Latest / Adventure Books Library / 06 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L Frank Baum

Transcript

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

• 0:00
  Chapter six, The Cowardly Lion. All this time, Dorothy and her companions
• 0:06
  had been walking through the thick woods. The road was still paved with yellow
• 0:10
  brick, but these were much covered by dried branches and dead leaves from the
• 0:14
  trees, and the walking was not at all good. There were few birds
• 0:18
  in this part of the forest, for birds love the open country where there
• 0:22
  is plenty of sunshine. But now and then there came a deep growl from
• 0:26
  some wild animal hidden among the trees. These sounds made the little girl's heart
• 0:31
  beat fast, for she did not know what made them. But Toto knew,
• 0:36
  and he walked close to Dorothy's side and did not even bark in return.
• 0:41
  How long will it be, the child asked of the tin woodman,
• 0:44
  before we are out of the forest. I cannot tell, was the answer,
• 0:49
  For I have never been to the Emerald city, but my father went
• 0:53
  there once when I was a boy, and he said it was a long
• 0:56
  journey through a dangerous country, although nearer to the city where os Dwell's the
• 1:00
  country is beautiful. But I am not afraid, so long as I have
• 1:03
  my oil can and nothing can hurt the scarecrow. While you bear upon your
• 1:08
  forehead the mark of the good witch's kiss. That will protect you from harm.
• 1:14
  But Toto, said the girl anxiously, What will protect him? We
• 1:18
  must protect him ourselves if he is in danger, replied the tin woodman.
• 1:23
  Just as he spoke, there came from the forest a terrible roar, and
• 1:26
  the next moment a great lion bounded into the road. With one blow of
• 1:30
  his paw, he sent the scarecrow spinning over and over to the edge of
• 1:34
  the road, and then he struck the tin woodman with his sharp claws,
• 1:38
  But to the lion's surprise, he could make no impression on the tin.
• 1:42
  Although the woodman fell over in the road and lay still, Little Toto,
• 1:48
  now that he had an enemy to face, ran barking toward the lion,
• 1:51
  and the great beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog, when Dorothy,
• 1:53
  fearing Toto would be killed and heedless of danger, rushed forward and slapped
• 1:59
  the lion upon his nose as hard as she could, while she cried out,
• 2:01
  don't you dare bite Toto. You ought to be ashamed of yourself,
• 2:05
  a big beast like you to bite a poor little dog. I didn't bite
• 2:09
  him, said the lion, as he rubbed his nose with his paw where
• 2:13
  Dorothy had hit it. No, but you tried to, she retorted.
• 2:17
  You are nothing but a big coward. I know it, said the lion,
• 2:22
  hanging his head in shame. I've always known it. But how can
• 2:24
  I help it? I don't know. I'm sure to think of your striking
• 2:29
  a stuffed man like the poor scarecrow. Is he stuffed? Asked the lion,
• 2:34
  in surprise, as he watched her pick up the scarecrow and set him
• 2:38
  upon his feet while she patted him into shape again. Of course he's stuffed,
• 2:43
  replied Dorothy, who was still angry. That's why he went over so
• 2:46
  easily, remarked the lion. It astonished me to see him whirl around.
• 2:52
  So is the other one stuffed? Also? No, said Dorothy, he's
• 2:55
  made of tin. And she helped the woodman up again. That's why he
• 3:00
  nearly blunted my claws, said the lion. When they scratched it against the
• 3:05
  tin. It made a cold shiver run down my back. What is that
• 3:08
  little animal you are so tender of? He is my dog, Toto,
• 3:14
  answered Dorothy. Is he made of tin or stuffed? Asked the lion.
• 3:19
  Neither he's uh uh meat dog, said the girl. Oh, he's a
• 3:28
  curious animal, and seems remarkably small, now that I look at it.
• 3:31
  No one would think of biting such a little thing, except a coward like
• 3:36
  me, continued the lion sadly. What makes you a coward, asked Dorothy,
• 3:40
  looking at the great beast in wonder, for he was as big as
• 3:44
  a small horse. It's a mystery, replied the lion. I suppose I
• 3:47
  was born that way. All the other animals in the forest naturally expect me
• 3:52
  to be brave, for the lion is everywhere thought to be the king of
• 3:55
  beasts. I learned that if I roared very loudly, every living thing was
• 4:00
  frightened and got out of my way. Whenever I met a man, I've
• 4:03
  been awfully scared, but I just roared at him, and he has always
• 4:08
  run away as fast as he could. If the elephants and the tigers and
• 4:12
  the bears had ever tried to fight me, I should have run myself.
• 4:15
  I'm such a coward. But just as soon as they hear me roar,
• 4:20
  they all try to get away from me, and of course I let them
• 4:24
  go. But that isn't right. The king of beast. Shouldn't be a
• 4:28
  coward, said the scarecrow. I know it, returned the lion, wiping
• 4:31
  a tear from his eyes with the tip of his tail. It's my great
• 4:34
  sorrow. It makes my life very unhappy, But whenever there is danger,
• 4:39
  my heart begins to beat fast. Perhaps you have heart disease, said the
• 4:43
  tin woodman. It may be, said the lion. If you have,
• 4:47
  continued the tin woodman, you ought to be glad for it proves you have
• 4:51
  a heart. For my part, I have no heart, so I cannot
• 4:56
  have heart disease. Perhaps, said the lion thoughtfully, if I had no
• 5:01
  heart, I should not be a coward. Have you brains, asked the
• 5:05
  scarecrow. I suppose so, I've never looked to see, replied the lion.
• 5:12
  I am going to the Great Oz to ask him to give me some
• 5:15
  remarked the scarecrow. For my head is stuffed with straw, and I am
• 5:18
  going to ask him to give me a heart, said the woodman. And
• 5:23
  I'm going to ask him to send Toto and me back to Kansas, added
• 5:27
  Dorothy. Do you think Oz could give me courage, asked the cowardly lion.
• 5:32
  Just as easily as he could give me brains, said the scarecrow,
• 5:36
  Or give me a heart, said the tin woodman. Or send me back
• 5:40
  to Kansas, said Dorothy. Then if you don't mind, I'll go with
• 5:45
  you, said the lion, for my life is simply unbearable without a bit
• 5:49
  of courage. You will be very welcome, answered Dorothy, for you will
• 5:54
  help to keep away the other wild beasts. It seems to me that they
• 5:58
  must be more cowardly than you are, if they allow you to scare them
• 6:02
  so easily. They really are, said the lion. But that doesn't make
• 6:06
  me any braver. And as long as I know myself to be a coward,
• 6:11
  I shall be unhappy. So once more the little company set off upon
• 6:15
  the journey, the lion walking with stately strides at Dorothy's side. Toto did
• 6:20
  not approve this new comrade at first, for he could not forget how nearly
• 6:26
  he had been crushed between the lion's great jaws. But after a time he
• 6:30
  became more at ease, and presently Toto and the cowardly lion had grown to
• 6:34
  be good friends. During the rest of that day, there were no other
• 6:39
  adventures to mar the peace of their journey. Once indeed, the tin Woodman
• 6:44
  stepped upon a beadle that was crawling along the road and killed the poor little
• 6:47
  thing. This made the tin Woodman very unhappy, for he was always careful
• 6:53
  not to hurt any living creature. And as he walked along he wept several
• 6:57
  tears of sorrow and regret. These tears ran slowly down his face and over
• 7:01
  the hinges of his jaw, and there they rusted. When Dorothy presently asked
• 7:06
  him a question, the tin woodman cannot open his mouth, for his jaws
• 7:10
  were tightly rusted together. He became greatly frightened at this, and made many
• 7:15
  motions to Dorothy to relieve him, but she could not understand. The lion
• 7:19
  was also puzzled to know what was wrong. But the scarecrow seized the oil
• 7:24
  can from Dorothy's basket and oiled the woodman's jaws so that after a few moments
• 7:29
  he could talk as well as before. This will serve me a lesson,
• 7:33
  he said, to look where I step, for if I should kill another
• 7:36
  bug or beetle, I should surely cry again, and crying rusts my jaws
• 7:42
  so that I cannot speak. Thereafter, he walked very carefully with his eyes
• 7:46
  on the road, and when he saw a tiny ant trolling by, he
• 7:49
  would step over it so as not to harm it. The tin Wooman knew
• 7:54
  very well he had no heart, and therefore he took great care never to
• 7:58
  be cruel or unkind to anything. You people with hearts, he said,
• 8:03
  have something to guide you and need never do wrong. But I have no
• 8:07
  heart, and so I must be very careful. When Oz gives me a
• 8:11
  heart, of course I needn't mind so much. End of Chapter six