og as large as a man, called the Frogman, who was noted for his wise
sayings. He had come to the Emerald City from the Yip Country of Oz and
was a guest of honor. His long-tailed coat was of velvet, his vest of
satin and his trousers of finest silk. There were diamond buckles on
his shoes and he carried a gold-headed cane and a high silk hat. All of
the bright colors were represented in his rich attire, so it tired
one's eyes to look at him for long, until one became used to his
splendor.

The best farmer in all Oz was Uncle Henry, who was Dorothy's own uncle,
and who now lived near the Emerald City with his wife Aunt Em. Uncle
Henry taught the Oz people how to grow the finest vegetables and fruits
and grains and was of much use to Ozma in keeping the Royal Storehouses
well filled. He, too, was a counsellor.

The reason I mention the little Wizard of Oz last is because he was the
most important man in the Land of Oz. He wasn't a big man in size but
he was a man in power and intelligence and second only to Glinda the
Good in all the mystic arts of magic. Glinda had taught him, and the
Wizard and the Sorceress were the only ones in Oz permitted by law to
practice wizardry and sorcery, which they applied only to good uses and
for the benefit of the people.

The Wizard wasn't exactly handsome but he was pleasant to look at. His
bald head was as shiny as if it had been varnished; there was always a
merry twinkle in his eyes and he was as spry as a schoolboy. Dorothy
says the reason the Wizard is not as powerful as Glinda is because
Glinda didn't teach him all she knows, but what the Wizard knows he
knows very well and so he performs some very remarkable magic. The ten
I have mentioned assembled, with the Scarecrow and Glinda, in Ozma's
throne room, right after dinner that evening, and the Sorceress told
them all she knew of the plight of Ozma and Dorothy.

"Of course we must rescue them," she continued, "and the sooner they
are rescued the better pleased they will be; but what we must now
determine is how they can be saved. That is why I have called you
together in council."

"The easiest way," remarked the Shaggy Man, "is to raise the sunken
island of the Skeezers to the top of the water again."

"Tell me how?" said Glinda.

"I don't know how, your Highness, for I have never raised a sunken
island."

"We might all get under it and lift," suggested Professor Wogglebug.

"How can we get under it when it rests on t