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