had found a lot of
things he had left behind him when he went away in the balloon, for no
one had occupied the apartment in his absence. There was enough material
there to enable him to prepare several new tricks which he had learned
from some of the jugglers in the circus, and he had passed part of the
night in getting them ready. So he followed the trick of the nine tiny
piglets with several other wonderful feats that greatly delighted his
audience and the people did not seem to care a bit whether the little
man was a humbug Wizard or not, so long as he succeeded in amusing them.
They applauded all his tricks and at the end of the performance begged
him earnestly not to go away again and leave them.

"In that case," said the little man, gravely, "I will cancel all of my
engagements before the crowned heads of Europe and America and devote
myself to the people of Oz, for I love you all so well that I can deny
you nothing."

After the people had been dismissed with this promise our friends joined
Princess Ozma at an elaborate luncheon in the palace, where even the
Tiger and the Lion were sumptuously fed and Jim the Cab-horse ate his
oatmeal out of a golden bowl with seven rows of rubies, sapphires and
diamonds set around the rim of it.

In the afternoon they all went to a great field outside the city gates
where the games were to be held. There was a beautiful canopy for Ozma
and her guests to sit under and watch the people run races and jump and
wrestle. You may be sure the folks of Oz did their best with such a
distinguished company watching them, and finally Zeb offered to wrestle
with a little Munchkin who seemed to be the champion. In appearance he
was twice as old as Zeb, for he had long pointed whiskers and wore a
peaked hat with little bells all around the brim of it, which tinkled
gaily as he moved. But although the Munchkin was hardly tall enough to
come to Zeb's shoulder he was so strong and clever that he laid the boy
three times on his back with apparent ease.

Zeb was greatly astonished at his defeat, and when the pretty Princess
joined her people in laughing at him he proposed a boxing-match with the
Munchkin, to which the little Ozite readily agreed. But the first time
that Zeb managed to give him a sharp box on the ears the Munchkin sat
down upon the ground and cried until the tears ran down his whiskers,
because he had been hurt. This made Zeb laugh, in turn, and the boy
felt comforted to find tha