I think the wicked witches have all been destroyed."

Just then the Wooden Sawhorse dashed into the courtyard with the Wizard
of Oz on his back. "Have you found Ozma?" cried the Wizard when the
Sawhorse stopped beside them.

"Not yet," said Dorothy. "Doesn't Glinda the Good know where she is?"

"No. Glinda's Book of Records and all her magic instruments are gone.
Someone must have stolen them."

"Goodness me!" exclaimed Dorothy in alarm. "This is the biggest steal
I ever heard of. Who do you think did it, Wizard?"

"I've no idea," he answered. "But I have come to get my own bag of
magic tools and carry them to Glinda. She is so much more powerful
than I that she may be able to discover the truth by means of my magic
quicker and better than I could myself."

"Hurry, then," said Dorothy, "for we've all gotten terr'bly worried."

The Wizard rushed away to his rooms but presently came back with a
long, sad face. "It's gone!" he said.

"What's gone?" asked Scraps.

"My black bag of magic tools. Someone must have stolen it!"

They looked at one another in amazement.

"This thing is getting desperate," continued the Wizard. "All the magic
that belongs to Ozma or to Glinda or to me has been stolen."

"Do you suppose Ozma could have taken them, herself, for some purpose?"
asked Betsy.

"No indeed," declared the Wizard. "I suspect some enemy has stolen
Ozma and for fear we would follow and recapture her has taken all our
magic away from us."

"How dreadful!" cried Dorothy. "The idea of anyone wanting to injure
our dear Ozma! Can't we do ANYthing to find her, Wizard?"

"I'll ask Glinda. I must go straight back to her and tell her that my
magic tools have also disappeared. The good Sorceress will be greatly
shocked, I know."

With this, he jumped upon the back of the Sawhorse again, and the
quaint steed, which never tired, dashed away at full speed. The three
girls were very much disturbed in mind. Even the Patchwork Girl seemed
to realize that a great calamity had overtaken them all. Ozma was a
fairy of considerable power, and all the creatures in Oz as well as the
three mortal girls from the outside world looked upon her as their
protector and friend. The idea of their beautiful girl Ruler's being
overpowered by an enemy and dragged from her splendid palace a captive
was too astonishing for them to comprehend at first. Yet what other
explanation of the mystery could there be?

"Ozma wouldn't