ne in it," returned Pang
positively.

Ruggedo was beginning to be alarmed as well as angry. However, these
disappointments but made him the more vindictive and he cast an evil
look at the other prisoners and said:

"Never mind the girl and the donkey. Here are four, at least, who
cannot escape my vengeance. Let me see; I believe I'll change my mind
about Tik-Tok. Have the gold crucible heated to a white, seething heat,
and then we'll dump the copper man into it and melt him up."

"But, Your Majesty," protested Kaliko, who had returned to the room
after sending a hundred nomes to search for the Oogaboo people, "you
must remember that Tik-Tok is a very curious and interesting machine.
It would be a shame to deprive the world of such a clever contrivance."

"Say another word, and you'll go into the furnace with him!" roared the
King. "I'm getting tired of you, Kaliko, and the first thing you know
I'll turn you into a potato and make Saratoga-chips of you! The next to
consider," he added more mildly, "is the Shaggy Man. As he owns the
Love Magnet, I think I'll transform him into a dove, and then we can
practice shooting at him with Tik-Tok's gun. Now, this is a very
interesting ceremony and I beg you all to watch me closely and see that
I've nothing up my sleeve."

He came out of his throne to stand before the Shaggy Man, and then he
waved his hands, palms downward, in seven semicircles over his victim's
head, saying in a low but clear tone of voice the magic wugwa:

"Adi, edi, idi, odi, udi, oo-i-oo!
Idu, ido, idi, ide, ida, woo!"

The effect of this well-known sorcery was instantaneous. Instead of the
Shaggy Man, a pretty dove lay fluttering upon the floor, its wings
confined by tiny cords wound around them. Ruggedo gave an order to
Pang, who cut the cords with a pair of scissors. Being freed, the dove
quickly flew upward and alighted on the shoulder of the Rose Princess,
who stroked it tenderly.

"Very good! Very good!" cried Ruggedo, rubbing his hands gleefully
together. "One enemy is out of my way, and now for the others."

(Perhaps my readers should be warned not to attempt the above
transformation; for, although the exact magical formula has been
described, it is unlawful in all civilized countries for anyone to
transform a person into a dove by muttering the words Ruggedo used.
There were no laws to prevent the Nome King from performing this
transformation, but if it should be attempted in any other c