me the greatest magician in Oz, and for days
and weeks and months he thought on a plan to render all the other
sorcerers and wizards, as well as those with fairy powers, helpless to
oppose him.

From the books of his ancestors, he learned the following facts:

(1) That Ozma of Oz was the fairy ruler of the Emerald City and the
Land of Oz and that she could not be destroyed by any magic ever
devised. Also, by means of her Magic Picture she would be able to
discover anyone who approached her royal palace with the idea of
conquering it.

(2) That Glinda the Good was the most powerful Sorceress in Oz, among
her other magical possessions being the Great Book of Records, which
told her all that happened anywhere in the world. This Book of Records
was very dangerous to Ugu's plans, and Glinda was in the service of
Ozma and would use her arts of sorcery to protect the girl Ruler.

(3) That the Wizard of Oz, who lived in Ozma's palace, had been taught
much powerful magic by Glinda and had a bag of magic tools with which
he might be able to conquer the Shoemaker.

(4) That there existed in Oz--in the Yip Country--a jeweled dishpan
made of gold, which dishpan would grow large enough for a man to sit
inside it. Then, when he grasped both the golden handles, the dishpan
would transport him in an instant to any place he wished to go within
the borders of the Land of Oz.

No one now living except Ugu knew of the powers of the Magic Dishpan,
so after long study, the shoemaker decided that if he could manage to
secure the dishpan, he could by its means rob Ozma and Glinda and the
Wizard of Oz of all their magic, thus becoming himself the most
powerful person in all the land. His first act was to go away from the
City of Herku and build for himself the Wicker Castle in the hills.
Here he carried his books and instruments of magic, and here for a full
year he diligently practiced all the magical arts learned from his
ancestors. At the end of that time, he could do a good many wonderful
things.

Then, when all his preparations were made, he set out for the Yip
Country, and climbing the steep mountain at night he entered the house
of Cayke the Cookie Cook and stole her diamond-studded gold dishpan
while all the Yips were asleep, Taking his prize outside, he set the
pan upon the ground and uttered the required magic word. Instantly,
the dishpan grew as large as a big washtub, and Ugu seated himself in
it and grasped the two ha