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06 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum · Classic Adventure Books - Daily

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  Speaker 1: Chapter six, The Cowardly Lion. All this time, Dorothy and
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  Speaker 1: her companions had been walking through the thick woods. The
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  Speaker 1: road was still paved with yellow brick, but these were
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  Speaker 1: much covered by dried branches and dead leaves from the trees,
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  Speaker 1: and the walking was not at all good. There were
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  Speaker 1: few birds in this part of the forest, for birds
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  Speaker 1: love the open country where there is plenty of sunshine.
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  Speaker 1: But now and then there came a deep growl from
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  Speaker 1: some wild animal hidden among the trees. These sounds made
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  Speaker 1: the little girl's heart beat fast, for she did not
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  Speaker 1: know what made them. But Toto knew, and he walked
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  Speaker 1: close to Dorothy's side and did not even bark in return.
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  Speaker 1: How long will it be, the child asked of the
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  Speaker 1: tin woodman, before we are out of the forest. I
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  Speaker 1: cannot tell, was the answer, For I have never been
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  Speaker 1: to the Emerald city, but my father went there once
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  Speaker 1: when I was a boy, and he said it was
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  Speaker 1: a long journey through a dangerous country, although nearer to
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  Speaker 1: the city where os Dwell's the country is beautiful. But
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  Speaker 1: I am not afraid, so long as I have my
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  Speaker 1: oil can and nothing can hurt the scarecrow. While you
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  Speaker 1: bear upon your forehead the mark of the good witch's kiss.
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  Speaker 1: That will protect you from harm. But Toto, said the
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  Speaker 1: girl anxiously, What will protect him? We must protect him
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  Speaker 1: ourselves if he is in danger, replied the tin woodman.
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  Speaker 1: Just as he spoke, there came from the forest a
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  Speaker 1: terrible roar, and the next moment a great lion bounded
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  Speaker 1: into the road. With one blow of his paw, he
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  Speaker 1: sent the scarecrow spinning over and over to the edge
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  Speaker 1: of the road, and then he struck the tin woodman
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  Speaker 1: with his sharp claws, But to the lion's surprise, he
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  Speaker 1: could make no impression on the tin. Although the woodman
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  Speaker 1: fell over in the road and lay still, Little Toto,
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  Speaker 1: now that he had an enemy to face, ran barking
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  Speaker 1: toward the lion, and the great beast had opened his
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  Speaker 1: mouth to bite the dog, when Dorothy, fearing Toto would
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  Speaker 1: be killed and heedless of danger, rushed forward and slapped
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  Speaker 1: the lion upon his nose as hard as she could,
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  Speaker 1: while she cried out, don't you dare bite Toto. You
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  Speaker 1: ought to be ashamed of yourself, a big beast like
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  Speaker 1: you to bite a poor little dog. I didn't bite him,
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  Speaker 1: said the lion, as he rubbed his nose with his
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  Speaker 1: paw where Dorothy had hit it. No, but you tried to,
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  Speaker 1: she retorted. You are nothing but a big coward. I
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  Speaker 1: know it, said the lion, hanging his head in shame.
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  Speaker 1: I've always known it. But how can I help it?
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  Speaker 1: I don't know. I'm sure to think of your striking
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  Speaker 1: a stuffed man like the poor scarecrow. Is he stuffed?
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  Speaker 1: Asked the lion, in surprise, as he watched her pick
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  Speaker 1: up the scarecrow and set him upon his feet while
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  Speaker 1: she patted him into shape again. Of course he's stuffed,
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  Speaker 1: replied Dorothy, who was still angry. That's why he went
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  Speaker 1: over so easily, remarked the lion. It astonished me to
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  Speaker 1: see him whirl around. So is the other one stuffed? Also? No,
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  Speaker 1: said Dorothy, he's made of tin. And she helped the
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  Speaker 1: woodman up again. That's why he nearly blunted my claws,
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  Speaker 1: said the lion. When they scratched it against the tin.
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  Speaker 1: It made a cold shiver run down my back. What
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  Speaker 1: is that little animal you are so tender of? He
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  Speaker 1: is my dog, Toto, answered Dorothy. Is he made of
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  Speaker 1: tin or stuffed? Asked the lion. Neither he's uh uh
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  Speaker 1: meat dog, said the girl. Oh, he's a curious animal,
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  Speaker 1: and seems remarkably small, now that I look at it.
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  Speaker 1: No one would think of biting such a little thing,
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  Speaker 1: except a coward like me, continued the lion sadly. What
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  Speaker 1: makes you a coward, asked Dorothy, looking at the great
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  Speaker 1: beast in wonder, for he was as big as a
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  Speaker 1: small horse. It's a mystery, replied the lion. I suppose
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  Speaker 1: I was born that way. All the other animals in
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  Speaker 1: the forest naturally expect me to be brave, for the
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  Speaker 1: lion is everywhere thought to be the king of beasts.
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  Speaker 1: I learned that if I roared very loudly, every living
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  Speaker 1: thing was frightened and got out of my way. Whenever
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  Speaker 1: I met a man, I've been awfully scared, but I
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  Speaker 1: just roared at him, and he has always run away
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  Speaker 1: as fast as he could. If the elephants and the
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  Speaker 1: tigers and the bears had ever tried to fight me,
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  Speaker 1: I should have run myself. I'm such a coward. But
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  Speaker 1: just as soon as they hear me roar, they all
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  Speaker 1: try to get away from me, and of course I
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  Speaker 1: let them go. But that isn't right. The king of beast.
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  Speaker 1: Shouldn't be a coward, said the scarecrow. I know it,
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  Speaker 1: returned the lion, wiping a tear from his eyes with
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  Speaker 1: the tip of his tail. It's my great sorrow. It
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  Speaker 1: makes my life very unhappy, But whenever there is danger,
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  Speaker 1: my heart begins to beat fast. Perhaps you have heart disease,
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  Speaker 1: said the tin woodman. It may be, said the lion.
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  Speaker 1: If you have, continued the tin woodman, you ought to
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  Speaker 1: be glad for it proves you have a heart. For
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  Speaker 1: my part, I have no heart, so I cannot have
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  Speaker 1: heart disease. Perhaps, said the lion thoughtfully, if I had
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  Speaker 1: no heart, I should not be a coward. Have you brains,
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  Speaker 1: asked the scarecrow. I suppose so, I've never looked to see,
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  Speaker 1: replied the lion. I am going to the Great Oz
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  Speaker 1: to ask him to give me some remarked the scarecrow.
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  Speaker 1: For my head is stuffed with straw, and I am
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  Speaker 1: going to ask him to give me a heart, said
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  Speaker 1: the woodman. And I'm going to ask him to send
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  Speaker 1: Toto and me back to Kansas, added Dorothy. Do you
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  Speaker 1: think Oz could give me courage, asked the cowardly lion.
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  Speaker 1: Just as easily as he could give me brains, said
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  Speaker 1: the scarecrow, Or give me a heart, said the tin woodman.
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  Speaker 1: Or send me back to Kansas, said Dorothy. Then if
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  Speaker 1: you don't mind, I'll go with you, said the lion,
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  Speaker 1: for my life is simply unbearable without a bit of courage.
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  Speaker 1: You will be very welcome, answered Dorothy, for you will
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  Speaker 1: help to keep away the other wild beasts. It seems
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  Speaker 1: to me that they must be more cowardly than you are,
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  Speaker 1: if they allow you to scare them so easily. They
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  Speaker 1: really are, said the lion. But that doesn't make me
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  Speaker 1: any braver. And as long as I know myself to
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  Speaker 1: be a coward, I shall be unhappy. So once more
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  Speaker 1: the little company set off upon the journey, the lion
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  Speaker 1: walking with stately strides at Dorothy's side. Toto did not
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  Speaker 1: approve this new comrade at first, for he could not
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  Speaker 1: forget how nearly he had been crushed between the lion's
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  Speaker 1: great jaws. But after a time he became more at ease,
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  Speaker 1: and presently Toto and the cowardly lion had grown to
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  Speaker 1: be good friends. During the rest of that day, there
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  Speaker 1: were no other adventures to mar the peace of their journey.
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  Speaker 1: Once indeed, the tin Woodman stepped upon a beadle that
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  Speaker 1: was crawling along the road and killed the poor little thing.
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  Speaker 1: This made the tin Woodman very unhappy, for he was
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  Speaker 1: always careful not to hurt any living creature. And as
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  Speaker 1: he walked along he wept several tears of sorrow and regret.
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  Speaker 1: These tears ran slowly down his face and over the
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  Speaker 1: hinges of his jaw, and there they rusted. When Dorothy
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  Speaker 1: presently asked him a question, the tin woodman cannot open
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  Speaker 1: his mouth, for his jaws were tightly rusted together. He
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  Speaker 1: became greatly frightened at this, and made many motions to
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  Speaker 1: Dorothy to relieve him, but she could not understand. The
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  Speaker 1: lion was also puzzled to know what was wrong. But
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  Speaker 1: the scarecrow seized the oil can from Dorothy's basket and
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  Speaker 1: oiled the woodman's jaws so that after a few moments
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  Speaker 1: he could talk as well as before. This will serve
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  Speaker 1: me a lesson, he said, to look where I step,
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  Speaker 1: for if I should kill another bug or beetle, I
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  Speaker 1: should surely cry again, and crying rusts my jaws so
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  Speaker 1: that I cannot speak. Thereafter, he walked very carefully with
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  Speaker 1: his eyes on the road, and when he saw a
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  Speaker 1: tiny ant trolling by, he would step over it so
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  Speaker 1: as not to harm it. The tin Wooman knew very
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  Speaker 1: well he had no heart, and therefore he took great
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  Speaker 1: care never to be cruel or unkind to anything. You
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  Speaker 1: people with hearts, he said, have something to guide you
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  Speaker 1: and need never do wrong. But I have no heart,
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  Speaker 1: and so I must be very careful. When Oz gives
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  Speaker 1: me a heart, of course I needn't mind so much.
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  Speaker 1: End of Chapter six