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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Chapter 6. The Cowardly Lion
All this time Dorothy and her companions had been walking through the thick woods.
The road was still made of yellow brick, but it was under dried branches and dead leaves.
The walking was not good.
There were few birds in this part of the forest, for birds love the open country where there's plenty of sunshine.
But now and then there came a deep growl from some wild animal hidden among the trees.
These sounds made the little girl's heart beat fast, for she didn't know what made them, but Toto knew.
And he walked close to Dorothy's side, and didn't even bark in return.
"How long will it be," the child asked of the Tin Woodman, "before we're out of the forest?"
"I can't tell," was the answer, "for I have never been to the Emerald City".
But my father went there once, when I was a boy.
He said it was a long road through a dangerous land, but nearer Oz the land is beautiful.
But I'm not afraid so long as I have my oil-can, Nothing can hurt the Scarecrow.
You bear upon your forehead the mark of the Good Witch's kiss, and that'll protect you from harm.
"But Toto!" said the girl anxiously.
"What will protect him?"
"We must protect him ourselves if he's in danger," replied the Tin Woodman.
Just as he spoke there came from the forest a terrible roar, and the next moment a great Lion bounded into the road.
With one blow of his paw he sent the Scarecrow spinning over and over to the edge of the road.
Then he struck at the Tin Woodman with his sharp claws.
But to the Lion's surprise, he could not hurt the tin, though the Woodman fell and lay still.
Little Toto, now that he had an enemy to face, ran barking toward the Lion.
The great beast had opened his mouth to bite the dog.
Dorothy feared Toto would be killed and ignored the danger.
She rushed forward and slapped the Lion on his nose as hard as she could while she cried out.
"Don't you dare to bite Toto! You ought to be ashamed of yourself, a big beast like you, to bite a poor little dog!"
"I didn't bite him," said the Lion, as he rubbed his nose with his paw where Dorothy had hit it.
"No, but you tried to," she replied.
"You're nothing but a big coward."
"I know it," said the Lion, hanging his head in shame.
"I've always known it. But how can I help it?"
"I don't know, I'm sure. To think of your striking a stuffed man, like the poor Scarecrow!"
"Is he stuffed?" asked the Lion, surprised, as he watched her pick the Scarecrow and set him on his feet while she patted him.
"Of course he's stuffed," replied Dorothy, who was still angry.
"That's why he went over so easily," remarked the Lion.
"It surprised me to see him whirl around so. Is the other one stuffed also?"
"No," said Dorothy, "he's made of tin." And she helped the Woodman up again.
"That's why he nearly blunted my claws," said the Lion.
"When they scratched against the tin it made a cold shiver run down my back. What's that little animal you're so tender of?"
"He's my dog, Toto," answered Dorothy.
"Is he made of tin, or stuffed?" asked the Lion.
"Neither. He's a, a, a meat dog," said the girl.
"Oh! He's a curious animal and seems very small now that I look at him."
"No one would think of biting such a little thing, except a coward like me," continued the Lion sadly.
"What makes you a coward?" asked Dorothy, looking at the great beast in wonder, for he was as big as a small horse.
"It's a mystery," replied the Lion.
"I suppose I was born that way."
"All the other animals in the forest naturally expect me to be brave, for the Lion is everywhere thought to be the King of Beasts."
"I learned that if I roared very loudly every living thing was frightened and got out of my way."
"Whenever I've met a man I've been awfully scared, but I just roared at him,"
"And he has always run away as fast as he could go."
"If the elephants and the tigers and the bears had ever tried to fight me, I should have run myself."
I'm a coward, but as soon as they hear me roar they all try to get away from me and I let them go.
"But that isn't right. The King of Beasts shouldn't be a coward," said the Scarecrow.
"I know it," returned the Lion, wiping a tear from his eye with the tip of his tail.
"It's my great sorrow, and makes my life very unhappy. But whenever there's danger, my heart begins to beat fast."
"Perhaps you have heart disease," said the Tin Woodman.
"It may be," said the Lion.
"If you have," continued the Tin Woodman.
"You ought to be glad, for it proves you have a heart."
"For my part, I have no heart, so I can't have heart disease."
"Perhaps," said the Lion thoughtfully, "if I had no heart I wouldn't be a coward."
"Have you brains?" asked the Scarecrow.
"I suppose so. I've never looked to see," replied the Lion.
"I'm going to the Great Oz to ask him to give me some," remarked the Scarecrow, "for my head is stuffed with straw."
"And I'm going to ask him to give me a heart," said the Woodman.
"And I'm going to ask him to send Toto and me back to Kansas," added Dorothy.
"Do you think Oz could give me courage?" asked the Cowardly Lion.
"Just as easily as he could give me brains," said the Scarecrow.
"Or give me a heart," said the Tin Woodman.
"Or send me back to Kansas," said Dorothy.
"Then, if you don't mind, I'll go with you," said the Lion, "for my life is simply unbearable without a bit of courage."
"You'll be very welcome," answered Dorothy.
"For you'll help to keep away the other wild beasts."
"It seems to me they must be more cowardly than you're if they allow you to scare them so easily."
"They really are," said the Lion.
"But that doesn't make me any braver, and as long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy."
So once more the little company set off upon the journey, the Lion walking with long steps at Dorothy's side.
Toto didn't like the comrade, for he couldn't forget how nearly he had been crushed between the Lion's great jaws.
But after a time he became more at ease, and presently Toto and the Cowardly Lion had grown to be good friends.
During the rest of that day there was no other adventure to make trouble for their journey.
Once, indeed, the Tin Woodman stepped upon a beetle that was crawling along the road, and killed the poor little thing.
This made the Tin Woodman very unhappy, for he was always careful not to hurt any living thing.
As he walked along he cried several tears because he felt sad and sorry.
These tears ran slowly down his face and over the joints of his jaw, and there they rusted.
When Dorothy presently asked him a question the Tin Woodman couldn't open his mouth, for his jaws were tightly rusted together.
He became greatly frightened at this and made many motions to Dorothy to help him, but she couldn't understand.
The Lion was also puzzled to know what was wrong.
The Scarecrow took the oil-can from Dorothy's basket and oiled the Woodman's jaws, and soon he could speak.
"This will teach me a lesson," said he.
"To look where I step."
"For if I should kill another bug or beetle I'd surely cry again, and crying rusts my jaws so that I can't speak."
After that he walked very carefully with his eyes on the road.
When he saw a tiny ant walking by, he stepped over it so as not to harm it.
The Tin Woodman knew he had no heart, so he took care never to be cruel or unkind to anything.
"You people with hearts,"
He said, "You people with hearts have something to guide you and don't need to do wrong."
"He said, "I have no heart, so I must be very careful until Oz gives me one.