Latest / Classic Adventure Books Library / 07 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum

Transcript

07 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum · Classic Adventure Books Library

• 0:00
  Chapter seven, The Journey to the Great Oz. They were obliged to camp
• 0:06
  out that night under a large tree in the forest, for there were no
• 0:09
  houses near. The tree made a good thick covering to protect them from the
• 0:14
  dew, and the tin woodman chopped a great pile of wood with his axe,
• 0:17
  and Dorothy built a splendid fire that warmed her and made her feel less
• 0:21
  lonely. She and Toto ate the last of their bread, and now she
• 0:25
  did not know what they would do for breakfast. If you wish, said
• 0:30
  the lion, I will go into the forest and kill a deer for you.
• 0:33
  You can roast it by the fire, since your tastes are so peculiar
• 0:37
  that you prefer cooked food, and then you will have a very good breakfast.
• 0:42
  Don't please, don't begged the tin woodman. I should certainly weep if
• 0:47
  you kill a poor deer, and then my jaws would rust again. But
• 0:51
  the lion went away into the forest and found his own supper, and no
• 0:55
  one ever knew what it was, for he didn't mention it. And the
• 0:59
  scarecrow found a tree full of nuts and filled Dorothy's basket with him so that
• 1:02
  she would not be hungry. For a long time. She thought that this
• 1:06
  was very kind and thoughtful of the scarecrow, But he laughed heartily at the
• 1:10
  awkward way in which the poor creature picked up the nuts. His padded hands
• 1:15
  were so clumsy and the nuts were so small, that he dropped almost as
• 1:18
  many as he put in the basket. But the scarecrow did not mind how
• 1:22
  long it took him to fill the basket, for it enabled him to keep
• 1:26
  away from the fire, as he feared a spark might get into his straw
• 1:29
  and burn him up, so he kept a good distance away from the flames
• 1:33
  and only came near to cover Dorothy with dry leaves when she lay down to
• 1:37
  sleep. These kept her very snug and warm, and she slept soundly until
• 1:42
  morning. When it was daylight, the girl bathed her face in a little
• 1:48
  rippling brook, and soon after they all started toward the Emerald City. This
• 1:53
  was to be an eventful day for the travelers. They had hardly been walking
• 1:57
  an hour when they saw before them a great ditch that crossed the road and
• 2:00
  divided the forest as far as they could see on either side. It was
• 2:05
  a very wide ditch, and when they crept up to the edge and looked
• 2:07
  into it, they could see that it was also very deep, and there
• 2:12
  were many big, jagged rocks at the bottom. The sides were so steep
• 2:15
  that none of them could climb down, and for a moment it seemed that
• 2:20
  their journey must end. What shall we do, asked Dorothy despairingly. I
• 2:25
  haven't the faintest idea, said the tin woodman, And the lion shook his
• 2:30
  shaggy mane and looked thoughtfully. But the scarecrow said, we cannot fly,
• 2:36
  that is certain. Neither can we jump down into the great ditch. Therefore,
• 2:40
  if we cannot jump over it, we must stop where we are.
• 2:46
  I think I could jump over it, said the cowardly lion, after measuring
• 2:49
  the distance carefully in his mind. Then we are all right, answered the
• 2:53
  scarecrow, for you can carry us all over on your back, one at
• 2:58
  a time. Well, I'll try it, said the lion, who will
• 3:04
  go first. I will, declared the scarecrow. For if you found that
• 3:08
  you could not jump over the gulf, Dorothy would be killed, or the
• 3:13
  tin woodman badly dentted on the rocks below. But if I am on your
• 3:15
  back, it will not matter so much, for the fall would not hurt
• 3:19
  me at all. I am terribly afraid of falling myself, said the cowardly
• 3:23
  lion, But I suppose there is nothing to do but try it. So
• 3:27
  get on my back and we will make the attempt. The scarecrow sat upon
• 3:31
  the lion's back, and the big beast walked to the edge of the gulf
• 3:35
  and crouched down. Why don't you run and jump, asked the scarecrow,
• 3:39
  Because that isn't the way we lions do things, he replied. Then,
• 3:45
  giving a great spring, he shot through the air and landed safely on the
• 3:47
  other side. They were all greatly pleased to see how easily he did it,
• 3:52
  and after the scarecrow had gotten down from his back, the lion sprang
• 3:55
  across the ditch again. Dorothy thought she would go next next, so she
• 4:00
  took Toto in her arms and climbed on the lion's back, holding tightly to
• 4:03
  his mane with one hand. The next moment, it seemed as if she
• 4:08
  were flying through the air, and then before she had time to think about
• 4:12
  it, she was safe on the other side. The lion went back a
• 4:15
  third time and got the tin woodman, and then they all sat down for
• 4:18
  a few moments to give the beast a chance to rest, for his great
• 4:21
  leaps had made his breath short, and he panted like a big dog that
• 4:26
  has been running too long. They found the forest very thick on this side,
• 4:30
  and it looked dark and gloomy. After the lion had rested, they
• 4:34
  started along the road of yellow brick, silently, wondering, each in his
• 4:39
  own mind if ever they would come to the end of the woods and reach
• 4:43
  the bright sunshine again. To add to their discomfort, they soon heard strange
• 4:47
  noises in the depths of the forest, and the lion whispered to them that
• 4:53
  it was in this part of the country that the Kalie Dows lived. What
• 4:57
  are the Kalidas, asked the girl. They are monstrous beasts, with bodies
• 5:02
  like bears and heads like tigers, replied the lion, and with claws so
• 5:06
  long and sharp that they could tear me in two as easily as I could
• 5:10
  kill Toto. I'm terribly afraid of the Kalidas. I'm not surprised that you
• 5:15
  are returned, Dorothy. They must be dreadful beasts. The lion was about
• 5:19
  to reply, when suddenly they came to another gulf across the road, but
• 5:24
  this one was so broad and deep that the lion knew at once he could
• 5:28
  not leap across it. So they sat down to consider what they should do,
• 5:33
  and after serious thought, the scarecrow said, here is a great tree
• 5:38
  standing close to the ditch. If the tin woodman can chop it down so
• 5:43
  that it will fall to the other side, we can walk across it easily.
• 5:47
  That is a first rate idea, said the lion. One would almost
• 5:51
  suspect you had brains in your head instead of straw. The woodman set to
• 5:56
  work at once, and so sharp was his axe that the tree was soon
• 6:00
  chopped nearly through. Then the lion put his strong front legs against the tree
• 6:04
  and pushed with all his might, and slowly the big tree tipped and fell
• 6:09
  with a crash across the ditch, with its top branches on the other side.
• 6:14
  They had just started to cross this queer bridge when a sharp growl made
• 6:17
  them all look up, and to their horror they saw running towards them two
• 6:21
  great beasts with bodies like bears and heads like tigers. There the callie dos,
• 6:28
  said the cowardly lion, beginning to tremble, quick cried the scarecrow let
• 6:32
  us cross over. So Dorothy went first, holding Toto in her arms.
• 6:38
  The tin woodman followed, and the scarecrow came next. The lion, although
• 6:42
  he was certainly afraid, turned to face the Kalidas, and then he gave
• 6:46
  so loud and terrible a roar that Dorothy screamed and the scarecrow fell over backwards,
• 6:53
  while even the fierce beasts stopped short and looked at him in surprise.
• 6:58
  But seeing that they were bigger than the lion, and remembering that there were
• 7:01
  two of them and only one of him, the callidas again rushed forward,
• 7:05
  and the lion crossed over the tree and turned to see what they would do
• 7:09
  next. Without stopping an instant, the fierce beast also began to cross the
• 7:13
  tree, and the lion said to Dorothy, we are lost, for they
• 7:17
  were surely tear us to pieces with their sharp claws. But stand close behind
• 7:20
  me, and I will fight them as long as I am alive. Wait
• 7:25
  a minute, called the scarecrow. He had been thinking what was best to
• 7:28
  be done, and now he asked the woodman to chop away at the end
• 7:31
  of the tree that rested on their side of the ditch. The tin woodman
• 7:34
  began to use his axe at once, and just as the two Kalie Dods
• 7:40
  were nearly across, the tree fell with a crash into the gulf, carrying
• 7:45
  the ugly, snarling brutes with it, and both were dashed to pieces on
• 7:48
  the sharp rocks at the bottom. Well, said the cowardly lion, drawing
• 7:54
  in a long breath of relief, I see we are going to live a
• 7:58
  little while longer, and I I am glad of it, for it must
• 8:01
  be a very uncomfortable thing not to be alive. Those creatures frightened me so
• 8:07
  badly that my heart is beating yet, ah, said the tin woodman,
• 8:11
  sadly. I wish I had a heart to beat. This adventure made the
• 8:16
  travelers more anxious than ever to get out of the forest, and they walked
• 8:20
  so fast that Dorothy became tired and had to ride on the lion's back to
• 8:24
  their great joy. The trees became thinner the farther they advanced, and in
• 8:28
  the afternoon they suddenly came upon a broad river flowing swiftly just before them.
• 8:33
  On the other side of the water, they could see the road of yellow
• 8:37
  brick running through a beautiful country with green meadows dotted with bright flowers, and
• 8:41
  all the road bordered with trees hanging full of delicious fruits. They were greatly
• 8:46
  pleased to see this delightful country before them. How shall we cross the river,
• 8:52
  asked Dorothy. That is easily done, replied the scarecrow. The tin
• 8:56
  woodman must build us a raft so that we can float to the other side.
• 9:01
  So the woodman took his axe and began to chop down small trees to
• 9:05
  make a raft. And while he was busy at this, the scarecrow found
• 9:09
  on the river bank a tree full of fine fruit. This pleased Dorothy,
• 9:13
  who had eaten nothing but nuts all day, and she made a hearty meal
• 9:16
  of the ripe fruit. But it takes time to make a raft, even
• 9:22
  when one is as industrious and untiring as the tin woodman, And when night
• 9:26
  came the work was not done. So they found a cozy place under the
• 9:30
  trees, where they slept well until the morning, and Dorothy dreamed of the
• 9:33
  emerald city and of the good wizard Oz, who would soon send her back
• 9:39
  to her own home again. End of chapter seven