The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Kansas and Aunt Em, it did not matter so much whether the Woodman had
no brains and the Scarecrow no heart, or each got what he wanted.
What worried her most was that the bread was nearly gone, and another
meal for herself and Toto would empty the basket. To be sure, neither
the Woodman nor the Scarecrow ever ate anything, but she was not made
of tin nor straw, and could not live unless she was fed.
Chapter VI
The Cowardly Lion
All this time Dorothy and her companions had been walking through the
thick woods. The road was still paved with yellow brick, but these were
much covered by dried branches and dead leaves from the trees, and the
walking was not at all good.
There were few birds in this part of the forest, for birds love the
open country where there is plenty of sunshine. But now and then there
came a deep growl from some wild animal hidden among the trees. These
sounds made the little girl’s heart beat fast, for she did not know
what made them; but Toto knew, and he walked close to Dorothy’s side,
and did not even bark in return.
“How long will it be,” the child asked of the Tin Woodman, “before we
are out of the forest?”
“I cannot tell,” was the answer, “for I have never been to the Emerald
City. But my father went there once, when I was a boy, and he said it
was a long journey through a dangerous country, although nearer to the
city where Oz dwells the country is beautiful. But I am not afraid so
long as I have my oil-can, and nothing can hurt the Scarecrow, while
you bear upon your forehead the mark of the Good Witch’s kiss, and that
will protect you from harm.”
“But Toto!” said the girl anxiously. “What will protect him?”
“We must protect him ourselves if he is in danger,” replied the Tin
Woodman.
Just as he spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar, and the
next moment a great Lion bounded into the road. With one blow of his
paw he sent the Scarecrow spinning over and over to the edge of the
road, and then he struck at the Tin Woodman with his sharp claws. But,
to the Lion’s surprise, he could make no impression on the tin,
although the Woodman fell over in the road and lay still.
Little Toto, now that he had an enemy to face, ran barking toward the
Lion, and the great beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog, when
Dorothy, fearing Toto would be killed, and heedless of danger, rushed
forward and slapped the Lion upon his nose as hard as she could, while
she cried out:
“Don’t you dare to bite Toto! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, a
big beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!”
“I didn’t bite him,” said the Lion, as he rubbed his nose with his paw
where Dorothy had hit it.
“No, but you tried to,” she retorted. “You are nothing but a big
coward.”
“I know it,” said the Lion, hanging his head in shame. “I’ve always
known it. But how can I help it?”
“I don’t know, I’m sure. To think of your striking a stuffed man, like
the poor Scarecrow!”
“Is he stuffed?” asked the Lion in surprise, as he watched her pick up
the Scarecrow and set him upon his feet, while she patted him into
shape again.
“Of course he’s stuffed,” replied Dorothy, who was still angry.
“That’s why he went over so easily,” remarked the Lion. “It astonished
me to see him whirl around so. Is the other one stuffed also?”
“No,” said Dorothy, “he’s made of tin.” And she helped the Woodman up
again.
“That’s why he nearly blunted my claws,” said the Lion. “When they
scratched against the tin it made a cold shiver run down my back. What
is that little animal you are so tender of?”
“He is my dog, Toto,” answered Dorothy.
“Is he made of tin, or stuffed?” asked the Lion.
“Neither. He’s a—a—a meat dog,” said the girl.
“Oh! He’s a curious animal and seems remarkably small, now that I look
at him. No one would think of biting such a little thing, except a
coward like me,” continued the Lion sadly.
“What makes you a coward?” asked Dorothy, looking at the great beast in
wonder, for he was as big as a small horse.
“It’s a mystery,” replied the Lion. “I suppose I was born that way. All
the other animals in the forest naturally expect me to be brave, for
the Lion is everywhere thought to be the King of Beasts. I learned that
if I roared very loudly every living thing was frightened and got out
of my way. Whenever I’ve met a man I’ve been awfully scared; but I just
roared at him, and he has always run away as fast as he could go. If
the elephants and the tigers and the bears had ever tried to fight me,
I should have run myself—I’m such a coward; but just as soon as they
hear me roar they all try to get away from me, and of course I let them
go.”
“But that isn’t right. The King of Beasts shouldn’t be a coward,” said
the Scarecrow.
“I know it,” returned the Lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tip
of his tail. “It is my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy.
But whenever there is danger, my heart begins to beat fast.”
“Perhaps you have heart disease,” said the Tin Woodman.
“It may be,” said the Lion.
“If you have,” continued the Tin Woodman, “you ought to be glad, for it
proves you have a heart. For my part, I have no heart; so I cannot have
heart disease.”
“Perhaps,” said the Lion thoughtfully, “if I had no heart I should not
be a coward.”
“Have you brains?” asked the Scarecrow.
“I suppose so. I’ve never looked to see,” replied the Lion.
“I am going to the Great Oz to ask him to give me some,” remarked the
Scarecrow, “for my head is stuffed with straw.”
“And I am going to ask him to give me a heart,” said the Woodman.
“And I am going to ask him to send Toto and me back to Kansas,” added
Dorothy.
“Do you think Oz could give me courage?” asked the Cowardly Lion.
“Just as easily as he could give me brains,” said the Scarecrow.
“Or give me a heart,” said the Tin Woodman.
“Or send me back to Kansas,” said Dorothy.
“Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll go with you,” said the Lion, “for my
life is simply unbearable without a bit of courage.”
“You will be very welcome,” answered Dorothy, “for you will help to
keep away the other wild beasts. It seems to me they must be more
cowardly than you are if they allow you to scare them so easily.”
“They really are,” said the Lion, “but that doesn’t make me any braver,
and as long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy.”
So once more the little company set off upon the journey, the Lion
walking with stately strides at Dorothy’s side. Toto did not approve of
this new comrade at first, for he could not forget how nearly he had
been crushed between the Lion’s great jaws. But after a time he became
more at ease, and presently Toto and the Cowardly Lion had grown to be
good friends.
During the rest of that day there was no other adventure to mar the
peace of their journey. Once, indeed, the Tin Woodman stepped upon a
beetle that was crawling along the road, and killed the poor little
thing. This made the Tin Woodman very unhappy, for he was always
careful not to hurt any living creature; and as he walked along he wept
several tears of sorrow and regret. These tears ran slowly down his
face and over the hinges of his jaw, and there they rusted. When
Dorothy presently asked him a question the Tin Woodman could not open
his mouth, for his jaws were tightly rusted together. He became greatly
frightened at this and made many motions to Dorothy to relieve him, but
she could not understand. The Lion was also puzzled to know what was
wrong. But the Scarecrow seized the oil-can from Dorothy’s basket and
oiled the Woodman’s jaws, so that after a few moments he could talk as
well as before.
“This will serve me a lesson,” said he, “to look where I step. For if I
should kill another bug or beetle I should surely cry again, and crying
rusts my jaws so that I cannot speak.”
Thereafter he walked very carefully, with his eyes on the road, and
when he saw a tiny ant toiling by he would step over it, so as not to
harm it. The Tin Woodman knew very well he had no heart, and therefore
he took great care never to be cruel or unkind to anything.
“You people with hearts,” he said, “have something to guide you, and
need never do wrong; but I have no heart, and so I must be very
careful. When Oz gives me a heart of course I needn’t mind so much.”
Chapter VII
The Journey to the Great Oz
They were obliged to camp out that night under a large tree in the
forest, for there were no houses near. The tree made a good, thick
covering to protect them from the dew, and the Tin Woodman chopped a
great pile of wood with his axe and Dorothy built a splendid fire that
warmed her and made her feel less lonely. She and Toto ate the last of
their bread, and now she did not know what they would do for breakfast.
“If you wish,” said the Lion, “I will go into the forest and kill a
deer for you. You can roast it by the fire, since your tastes are so
peculiar that you prefer cooked food, and then you will have a very
good breakfast.”
“Don’t! Please don’t,” begged the Tin Woodman. “I should certainly weep
if you killed a poor deer, and then my jaws would rust again.”
But the Lion went away into the forest and found his own supper, and no
one ever knew what it was, for he didn’t mention it. And the Scarecrow
found a tree full of nuts and filled Dorothy’s basket with them, so
that she would not be hungry for a long time. She thought this was very
kind and thoughtful of the Scarecrow, but she laughed heartily at the
awkward way in which the poor creature picked up the nuts. His padded
hands were so clumsy and the nuts were so small that he dropped almost
as many as he put in the basket. But the Scarecrow did not mind how
long it took him to fill the basket, for it enabled him to keep away
from the fire, as he feared a spark might get into his straw and burn
him up. So he kept a good distance away from the flames, and only came
near to cover Dorothy with dry leaves when she lay down to sleep. These
kept her very snug and warm, and she slept soundly until morning.
When it was daylight, the girl bathed her face in a little rippling
brook, and soon after they all started toward the Emerald City.
This was to be an eventful day for the travelers. They had hardly been
walking an hour when they saw before them a great ditch that crossed
the road and divided the forest as far as they could see on either
side. It was a very wide ditch, and when they crept up to the edge and
looked into it they could see it was also very deep, and there were
many big, jagged rocks at the bottom. The sides were so steep that none
of them could climb down, and for a moment it seemed that their journey
must end.
“What shall we do?” asked Dorothy despairingly.
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” said the Tin Woodman, and the Lion shook
his shaggy mane and looked thoughtful.
But the Scarecrow said, “We cannot fly, that is certain. Neither can we
climb down into this great ditch. Therefore, if we cannot jump over it,
we must stop where we are.”
“I think I could jump over it,” said the Cowardly Lion, after measuring
the distance carefully in his mind.
“Then we are all right,” answered the Scarecrow, “for you can carry us
all over on your back, one at a time.”
“Well, I’ll try it,” said the Lion. “Who will go first?”
“I will,” declared the Scarecrow, “for, if you found that you could not
jump over the gulf, Dorothy would be killed, or the Tin Woodman badly
dented on the rocks below. But if I am on your back it will not matter
so much, for the fall would not hurt me at all.”
“I am terribly afraid of falling, myself,” said the Cowardly Lion, “but
I suppose there is nothing to do but try it. So get on my back and we
will make the attempt.”
The Scarecrow sat upon the Lion’s back, and the big beast walked to the