le us to conquer the people of Oz, if we can get them
to consent to join us. To do that, we must go among them and tell them
our plans, so we must now decide on what shapes we had better assume
while in the forest."

"I suppose we must take the shapes of beasts?" said Kiki.

"Of course. But that requires some thought. All kinds of beasts live
here, and a yellow leopard is King. If we become leopards, the King
will be jealous of us. If we take the forms of some of the other
beasts, we shall not command proper respect."

"I wonder if the beasts will attack us?" asked Kiki.

"I'm a Nome, and immortal, so nothing can hurt me," replied Ruggedo.

"I was born in the Land of Oz, so nothing can hurt me," said Kiki.

"But, in order to carry out our plans, we must win the favor of all the
animals of the forest."

"Then what shall we do?" asked Kiki.

"Let us mix the shapes of several beasts, so we will not look like any
one of them," proposed the wily old Nome. "Let us have the heads of
lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles and the tails of wild
asses, with knobs of gold on the end of them instead of bunches of
hair."

"Won't that make a queer combination?" inquired Kiki.

"The queerer the better," declared Ruggedo.

"All right," said Kiki. "You stay here, and I'll fly away to another
tree and transform us both, and then we'll climb down our trees and
meet in the forest."

"No," said the Nome, "we mustn't separate. You must transform us while
we are together."

"I won't do that," asserted Kiki, firmly. "You're trying to get my
secret, and I won't let you."

The eyes of the other eagle flashed angrily, but Ruggedo did not dare
insist. If he offended this boy, he might have to remain an eagle
always and he wouldn't like that. Some day he hoped to be able to
learn the secret word of the magical transformations, but just now he
must let Kiki have his own way.

"All right," he said gruffly; "do as you please."

So Kiki flew to a tree that was far enough distant so that Ruggedo
could not overhear him and said: "I want Ruggedo, the Nome, and myself
to have the heads of lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles
and the tails of wild asses, with knobs of gold on the ends of them
instead of bunches of hair--Pyrzqxgl!"

He pronounced the magic word in the proper manner and at once his form
changed to the one he had described. He spread his eagle's wings and
finding they were strong enough