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

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  Speaker 1: Chapter eight, The Deadly Poppy Field. Our little party of
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  Speaker 1: travelers awakened the next morning, were freshed and full of hope,
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  Speaker 1: and Dorothy breakfast like a princess, off peaches and plums
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  Speaker 1: from the trees. Beside the river. Behind them was the
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  Speaker 1: dark forest they had passed safely through, although they had
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  Speaker 1: suffered many discouragements. But before them was a lovely, sunny
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  Speaker 1: country that seemed to beckon them on to the Emerald city,
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  Speaker 1: to be sure. The broad river now cut them off
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  Speaker 1: from this beautiful land. But the raft was nearly done,
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  Speaker 1: and after the tin woodman had cut a few more
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  Speaker 1: logs and fastened them together with wooden pins, they were
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  Speaker 1: ready to start. Dorothy sat down in the middle of
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  Speaker 1: the raft and held Toto in her arms. When the
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  Speaker 1: cowardly lion stepped upon the raft, it tipped badly, for
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  Speaker 1: he was big and heavy. But the scarecrow and the
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  Speaker 1: tin woodman stood upon the other end to steady it,
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  Speaker 1: and they had long poles in their hands to push
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  Speaker 1: the raft through the water. They got along quite well
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  Speaker 1: at first, but when they reached the middle of the river,
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  Speaker 1: the swift current swept the raft down stream farther and
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  Speaker 1: farther away from the road of Yellow Brick, and the
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  Speaker 1: water grew so deep that the long poles would not
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  Speaker 1: touch the bottom. This is bad, said the tin woodman,
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  Speaker 1: for if we cannot get to the land, we shall
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  Speaker 1: be carried into the country of the wicked Witch of
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  Speaker 1: the West, and she will enchant us and make us
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  Speaker 1: her slaves. And then I should get no brains, said
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  Speaker 1: the scarecrow, And I should get no courage, said the
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  Speaker 1: cowardly lion. And I should get no heart, said the
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  Speaker 1: tin woodman, And I should never get back to Kansas,
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  Speaker 1: said Dorothy. We must certainly get to the Emerald City
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  Speaker 1: if we can, the scarecrow continued, and he pushed so
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  Speaker 1: hard on his long pole that it stuck fast and
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  Speaker 1: the mud at the bottom of the river. Then, before
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  Speaker 1: he could pull it out again or let go, the
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  Speaker 1: raft was swept away, and the poor scarecrow left, clinging
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  Speaker 1: to the pole in the middle of the river. Goodbye,
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  Speaker 1: he called after them, and they were very sorry to
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  Speaker 1: leave him. Indeed, the tin woodman began to cry, but
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  Speaker 1: fortunately remembered that he might rust so dried his tears
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  Speaker 1: on Dorothy's apron. Of course, this was a bad thing
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  Speaker 1: for the scarecrow. I am now worse off than when
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  Speaker 1: I first met Dorothy. He thought. Then I was stuck
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  Speaker 1: to a pole in a cornfield, where I could make
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  Speaker 1: believes scare the crows at any rate. But surely there
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  Speaker 1: is no use for a scarecrow stuck on a pole
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  Speaker 1: in the middle of a river. I am afraid I
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  Speaker 1: shall never have any brains. After all, down the stream
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  Speaker 1: the raft floated, and the poor scarecrow was left far behind.
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  Speaker 1: Then the lion said something must be done to save us.
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  Speaker 1: I think I can swim to the shore and pull
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  Speaker 1: the raft after me, if you will only hold fast
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  Speaker 1: to the tip of my tail. So he sprang into
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  Speaker 1: the water, and the tin woodman caught fast hold of
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  Speaker 1: his tail. Then and the lion began to swim with
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  Speaker 1: all his might towards the shore. It was hard work,
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  Speaker 1: although he was big, But by and by they were
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  Speaker 1: drawn out of the current, and then Dorothy took the
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  Speaker 1: tin woodman's long pole and helped push the raft to
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  Speaker 1: the land. They were all tired out when they reached
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  Speaker 1: the shore at last, and stepped off upon the pretty
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  Speaker 1: green grass. And they also knew that the stream had
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  Speaker 1: carried them a long way past the road of yellow
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  Speaker 1: brick that led to the Emerald city. What shall we
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  Speaker 1: do now, asked the tin woodman, as the lion lay
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  Speaker 1: down on the grass to let the sun dry him.
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  Speaker 1: We must get back to the road in some way,
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  Speaker 1: said Dorothy. The best plan will be to walk along
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  Speaker 1: the river bank until we come to the road again,
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  Speaker 1: remarked the lion. So when they were rested, Dorothy picked
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  Speaker 1: up her basket and they started along the grassy bank
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  Speaker 1: to the road from which the river had carried them.
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  Speaker 1: It was a lovely country, with plenty of flowers and
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  Speaker 1: fruit trees and sunshine to cheer them, and had they
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  Speaker 1: not felt so sorry for the poor scarecrow, they could
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  Speaker 1: have been very happy. They walked along as fast as
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  Speaker 1: they could, Dorothy only stopping once to pick a beautiful flower,
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  Speaker 1: and after a time the tid woman cried out. Look.
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  Speaker 1: Then they all looked at the river and saw the
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  Speaker 1: scarecrow perched upon his pole in the middle of the water,
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  Speaker 1: looking very lonely and sad. What can we do to
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  Speaker 1: save them, asked Dorothy. The lion and the woodman both
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  Speaker 1: shook their heads, for they did not know. So they
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  Speaker 1: sat down upon the bank and gazed wistfully at the
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  Speaker 1: scarecrow until a stork flew by, who, upon seeing them,
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  Speaker 1: stopped to rest at the water's edge. Who are you
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  Speaker 1: and where are you going, asked the stork. I am Dorothy,
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  Speaker 1: answered the girl. And these are my friends, the tin
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  Speaker 1: Woodman and the cowardly Lion, and we are going to
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  Speaker 1: the Emerald City. This isn't the road, said the stork,
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  Speaker 1: as she twisted her long neck and looked sharply at
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  Speaker 1: the queer party. I know it, returned Dorothy. We have
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  Speaker 1: lost the scarecrow and are wondering how we shall get
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  Speaker 1: him again. Where is he asked the stork. Over there
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  Speaker 1: in the river, answered the little girl. If he wasn't
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  Speaker 1: so big and heavy, I would get him for you,
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  Speaker 1: remarked the stork. He isn't heavy a bit, said Dorothy eagerly,
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  Speaker 1: for he is stuffed with straw. And if you will
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  Speaker 1: bring him back to us, we shall thank you ever
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  Speaker 1: and ever so much. Well. I will try, said the stork,
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  Speaker 1: but if I find he is too heavy to carry,
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  Speaker 1: I shall have to drop him in the river again.
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  Speaker 1: So the big bird flew into the air and over
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  Speaker 1: the water till she came to where the scarecrow was
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  Speaker 1: perched upon his pole. Then the stork, with her great claws,
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  Speaker 1: grabbed the scarecrow by the arm and carried him up
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  Speaker 1: into the air and back to the bank where Dorothy
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  Speaker 1: and the lion, and the tid woodman and Toto were sitting.
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  Speaker 1: When the scarecrow found himself among his friends again, he
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  Speaker 1: was so happy that he hugged them all, even the
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  Speaker 1: lion in Toto. And as they walked along, he sang
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  Speaker 1: told de Redo at every step he felt so gay.
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  Speaker 1: I was afraid I should have to stay in the
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  Speaker 1: river forever, he said, But that kind stork saved me.
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  Speaker 1: And if I ever get any brains, I shall find
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  Speaker 1: the stork again and do her some kindness in return.
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  Speaker 1: That's all right, said the stork, who was flying along
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  Speaker 1: beside them. I always like to help anyone in trouble.
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  Speaker 1: But I must go now, for my babies are waiting
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  Speaker 1: in the nest for me. I hope you will find
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  Speaker 1: the Emerald city and that OZ will help you. Thank you,
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  Speaker 1: replied Dorothy, and then the kind stork flew into the
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  Speaker 1: air and was soon out of sight. They walked along,
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  Speaker 1: listening to the singing of the brightly colored birds, and
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  Speaker 1: looking at the lovely flowers, which now became so thick
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  Speaker 1: that the ground was carpeted with them. There were big
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  Speaker 1: yellow and white, and blue and purple blossoms beside great
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  Speaker 1: clusters of scarlet poppies, which were so brilliant in color
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  Speaker 1: they almost dazzled Dorothy's eyes. Aren't they beautiful, the girl asked,
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  Speaker 1: as she breathed in the spicy scent of the bright flowers.
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  Speaker 1: I suppose, so, answered the scarecrow. When I have brains,
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  Speaker 1: I shall probably like them better. If I only had
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  Speaker 1: a heart, I should love them, added the tin woodman.
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  Speaker 1: I always did like flowers, said the lion. They have
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  Speaker 1: seemed so helpless and frail, But there are none in
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  Speaker 1: the forests so bright as these. They now came upon
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  Speaker 1: more and more of the big scarlet poppies, and fewer
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  Speaker 1: and fewer of the other flowers, and soon they found
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  Speaker 1: themselves in the midst of a great meadow of poppies.
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  Speaker 1: Now it is well known that when there are many
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  Speaker 1: of these flowers together, their odor is so powerful that
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  Speaker 1: anyone who breathes it falls asleep. And if the sleeper
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  Speaker 1: is not carried away from the scent of the flowers,
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  Speaker 1: he sleeps on and on forever. But Dorothy did not
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  Speaker 1: know this, nor could she get away from the bright
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  Speaker 1: red flowers that were everywhere about. Her eyes grew heavy,
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  Speaker 1: and she felt she must sit down to rest and
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  Speaker 1: to sleep, but the tin woodman would not let her
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  Speaker 1: do this. We must hurry and get back to the
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  Speaker 1: road of yellow brick before dark, he said, and the
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  Speaker 1: scarecrow agreed with him. So they kept walking until Dorothy
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  Speaker 1: could stand no longer. Her eyes closed in spite of herself,
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  Speaker 1: and she forgot where she was and fell among the poppies,
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  Speaker 1: fast asleep. What shall we do, asked the tin woodman.
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  Speaker 1: If we leave her here, she will die, said the lion.
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  Speaker 1: The smell of the flowers is killing us all. I
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  Speaker 1: myself can scarcely keep my eyes open at all, and
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  Speaker 1: the dog is asleep already. It was true Toto had
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  Speaker 1: fallen down beside the little mistress, but the scarecrow and
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  Speaker 1: the tin Woodman, not being made of flesh, were not
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  Speaker 1: troubled by the scent of the flowers. Run fast, said
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  Speaker 1: the scarecrow to the lion, and get out of this
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  Speaker 1: deadly flower bed as soon as you can. We will
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  Speaker 1: bring the little girl with us, But if you should fall,
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  Speaker 1: you are too big to be carried. So the lion
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  Speaker 1: aroused himself and bounded forward as fast as he could go.
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  Speaker 1: In a moment he was out of sight. Let us
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  Speaker 1: make a chair with our hands and carrier, said the scarecrow.
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  Speaker 1: So they picked up Toto and put the dog in
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  Speaker 1: Dorothy's lap. And then they made a chair with their
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  Speaker 1: hands for the seat and their arms for the arms,
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  Speaker 1: and carried the little girl between them through the flowers.
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  Speaker 1: On and on they walked, and it seemed that the
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  Speaker 1: great carpet of deadly flowers that surrounded them would never end.
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  Speaker 1: They followed the bend of the river, and at last
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  Speaker 1: came upon their friend, the lion, lying fast asleep among
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  Speaker 1: the poppies. The flowers had been too strong for the
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  Speaker 1: huge beast, and he had given up at last and
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  Speaker 1: fallen only a short distance from the end of the
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  Speaker 1: poppy bed, where the sweet grass spread in beautiful green
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  Speaker 1: fields before them. We can do nothing for him, said
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  Speaker 1: the tin woodman, sadly, for he is much too heavy
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  Speaker 1: to lift. We must leave it here to sleep on forever,
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  Speaker 1: and perhaps he will dream that he has found courage
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  Speaker 1: at last. I'm sorry, said the scarecrow. The lion was
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  Speaker 1: a very good comrade for one so cowardly, but let
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  Speaker 1: us go on. They carried the sleeping girl to a
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  Speaker 1: pretty spot beside the river, far enough from the poppy
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  Speaker 1: field to prevent her breathing any more of the poison
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  Speaker 1: of the flowers, And here they laid her gently on
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  Speaker 1: the soft grass and waited for the fresh breeze to
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  Speaker 1: awaken her. End of chapter eight.