Chapter 19 - The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum

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Episode Transcript

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Chapter nineteen, attacked by the fightingtrees. The next morning, Dorothy kissed
the pretty green girl goodbye, andthey all shook hands with the soldier with
the green whiskers, who had walkedwith them as far as the gate.
When the guardian of the gates sawthem again, he wondered greatly that they
could leave the beautiful city to getinto new trouble. But he at once

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unlocked their spectacles, which he putback into the green box, and gave
them many good wishes to carry withthem. You are now our ruler,
he said to the scarecrow, soyou must come back to us as soon
as possible. I certainly shall,if I am able, the scarecrow replied,
but I must help Dorothy get homefirst. As Dorothy bade the good

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natured guardian Alas farewell, she said, I have been very kindly treated in
your lovely city, and everyone hasbeen good to me. I cannot tell
you how grateful I am. Don'ttry, my dear, he answered,
we should like to keep you withus, but if it is your wish
to return to Kansas, I hopeyou will find a way. He then

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opened the gate of the outer wall, and they walked forth and started upon
their journey. The sun shone brightlyas our friends turned their faces towards the
land of the South. They wereall in the best of spirits and laughed
and chatted together. Dorothy was oncemore filled with the hope of getting home,
and the scarecrow and the tin woodmenwere glad to be of use to
her. As for the lion,he sniffed the fresh air with delight and

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whisked his tail from side to sidein pure joy at being in the country
again, while Toto ran around themand chased the moss and butterflies, barking
merrily all the time. City lifedoes not agree with me at all,
remarked the lion, as they walkedalong at a brisk pace. I have
lost much flesh since I lived there, and now I am anxious for a

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chance to show the other beasts howcourageous I have grown. They now turned
and took a last look at theEmerald city. All they could see was
a massive tower and steeples behind thegreen walls, and high up above everything
the spires and dome of the Palaceof oz Oz. Was not such a
bad wizard, after all, saidthe tin woodman, as he felt his

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heart rattling around in his breast.He knew how to give me brains,
and very good brains too, saidthe scarecrow. If Oz had taken a
dose of the same courage he gaveme, added the lion, he would
have been a brave man. Dorothysaid nothing. Oz had not kept the
promise he made her, but hehad done his best, so she forgave

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him. As he said. Hewas a good man, even if he
was a bad wizard. The firstday's journey was through the green fields and
bright flowers that stretched about the EmeraldCity on every side. They slept that
night on the grass with nothing butthe stars over them, and they rested
very well. Indeed, in themorning, they traveled on until they came

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to a thick wood. There wasno way of going around it, for
it seemed to extend to the rightand left as far as they could see.
And besides, they did not darechange the direction of their journey for
fear of getting lost, so theylooked for the place where it would be
easiest to get into the forest.The scarecrow, who was in the lead,

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finally discovered a big tree with suchwide spreading branches that there was room
for the party to pass underneath,so he walked forward to the tree.
But just as he came under thebranches, they bent down and twined around
him, and the next minute hewas raised from the ground and flung headlong
among his fellow travelers. This didnot hurt the scarecrow, but it surprised

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him, and he looked rather dizzywhen Dorothy picked him up. Is there
another space between the trees, calledthe lion. Let me try it first,
said the scarecrow, for it doesn'thurt me to get thrown about.
He walked up to another tree ashe spoke, but its branches immediately seized
him and tossed him back again.This is strange, exclaimed Dorothy. What

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shall we do? The trees seemedto have made up their mind to fight
us and stop our journey, remarkedthe lion. I believe I will try
it myself, said the woodman,and shouldering his axe, he marched up
to the first tree that had handledthe scarecrow so roughly. When a big
branch bent down to seize him,the woodman chopped at it so fiercely that
he cut it in two at once. The tree began shaking all its branches

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as if in pain, and thetid woodman passed safely under it. Come
on, he shouted to the others, be quick. They all ran forward
and passed under the tree without injury, except Toto, who was caught by
a small branch and shaken until hehowled. But the woodman promptly chopped off
the branch and set the little dogfree. The other trees of the forest

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did nothing to keep them back,so they made up their minds that only
the first row of trees could benddown their branches, and that probably these
were the policemen of the forest,and given this wonderful power in order to
keep strangers out of it. Thefour travelers walked a along with ease through
the trees until they came to thefar edge of the wood. Then,
to their surprise, they found beforethem a high wall which seemed to be

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made of white china. It wassmooth like the surface of a dish,
and higher than their heads. Whatshall we do now, asked Dorothy.
I will make a ladder, saidthe tin woodman, for we certainly must
climb over the wall. End ofChapter nineteen