mations, Ruggedo would not dare to harm him, and
he promised himself that as soon as they had con-
quered Oz, he would transform the old Nome into a
marble statue and keep him in that form forever.

Ruggedo, on his part, decided that he could, by
careful watching and listening, surprise the boy's
secret, and when he had learned the magic word he
would transform Kiki Aru into a bundle of faggots
and burn him up and so be rid of him.

This is always the way with wicked people. They
cannot be trusted even by one another. Ruggedo
thought he was fooling Kiki, and Kiki thought he was
fooling Ruggedo; so both were pleased.

"It's a long way across the Desert," remarked the
boy, "and the sands are hot and send up poisonous
vapors. Let us wait until evening and then fly across
in the night when it will be cooler."

The former Nome King agreed to this, and the two
spent the rest of that day in talking over their plans.
When evening came they paid the inn-keeper and
walked out to a little grove of trees that stood near by.

"Remain here for a few minutes and I'll soon be
back," said Kiki, and walking swiftly away, he left
the Nome standing in the grove. Ruggedo wondered
where he had gone, but stood quietly in his place until,

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