The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
5. The Rescue of the Tin Woodman
When Dorothy awoke the sun was shining through the trees and Toto hadlong been out chasing birds around him and squirrels. She sat up andlooked around her. There was the Scarecrow, still standing patiently in his corner,waiting for her.
”We must go and search for water,” she said to him.
”Why do you want water?” he asked.
”To wash my face clean after the dust of the road, and to drink, so thedry bread will not stick in my throat.”
”It must be inconvenient to be made of flesh,” said the Scarecrowthoughtfully, ”for you must sleep, and eat and drink. However, youhave brains, and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to thinkproperly.”
They left the cottage and walked through the trees until they found alittle spring of clear water, where Dorothy drank and bathed and ateher breakfast. She saw there was not much bread left in the basket,and the girl was thankful the Scarecrow did not have to eat anything,for there was scarcely enough for herself and Toto for the day.
When she had finished her meal, and was about to go back to the road ofyellow brick, she was startled to hear a deep groan near by.
”What was that?” she asked timidly.
”I cannot imagine,” replied the Scarecrow; ”but we can go and see.”
Just then another groan reached their ears, and the sound seemed tocome from behind them. They turned and walked through the forest a fewsteps, when Dorothy discovered something shining in a ray of sunshinethat fell between the trees. She ran to the place and then stoppedshort, with a little cry of surprise.
One of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standingbeside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirelyof tin. His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but hestood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all.
Dorothy looked at him in amazement, and so did the Scarecrow, whileToto barked sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which hurt histeeth.
”Did you groan?” asked Dorothy.
”Yes,” answered the tin man, ”I did. I've been groaning for more thana year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me.”
”What can I do for you?” she inquired softly, for she was moved by thesad voice in which the man spoke.
”Get an oil-can and oil my joints,” he answered. ”They are rusted sobadly that I cannot move them at all; if I am well oiled I shall soonbe all right again. You will find an oil-can on a shelf in my cottage.”
Dorothy at once ran back to the cottage and found the oil-can, and thenshe returned and asked anxiously, ”Where are your joints?”
”Oil my neck, first,” replied the Tin Woodman. So she oiled it, and asit was quite badly rusted the Scarecrow took hold of the tin head andmoved it gently from side to side until it worked freely, and then theman could turn it himself.
”Now oil the joints in my arms,” he said. And Dorothy oiled them andthe Scarecrow bent them carefully until they were quite free from rustand as good as new.
The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, whichhe leaned against the tree.
”This is a great comfort,” he said. ”I have been holding that axe inthe air ever since I rusted, and I'm glad to be able to put it down atlast. Now, if you will oil the joints of my legs, I shall be all rightonce more.”
So they oiled his legs until he could move them freely; and he thankedthem again and again for his release, for he seemed a very politecreature, and very grateful.
”I might have stood there always if you had not come along,” he said;”so you have certainly saved my life. How did you happen to be here?”
”We are on our way to the Emerald City to see the Great Oz,” sheanswered, ”and we stopped at your cottage to pass the night.”
”Why do you wish to see Oz?” he asked.
”I want him to send me back to Kansas, and the Scarecrow wants him toput a few brains into his head,” she replied.
The Tin Woodman appeared to think deeply for a moment. Then he said:
”Do you suppose Oz could give me a heart?”
”Why, I guess so,” Dorothy answered. ”It would be as easy as to givethe Scarecrow brains.”
”True,” the Tin Woodman returned. ”So, if you will allow me to joinyour party, I will also go to the Emerald City and ask Oz to help me.”
”Come along,” said the Scarecrow heartily, and Dorothy added that shewould be pleased to have his company. So the Tin Woodman shoulderedhis axe and they all passed through the forest until they came to theroad that was paved with yellow brick.
The Tin Woodman had asked Dorothy to put the oil-can in her basket.”For,” he said, ”if I should get caught in the rain, and rust again, Iwould need the oil-can badly.”
It was a bit of good luck to have their new comrade join the party, forsoon after they had begun their journey again they came to a placewhere the trees and branches grew so thick over the road that thetravelers could not pass. But the Tin Woodman set to work with his axeand chopped so well that soon he cleared a passage for the entire party.
Dorothy was thinking so earnestly as they walked along that she did notnotice when the Scarecrow stumbled into a hole and rolled over to theside of the road. Indeed he was obliged to call to her to help him upagain.
”Why didn't you walk around the hole?” asked the Tin Woodman.
”I don't know enough,” replied the Scarecrow cheerfully. ”My head isstuffed with straw, you know, and that is why I am going to Oz to askhim for some brains.”
”Oh, I see,” said the Tin Woodman. ”But, after all, brains are not thebest things in the world.”
”Have you any?” inquired the Scarecrow.
”No, my head is quite empty,” answered the Woodman. ”But once I hadbrains, and a heart also; so, having tried them both, I should muchrather have a heart.”
”And why is that?” asked the Scarecrow.
”I will tell you my story, and then you will know.”
So, while they were walking through the forest, the Tin Woodman toldthe following story:
”I was born the son of a woodman who chopped down trees in the forestand sold the wood for a living. When I grew up, I too became awoodchopper, and after my father died I took care of my old mother aslong as she lived. Then I made up my mind that instead of living aloneI would marry, so that I might not become lonely.
”There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soongrew to love her with all my heart. She, on her part, promised tomarry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better housefor her; so I set to work harder than ever. But the girl lived with anold woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for she was so lazy shewished the girl to remain with her and do the cooking and thehousework. So the old woman went to the Wicked Witch of the East, andpromised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage.Thereupon the Wicked Witch enchanted my axe, and when I was choppingaway at my best one day, for I was anxious to get the new house and mywife as soon as possible, the axe slipped all at once and cut off myleft leg.
”This at first seemed a great misfortune, for I knew a one-legged mancould not do very well as a wood-chopper. So I went to a tinsmith andhad him make me a new leg out of tin. The leg worked very well, once Iwas used to it. But my action angered the Wicked Witch of the East,for she had promised the old woman I should not marry the prettyMunchkin girl. When I began chopping again, my axe slipped and cut offmy right leg. Again I went to the tinsmith, and again he made me a legout of tin. After this the enchanted axe cut off my arms, one afterthe other; but, nothing daunted, I had them replaced with tin ones.The Wicked Witch then made the axe slip and cut off my head, and atfirst I thought that was the end of me. But the tinsmith happened tocome along, and he made me a new head out of tin.
”I thought I had beaten the Wicked Witch then, and I worked harder thanever; but I little knew how cruel my enemy could be. She thought of anew way to kill my love for the beautiful Munchkin maiden, and made myaxe slip again, so that it cut right through my body, splitting me intotwo halves. Once more the tinsmith came to my help and made me a bodyof tin, fastening my tin arms and legs and head to it, by means ofjoints, so that I could move around as well as ever. But, alas! I hadnow no heart, so that I lost all my love for the Munchkin girl, and didnot care whether I married her or not. I suppose she is still livingwith the old woman, waiting for me to come after her.
”My body shone so brightly in the sun that I felt very proud of it andit did not matter now if my axe slipped, for it could not cut me.There was only one danger--that my joints would rust; but I kept anoil-can in my cottage and took care to oil myself whenever I needed it.However, there came a day when I forgot to do this, and, being caughtin a rainstorm, before I thought of the danger my joints had rusted,and I was left to stand in the woods until you came to help me. It wasa terrible thing to undergo, but during the year I stood there I hadtime to think that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of myheart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth; but no onecan love who has not a heart, and so I am resolved to ask Oz to give meone. If he does, I will go back to the Munchkin maiden and marry her.”
Both Dorothy and the Scarecrow had been greatly interested in the storyof the Tin Woodman, and now they knew why he was so anxious to get anew heart.
”All the same,” said the Scarecrow, ”I shall ask for brains instead ofa heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he hadone.”
”I shall take the heart,” returned the Tin Woodman; ”for brains do notmake one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.”
Dorothy did not say anything, for she was puzzled to know which of hertwo friends was right, and she decided if she could only get back toKansas and Aunt Em, it did not matter so much whether the Woodman hadno brains and the Scarecrow no heart, or each got what he wanted.
What worried her most was that the bread was nearly gone, and anothermeal for herself and Toto would empty the basket. To be sure, neitherthe Woodman nor the Scarecrow ever ate anything, but she was not madeof tin nor straw, and could not live unless she was fed.
When Dorothy awoke the sun was shining through the trees and Toto hadlong been out chasing birds around him and squirrels. She sat up andlooked around her. There was the Scarecrow, still standing patiently in his corner,waiting for her.
”We must go and search for water,” she said to him.
”Why do you want water?” he asked.
”To wash my face clean after the dust of the road, and to drink, so thedry bread will not stick in my throat.”
”It must be inconvenient to be made of flesh,” said the Scarecrowthoughtfully, ”for you must sleep, and eat and drink. However, youhave brains, and it is worth a lot of bother to be able to thinkproperly.”
They left the cottage and walked through the trees until they found alittle spring of clear water, where Dorothy drank and bathed and ateher breakfast. She saw there was not much bread left in the basket,and the girl was thankful the Scarecrow did not have to eat anything,for there was scarcely enough for herself and Toto for the day.
When she had finished her meal, and was about to go back to the road ofyellow brick, she was startled to hear a deep groan near by.
”What was that?” she asked timidly.
”I cannot imagine,” replied the Scarecrow; ”but we can go and see.”
Just then another groan reached their ears, and the sound seemed tocome from behind them. They turned and walked through the forest a fewsteps, when Dorothy discovered something shining in a ray of sunshinethat fell between the trees. She ran to the place and then stoppedshort, with a little cry of surprise.
One of the big trees had been partly chopped through, and standingbeside it, with an uplifted axe in his hands, was a man made entirelyof tin. His head and arms and legs were jointed upon his body, but hestood perfectly motionless, as if he could not stir at all.
Dorothy looked at him in amazement, and so did the Scarecrow, whileToto barked sharply and made a snap at the tin legs, which hurt histeeth.
”Did you groan?” asked Dorothy.
”Yes,” answered the tin man, ”I did. I've been groaning for more thana year, and no one has ever heard me before or come to help me.”
”What can I do for you?” she inquired softly, for she was moved by thesad voice in which the man spoke.
”Get an oil-can and oil my joints,” he answered. ”They are rusted sobadly that I cannot move them at all; if I am well oiled I shall soonbe all right again. You will find an oil-can on a shelf in my cottage.”
Dorothy at once ran back to the cottage and found the oil-can, and thenshe returned and asked anxiously, ”Where are your joints?”
”Oil my neck, first,” replied the Tin Woodman. So she oiled it, and asit was quite badly rusted the Scarecrow took hold of the tin head andmoved it gently from side to side until it worked freely, and then theman could turn it himself.
”Now oil the joints in my arms,” he said. And Dorothy oiled them andthe Scarecrow bent them carefully until they were quite free from rustand as good as new.
The Tin Woodman gave a sigh of satisfaction and lowered his axe, whichhe leaned against the tree.
”This is a great comfort,” he said. ”I have been holding that axe inthe air ever since I rusted, and I'm glad to be able to put it down atlast. Now, if you will oil the joints of my legs, I shall be all rightonce more.”
So they oiled his legs until he could move them freely; and he thankedthem again and again for his release, for he seemed a very politecreature, and very grateful.
”I might have stood there always if you had not come along,” he said;”so you have certainly saved my life. How did you happen to be here?”
”We are on our way to the Emerald City to see the Great Oz,” sheanswered, ”and we stopped at your cottage to pass the night.”
”Why do you wish to see Oz?” he asked.
”I want him to send me back to Kansas, and the Scarecrow wants him toput a few brains into his head,” she replied.
The Tin Woodman appeared to think deeply for a moment. Then he said:
”Do you suppose Oz could give me a heart?”
”Why, I guess so,” Dorothy answered. ”It would be as easy as to givethe Scarecrow brains.”
”True,” the Tin Woodman returned. ”So, if you will allow me to joinyour party, I will also go to the Emerald City and ask Oz to help me.”
”Come along,” said the Scarecrow heartily, and Dorothy added that shewould be pleased to have his company. So the Tin Woodman shoulderedhis axe and they all passed through the forest until they came to theroad that was paved with yellow brick.
The Tin Woodman had asked Dorothy to put the oil-can in her basket.”For,” he said, ”if I should get caught in the rain, and rust again, Iwould need the oil-can badly.”
It was a bit of good luck to have their new comrade join the party, forsoon after they had begun their journey again they came to a placewhere the trees and branches grew so thick over the road that thetravelers could not pass. But the Tin Woodman set to work with his axeand chopped so well that soon he cleared a passage for the entire party.
Dorothy was thinking so earnestly as they walked along that she did notnotice when the Scarecrow stumbled into a hole and rolled over to theside of the road. Indeed he was obliged to call to her to help him upagain.
”Why didn't you walk around the hole?” asked the Tin Woodman.
”I don't know enough,” replied the Scarecrow cheerfully. ”My head isstuffed with straw, you know, and that is why I am going to Oz to askhim for some brains.”
”Oh, I see,” said the Tin Woodman. ”But, after all, brains are not thebest things in the world.”
”Have you any?” inquired the Scarecrow.
”No, my head is quite empty,” answered the Woodman. ”But once I hadbrains, and a heart also; so, having tried them both, I should muchrather have a heart.”
”And why is that?” asked the Scarecrow.
”I will tell you my story, and then you will know.”
So, while they were walking through the forest, the Tin Woodman toldthe following story:
”I was born the son of a woodman who chopped down trees in the forestand sold the wood for a living. When I grew up, I too became awoodchopper, and after my father died I took care of my old mother aslong as she lived. Then I made up my mind that instead of living aloneI would marry, so that I might not become lonely.
”There was one of the Munchkin girls who was so beautiful that I soongrew to love her with all my heart. She, on her part, promised tomarry me as soon as I could earn enough money to build a better housefor her; so I set to work harder than ever. But the girl lived with anold woman who did not want her to marry anyone, for she was so lazy shewished the girl to remain with her and do the cooking and thehousework. So the old woman went to the Wicked Witch of the East, andpromised her two sheep and a cow if she would prevent the marriage.Thereupon the Wicked Witch enchanted my axe, and when I was choppingaway at my best one day, for I was anxious to get the new house and mywife as soon as possible, the axe slipped all at once and cut off myleft leg.
”This at first seemed a great misfortune, for I knew a one-legged mancould not do very well as a wood-chopper. So I went to a tinsmith andhad him make me a new leg out of tin. The leg worked very well, once Iwas used to it. But my action angered the Wicked Witch of the East,for she had promised the old woman I should not marry the prettyMunchkin girl. When I began chopping again, my axe slipped and cut offmy right leg. Again I went to the tinsmith, and again he made me a legout of tin. After this the enchanted axe cut off my arms, one afterthe other; but, nothing daunted, I had them replaced with tin ones.The Wicked Witch then made the axe slip and cut off my head, and atfirst I thought that was the end of me. But the tinsmith happened tocome along, and he made me a new head out of tin.
”I thought I had beaten the Wicked Witch then, and I worked harder thanever; but I little knew how cruel my enemy could be. She thought of anew way to kill my love for the beautiful Munchkin maiden, and made myaxe slip again, so that it cut right through my body, splitting me intotwo halves. Once more the tinsmith came to my help and made me a bodyof tin, fastening my tin arms and legs and head to it, by means ofjoints, so that I could move around as well as ever. But, alas! I hadnow no heart, so that I lost all my love for the Munchkin girl, and didnot care whether I married her or not. I suppose she is still livingwith the old woman, waiting for me to come after her.
”My body shone so brightly in the sun that I felt very proud of it andit did not matter now if my axe slipped, for it could not cut me.There was only one danger--that my joints would rust; but I kept anoil-can in my cottage and took care to oil myself whenever I needed it.However, there came a day when I forgot to do this, and, being caughtin a rainstorm, before I thought of the danger my joints had rusted,and I was left to stand in the woods until you came to help me. It wasa terrible thing to undergo, but during the year I stood there I hadtime to think that the greatest loss I had known was the loss of myheart. While I was in love I was the happiest man on earth; but no onecan love who has not a heart, and so I am resolved to ask Oz to give meone. If he does, I will go back to the Munchkin maiden and marry her.”
Both Dorothy and the Scarecrow had been greatly interested in the storyof the Tin Woodman, and now they knew why he was so anxious to get anew heart.
”All the same,” said the Scarecrow, ”I shall ask for brains instead ofa heart; for a fool would not know what to do with a heart if he hadone.”
”I shall take the heart,” returned the Tin Woodman; ”for brains do notmake one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world.”
Dorothy did not say anything, for she was puzzled to know which of hertwo friends was right, and she decided if she could only get back toKansas and Aunt Em, it did not matter so much whether the Woodman hadno brains and the Scarecrow no heart, or each got what he wanted.
What worried her most was that the bread was nearly gone, and anothermeal for herself and Toto would empty the basket. To be sure, neitherthe Woodman nor the Scarecrow ever ate anything, but she was not madeof tin nor straw, and could not live unless she was fed.