began to make his preparations.

18. The Magic of the Wizard

He first set up a small silver tripod and placed a gold basin at the
top of it. Into this basin he put two powders--a pink one and a
sky-blue one--and poured over them a yellow liquid from a crystal vial.
Then he mumbled some magic words, and the powders began to sizzle and
burn and send out a cloud of violet smoke that floated across the river
and completely enveloped both Trot and Cap'n Bill, as well as the
toadstools on which they sat, and even the Magic Plant in the gold
flower-pot. Then, after the smoke had disappeared into air, the Wizard
called out to the prisoners:

"Are you free?"

Both Trot and Cap'n Bill tried to move their feet and failed.

"No!" they shouted in answer.

The Wizard rubbed his bald head thoughtfully and then took some other
magic tools from the bag.

First he placed a little black ball in a silver pistol and shot it
toward the Magic Isle. The ball exploded just over the head of Trot
and scattered a thousand sparks over the little girl.

"Oh!" said the Wizard, "I guess that will set her free."

But Trot's feet were still rooted in the ground of the Magic Isle, and
the disappointed Wizard had to try something else.

For almost an hour he worked hard, using almost every magic tool in his
black bag, and still Cap'n Bill and Trot were not rescued.

"Dear me!" exclaimed Dorothy, "I'm 'fraid we'll have to go to Glinda,
after all."

That made the little Wizard blush, for it shamed him to think that his
magic was not equal to that of the Magic Isle.

"I won't give up yet, Dorothy," he said, "for I know a lot of wizardry
that I haven't yet tried. I don't know what magician enchanted this
little island, or what his powers were, but I DO know that I can break
any enchantment known to the ordinary witches and magicians that used
to inhabit the Land of Oz. It's like unlocking a door; all you need is
to find the right key."

"But 'spose you haven't the right key with you." suggested Dorothy;
"what then?"

"Then we'll have to make the key," he answered.

The Glass Cat now came back to their side of the river, walking under
the water, and said to the Wizard: "They're getting frightened over
there on the island because they're both growing smaller every minute.
Just now, when I left them, both Trot and Cap'n Bill were only about
half their natural sizes."

"I think," said the Wizard reflectively, "that I'd better