In the great corridor, Conjo paused before a small door that opened at his touch, revealing a cage-like little room.
"Step in," the Wizard invited his guests. "This is an elevator that will whisk us to the roof of the tallest tower of the castle—an improvement over the stairway, up which I find it difficult to whisk myself in my present state of, shall we say—stoutness? Ho, ho, ho, ho, he, he, he!"
Conjo beamed good humor and friendliness as the elevator shot noiselessly upward. In a few seconds the door clicked, slid open, and Conjo led his guests to the roof of the great tower. From this height they could see that the Isle of Conjo was small indeed, for the blue waters of the Nonestic Ocean were visible in any direction they looked. The sun was a great red ball of fire in the west, but it would still be several minutes before actual twilight set in.
"And here," said Conjo, leading them across the roof, "is the means by which I propose you return to the Land of Oz."
The Shaggy Man and the children saw before them a most curious object. It might have been the body of an automobile, except that it seemed to have neither front nor back. Both ends of it curled up like a gondola. Nor did it have wheels. The flat bottom rested solidly on the roof. To all appearances it had no means of locomotion.
Conjo was regarding the strange object proudly. "Behold!" he said, "one of my most ingenious creations—the Airmobile!"
"You mean to say," the Shaggy Man sighed, "that this thing is actually supposed to fly through the air?"
Conjo looked hurt. "You see before you," he said resentfully, "the most perfect means of air travel yet invented."
Tom broke in: "But how can it fly? It has no wings, no propeller, no jets—nothing but places to sit down!"