He first set up a small silver tripod and placed a gold basin at thetop of it. Into this basin he put two powders--a pink one and asky-blue one--and poured over them a yellow liquid from a crystalvial. Then he mumbled some magic words, and the powders began tosizzle and burn and send out a cloud of violet smoke that floatedacross the river and completely enveloped both Trot and Cap'n Bill, aswell as the toadstools on which they sat, and even the Magic Plant inthe 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 someother magic tools from the bag.

First he placed a little black ball in a silver pistol and shot ittoward the Magic Isle. The ball exploded just over the head of Trotand 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 inhis black bag, and still Cap'n Bill and Trot were not rescued.

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

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

"I won't give up yet, Dorothy," he said, "for I know a lot ofwizardry that I haven't yet tried. I don't know what magicianenchanted this little island, or what his powers were, but I DO knowthat I can break any enchantment known to the ordinary witches andmagicians that used to inhabit the Land of Oz. It's like unlocking adoor; 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, walkingunder the water, and said to the Wizard: "They're getting frightenedover there on the island because they're both growing smaller everyminute. Just now, when I left them, both Trot and Cap'n Bill wereonly about half their natural sizes."

"I think," said the Wizard reflectively, "that I'd better go to theshore of the island, where I can talk to them and work to betteradvantage. How did Trot and Cap'n Bill get to the island?"

"On a raft," answered the Glass Cat. "It's over there now on the beach."

"I suppose you're not strong enough to bring the raft to this side,are you?"

"No; I couldn't move it an inch," said the Cat.

"I'll try to get it for you," volunteered the Cowardly Lion. "I'mdreadfully scared for fear the Magic Isle will capture me, too; butI'll try to get the raft and bring it to this side for you."

"Thank you, my friend," said the Wizard.

So the Lion plunged into the river and swam with powerful strokesacross to where the raft was beached upon the island. Placing one pawon the raft, he turned and struck out with his other three legs and sostrong was the great beast that he managed to drag the raft from off thebeach and propel it slowly to where the Wizard stood on the river bank.

"Good!" exclaimed the little man, well pleased.

"May I go across with you?" asked Dorothy.

The Wizard hesitated.

"If you'll take care not to leave the raft or step foot on theisland, you'll be quite safe," he decided. So the Wizard told theHungry Tiger and the Cowardly Lion to guard the cage of monkeys untilhe returned, and then he and Dorothy got upon the raft. The paddlewhich Cap'n Bill had made was still there, so the little Wizard paddledthe clumsy raft across the water and ran it upon the beach of theMagic Isle as close to the place where Cap'n Bill and Trot wererooted as he could.

Dorothy was shocked to see how small the prisoners had become, andTrot said to her friends: "If you can't save us soon, there'll benothing left of us."

"Be patient, my dear," counseled the Wizard, and took the little axefrom his black bag.

"What are you going to do with that?" asked Cap'n Bill.

"It's a magic axe," replied the Wizard, "and when I tell it to chop,it will chop those roots from your feet and you can run to the raftbefore they grow again."

"Don't!" shouted the sailor in alarm. "Don't do it! Those rootsare all flesh roots, and our bodies are feeding 'em while they'regrowing into the ground."

"To cut off the roots," said Trot, "would be like cutting off ourfingers and toes."

The Wizard put the little axe back in the black bag and took out apair of silver pincers.

"Grow--grow--grow!" he said to the pincers, and at once they grewand extended until they reached from the raft to the prisoners.

"What are you going to do now?" demanded Cap'n Bill, fearfullyeyeing the pincers.

"This magic tool will pull you up, roots and all, and land you onthis raft," declared the Wizard.

"Don't do it!" pleaded the sailor, with a shudder. "It would hurtus awfully."

"It would be just like pulling teeth to pull us up by the roots,"explained Trot.

"Grow small!" said the Wizard to the pincers, and at once theybecame small and he threw them into the black bag.

"I guess, friends, it's all up with us, this time," remarked Cap'n Bill,with a dismal sigh.

"Please tell Ozma, Dorothy," said Trot, "that we got into troubletrying to get her a nice birthday present. Then she'll forgive us.The Magic Flower is lovely and wonderful, but it's just a lure tocatch folks on this dreadful island and then destroy them. You'llhave a nice birthday party, without us, I'm sure; and I hope, Dorothy,that none of you in the Emerald City will forget me--or dear ol'Cap'n Bill."