friend of
mine has also had her dishpan stolen. With her I have traveled all the
way from the Yip Country in order to recover it."

[Illustration]

"I don't see any connection between a Royal Ruler of Oz and a dishpan!"
declared Scraps.

"They've both been stolen, haven't they?"

"True. But why can't your friend wash her dishes in another dishpan?"
asked Scraps.

"Why can't you use another Royal Ruler? I suppose you prefer the one who
is lost, and my friend wants her own dishpan, which is made of gold and
studded with diamonds and has magic powers."

"Magic, eh?" exclaimed Scraps. "_There_ is a link that connects the two
steals, anyhow, for it seems that all the magic in the Land of Oz was
stolen at the same time, whether it was in the Emerald City or in
Glinda's castle or in the Yip Country. Seems mighty strange and
mysterious, doesn't it?"

"It used to seem that way to us," admitted the Frogman, "but we have now
discovered who took our dishpan. It was Ugu the Shoemaker."

"Ugu? Good gracious! That's the same magician we think has stolen Ozma.
We are now on our way to the castle of this Shoemaker."

"So are we," said the Frogman.

"Then follow me, quick! and let me introduce you to Dorothy and the
other girls and to the Wizard of Oz and all the rest of us."

[Illustration]

She sprang up and seized his coat-sleeve, dragging him off the hilltop
and down the other side from that whence he had come. And at the foot of
the hill the Frogman was astonished to find the three girls and the
Wizard and Button-Bright, who were surrounded by a wooden Sawhorse, a
lean Mule, a square Woozy and a Cowardly Lion. A little black dog ran up
and smelled at the Frogman, but couldn't growl at him.

"I've discovered another party that has been robbed," shouted Scraps as
she joined them. "This is their leader and they're all going to Ugu's
castle to fight the wicked Shoemaker!"

They regarded the Frogman with much curiosity and interest and, finding
all eyes fixed upon him, the newcomer arranged his necktie and smoothed
his beautiful vest and swung his gold-headed cane like a regular dandy.
The big spectacles over his eyes quite altered his froglike countenance
and gave him a learned and impressive look. Used as she was to seeing
strange creatures in the Land of Oz, Dorothy was amazed at discovering
the Frogman. So were all her companions. Toto wanted to growl at him,
but couldn't, and he didn't dare bark. The Sawhorse snort