The Forest of Gugu
CHAPTER 7
In the central western part of the Gillikin Country is a great tangle oftrees called Gugu Forest. It is the biggest forest in all Oz andstretches miles and miles in every direction--north, south, east andwest. Adjoining it on the east side is a range of rugged mountainscovered with underbrush and small twisted trees. You can find this placeby looking at the Map of the Land of Oz.
Gugu Forest is the home of most of the wild beasts that inhabit Oz.These are seldom disturbed in their leafy haunts because there is noreason why Oz people should go there, except on rare occasions, and mostparts of the forest have never been seen by any eyes but the eyes of thebeasts who make their home there. The biggest beasts inhabit the greatforest, while the smaller ones live mostly in the mountain underbrush atthe east.
Now, you must know that there are laws in the forests, as well as inevery other place, and these laws are made by the beasts themselves, andare necessary to keep them from fighting and tearing one another topieces. In Gugu Forest there is a King--an enormous yellow leopardcalled "Gugu"--after whom the forest is named. And this King has threeother beasts to advise him in keeping the laws and maintainingorder--Bru the Bear, Loo the Unicorn and Rango the Gray Ape--who areknown as the King's Counselors. All these are fierce and ferociousbeasts, and hold their high offices because they are more intelligentand more feared than their fellows.
Since Oz became a fairyland, no man, woman or child ever dies in thatland nor is anyone ever sick. Likewise the beasts of the forests neverdie, so that long years add to their cunning and wisdom, as well as totheir size and strength. It is possible for beasts--or even people--tobe destroyed, but the task is so difficult that it is seldom attempted.Because it is free from sickness and death is one reason why Oz is afairyland, but it is doubtful whether those who come to Oz from theoutside world, as Dorothy and Button-Bright and Trot and Cap'n Bill andthe Wizard did, will live forever or cannot be injured. Even Ozma is notsure about this, and so the guests of Ozma from other lands are alwayscarefully protected from any danger, so as to be on the safe side.
In spite of the laws of the forests there are often fights among thebeasts; some of them have lost an eye or an ear or even had a leg tornoff. The King and the King's Counselors always punish those who start afight, but so fierce is the nature of some beasts that they will attimes fight in spite of laws and punishment.
Over this vast, wild Forest of Gugu flew two eagles, one morning, andnear the center of the jungle the eagles alighted on a branch of a talltree.
"Here is the place for us to begin our work," said one, who was Ruggedo,the Nome.
"Do many beasts live here?" asked Kiki Aru, the other eagle.
"The forest is full of them," said the Nome. "There are enough beastsright here to enable us to conquer the people of Oz, if we can get themto consent to join us. To do that, we must go among them and tell themour plans, so we must now decide on what shapes we had better assumewhile 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 livehere, and a yellow leopard is King. If we become leopards, the King willbe jealous of us. If we take the forms of some of the other beasts, weshall 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 theanimals of the forest."
"Then what shall we do?" asked Kiki.
"Let us mix the shapes of several beasts, so we will not look like anyone of them," proposed the wily old Nome. "Let us have the heads oflions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles and the tails of wildasses, with knobs of gold on the end of them instead of bunches ofhair."
"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 anothertree and transform us both, and then we'll climb down our trees and meetin the forest."
"No," said the Nome, "we mustn't separate. You must transform us whilewe are together."
"I won't do that," asserted Kiki, firmly. "You're trying to get mysecret, and I won't let you."
The eyes of the other eagle flashed angrily, but Ruggedo did not dareinsist. If he offended this boy, he might have to remain an eagle alwaysand he wouldn't like that. Some day he hoped to be able to learn thesecret word of the magical transformations, but just now he must letKiki 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 couldnot overhear him and said: "I want Ruggedo, the Nome, and myself to havethe heads of lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles and thetails of wild asses, with knobs of gold on the ends of them instead ofbunches of hair--Pyrzqxgl!"
He pronounced the magic word in the proper manner and at once his formchanged to the one he had described. He spread his eagle's wings andfinding they were strong enough to support his monkey body and lion headhe flew swiftly to the tree where he had left Ruggedo. The Nome was alsotransformed and was climbing down the tree because the branches allaround him were so thickly entwined that there was no room between themto fly.
Kiki quickly joined his comrade and it did not take them long to reachthe ground.
The Magic of Oz Page 9
