to perform. Then I will decide whether to destroy you with the others
or not."

At this the Wizard made a bow to the people and repeated his trick of
producing the nine tiny piglets and making them disappear again. He
did it very cleverly, indeed, and the Princess looked at the strange
piglets as if she were as truly astonished as any vegetable person
could be. But afterward she said:

"I have heard of this wonderful magic. But it accomplishes nothing of
value. What else can you do?"

The Wizard tried to think. Then he jointed together the blades of his
sword and balanced it very skillfully upon the end of his nose. But
even that did not satisfy the Princess.

Just then his eye fell upon the lanterns and the can of kerosene oil
which Zeb had brought from the car of his balloon, and he got a clever
idea from those commonplace things.

"Your Highness," said he, "I will now proceed to prove my magic by
creating two suns that you have never seen before; also I will exhibit
a Destroyer much more dreadful that your Clinging Vines."

So he placed Dorothy upon one side of him and the boy upon the other
and set a lantern upon each of their heads.

"Don't laugh," he whispered to them, "or you will spoil the effect of
my magic."