被斗树袭击
第二天早晨，多萝西吻别了漂亮的绿衣姑娘，大家也都与绿胡子士兵握了手，他一直把他们送到城门口。当城门守卫再次见到他们时，很是奇怪他们竟愿意离开这座美丽的城市去自找新的麻烦。但他立刻取下了他们的眼镜，放回绿盒子里，并送上许多美好的祝愿。
“您现在是我们的统治者了，”他对稻草人说，“所以请您尽快回来。”
“只要办得到，我一定回来，”稻草人答道，“但我得先帮多萝西回家。”
多萝西向这位好心的守卫作最后的告别时说：
“在你们可爱的城市里，我受到了很好的对待，每个人都对我很友善。我无法表达我有多么感激。”
“别试了，亲爱的，”他回答说，“我们本想留你同住，但既然你一心要回堪萨斯，但愿你能找到回去的路。”接着他打开外墙的城门，他们走了出去，踏上了旅程。
当我们的朋友们面朝南方之国进发时，阳光明媚。他们个个精神抖擞，有说有笑。多萝西心中再次充满了回家的希望，稻草人和铁皮樵夫也很高兴能帮上她的忙。至于狮子，他欢快地嗅着清新的空气，在重新回到乡野的纯粹喜悦中甩动着尾巴，而托托绕着他们跑前跑后，追逐着飞蛾和蝴蝶，一路快活地吠叫。
“城市生活一点也不适合我，”狮子以轻快的步伐走着说道，“自从住在那儿，我瘦了许多，现在我急着找机会向其他野兽展示我变得多勇敢。”
他们这时转过身，最后望了一眼翡翠城。他们所能看见的，只是绿墙后密密麻麻的塔楼与尖阁，以及高高耸立于一切之上的奥兹宫殿的尖塔与穹顶。
“奥兹毕竟不算是个坏巫师，”铁皮樵夫感受着胸腔里咔嗒作响的心脏说道。
“他知道怎么给我脑子，而且还是很好的脑子，”稻草人说。
“如果奥兹也服下他给我的那份勇气，”狮子补了一句，“他就会是个勇敢的人了。”
多萝西什么也没说。奥兹没有兑现给她的承诺，但他已尽了力，所以她原谅了他。正如他所说，即便是个坏巫师，他也是个好人。
第一天的路程穿过翡翠城四周绵延的绿野和明艳的花丛。夜里他们睡在草地上，头顶只有星星；他们确实休息得很好。
早晨他们继续赶路，来到一片密林前。无路可绕，因为树林似乎向左右延伸得望不到边；况且他们也不敢改变方向，怕迷了路。于是他们寻找最容易进入森林的地方。
走在最前的稻草人终于发现一棵大树，枝丫张得很开，队伍可以从底下穿过。他便朝树走去，可刚到第一根树枝下，枝条就弯下来缠住他，下一刻他便被举离地面，猛地甩到同伴中间。
这没伤着稻草人，却吓了他一跳，多萝西把他扶起时，他显得有些发懵。
“树之间还有个空当，”狮子喊道。
“让我先试，”稻草人说，“反正甩来甩去也不疼。”他边说边走向另一棵树，可树枝立刻抓住他，又把他甩了回来。
“真怪，”多萝西叫道，“我们怎么办？”
“树们好像打定主意要跟我们打，拦住我们的路，”狮子说。
“我想我来试试，”樵夫说，他扛着斧头，大步走向那棵曾粗暴对待稻草人的树。当一根大枝弯下要抓他时，樵夫猛地一斧，把它砍成两截。那树顿时抖动了所有枝条，像在疼痛，铁皮樵夫便平安地从树下走过。
“快过来！”他朝其他人喊，“快点！”他们都跑过去，毫发无伤地从树下穿过，只有托托被一根小枝逮住，晃得他直嚎。但樵夫立刻砍断树枝，放出了小狗。
林中别的树没再阻拦，他们便明白了只有第一排树能弯下枝条，这些大概是林中的警察，被赋予了这种奇力，好把生人挡在外面。
四位旅人轻松穿行林间，直到走出木林的远边。接着，他们惊讶地发现面前有一道高墙，好像是白瓷器砌的。墙面光滑如盘，比他们的头还高。
“现在我们怎么办？”多萝西问。
“我来做一架梯子，”铁皮樵夫说，“因为我们总得翻过这墙。”
Attacked by the Fighting Trees
The next morning Dorothy kissed the pretty green girl good-bye, and
they all shook hands with the soldier with the green whiskers, who had
walked with them as far as the gate. When the Guardian of the Gate saw
them again he wondered greatly that they could leave the beautiful City
to get into new trouble. But he at once unlocked their spectacles,
which he put back into the green box, and gave them many good wishes to
carry with them.
“You are now our ruler,” he said to the Scarecrow; “so you must come
back to us as soon as possible.”
“I certainly shall if I am able,” the Scarecrow replied; “but I must
help Dorothy to get home, first.”
As Dorothy bade the good-natured Guardian a last farewell she said:
“I have been very kindly treated in your lovely City, and everyone has
been good to me. I cannot tell you how grateful I am.”
“Don’t try, my dear,” he answered. “We should like to keep you with us,
but if it is your wish to return to Kansas, I hope you will find a
way.” He then opened the gate of the outer wall, and they walked forth
and started upon their journey.
The sun shone brightly as our friends turned their faces toward the
Land of the South. They were all in the best of spirits, and laughed
and chatted together. Dorothy was once more filled with the hope of
getting home, and the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were glad to be of
use to her. As for the Lion, he sniffed the fresh air with delight and
whisked his tail from side to side in pure joy at being in the country
again, while Toto ran around them and chased the moths and butterflies,
barking merrily all the time.
“City life does not agree with me at all,” remarked the Lion, as they
walked along at a brisk pace. “I have lost much flesh since I lived
there, and now I am anxious for a chance to show the other beasts how
courageous I have grown.”
They now turned and took a last look at the Emerald City. All they
could see was a mass of towers and steeples behind the green walls, and
high up above everything the spires and dome of the Palace of Oz.
“Oz was not such a bad Wizard, after all,” said the Tin Woodman, as he
felt his heart rattling around in his breast.
“He knew how to give me brains, and very good brains, too,” said the
Scarecrow.
“If Oz had taken a dose of the same courage he gave me,” added the
Lion, “he would have been a brave man.”
Dorothy said nothing. Oz had not kept the promise he made her, but he
had done his best, so she forgave him. As he said, he was a good man,
even if he was a bad Wizard.
The first day’s journey was through the green fields and bright flowers
that stretched about the Emerald City on every side. They slept that
night on the grass, with nothing but the stars over them; and they
rested very well indeed.
In the morning they traveled on until they came to a thick wood. There
was no way of going around it, for it seemed to extend to the right and
left as far as they could see; and, besides, they did not dare change
the direction of their journey for fear of getting lost. So they looked
for the place where it would be easiest to get into the forest.
The Scarecrow, who was in the lead, finally discovered a big tree with
such wide-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
the first branches they bent down and twined around him, and the next
minute he was raised from the ground and flung headlong among his
fellow travelers.
This did not hurt the Scarecrow, but it surprised him, and he looked
rather dizzy when Dorothy picked him up.
“Here is another space between the trees,” called the Lion.
“Let me try it first,” said the Scarecrow, “for it doesn’t hurt me to
get thrown about.” He walked up to another tree, as he spoke, but its
branches immediately seized him and tossed him back again.
“This is strange,” exclaimed Dorothy. “What shall we do?”
“The trees seem to have made up their minds to fight us, and stop our
journey,” remarked the Lion.
“I believe I will try it myself,” said the Woodman, and shouldering his
axe, he marched up to the first tree that had handled the 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 as if in pain, and the Tin 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 he howled. But the Woodman promptly
chopped off the branch and set the little dog free.
The other trees of the forest did nothing to keep them back, so they
made up their minds that only the first row of trees could bend down
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.
The four travelers walked with ease through the trees until they came
to the farther edge of the wood. Then, to their surprise, they found
before them a high wall which seemed to be made of white china. It was
smooth, like the surface of a dish, and higher than their heads.
“What shall we do now?” asked Dorothy.
“I will make a ladder,” said the Tin Woodman, “for we certainly must
climb over the wall.”
