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

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