn't make
a record of what birds do, or beasts. It only tells the doings of
people. So, if we fly into the country as birds, Glinda won't know
anything about it."

"Two birds couldn't conquer the Land of Oz," asser