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07 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum · Thrilling Adventures - Daily

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