get them to consent to join us. To do that, we must go among them
and tell them our plans, so we must now decide on what shapes we had
better assume while 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
live here, and a yellow leopard is King. If we become leopards, the
King will be jealous of us. If we take the forms of some of the other
beasts, we shall 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
the animals of the forest."

"Then what shall we do?" asked Kiki.

"Let us mix the shapes of several beasts, so we will not look like
any one of them," proposed the wily old Nome. "Let us have the heads
of lions, the bodies of monkeys, the wings of eagles and the tails of
wild asses, with knobs of gold on the end of them instead of bunches
of hair."

"Won't that make a queer combination?" inquired Kiki.