ld make him
better beloved by his subjects when he returned to them freed from his
dire enchantment.

Bilbil was finally convinced of the truth of this assertion and agreed
to submit to the experiments of Glinda and the Wizard, who knew they had
a hard task before them and were not at all sure they could succeed. We
know that Glinda is the most complete mistress of magic who has ever
existed, and she was wise enough to guess that the clever but evil
magician who had enchanted Prince Bobo had used a spell that would
puzzle any ordinary wizard or sorcerer to break; therefore she had given
the matter much shrewd thought and hoped she had conceived a plan that
would succeed. But because she was not positive of success she would
have no one present at the incantation except her assistant, the Wizard
of Oz.

[Illustration: GOAT LAMB OSTRICH]

First she transformed Bilbil the goat into a lamb, and this was done
quite easily. Next she transformed the lamb into an ostrich, giving it
two legs and feet instead of four. Then she tried to transform the
ostrich into the original Prince Bobo, but this incantation was an utter
failure. Glinda was not discouraged, however, but by a powerful spell
transformed the ostrich into a tottenhot--which is a lower form of a
man. Then the tottenhot was transformed into a mifket, which was a great
step in advance and, finally, Glinda transformed the mifket into a
handsome young man, tall and shapely, who fell on his knees before the
great Sorceress and gratefully kissed her hand, admitting that he had
now recovered his proper shape and was indeed Prince Bobo of Boboland.

[Illustration: MIFKET PRINCE]

This process of magic, successful though it was in the end, had required
so much time that the banquet was now awaiting their presence. Bobo was
already dressed in princely raiment and although he seemed very much
humbled by his recent lowly condition, they finally persuaded him to
join the festivities.

When Rinkitink saw that his goat had now become a Prince, he did not
know whether to be sorry or glad, for he felt that he would miss the
companionship of the quarrelsome animal he had so long been accustomed
to ride upon, while at the same time he rejoiced that poor Bilbil had
come to his own again.

[Illustration: BETSY TROT]

Prince Bobo humbly begged Rinkitink's forgiveness for having been so
disagreeable to him, at times, saying that the nature of a goat had
influenced him and the sur