13. The Rescue
The Cowardly Lion was much pleased to hear that the Wicked Witch hadbeen melted by a bucket of water, and Dorothy at once unlocked the gateof his prison and set him free. They went in together to the castle,where Dorothy's first act was to call all the Winkies together and tellthem that they were no longer slaves.
There was great rejoicing among the yellow Winkies, for they had beenmade to work hard during many years for the Wicked Witch, who hadalways treated them with great cruelty. They kept this day as aholiday, then and ever after, and spent the time in feasting anddancing.
If our friends, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, were only with us,said the Lion, I should be quite happy.
Don't you suppose we could rescue them? asked the girl anxiously.
We can try, answered the Lion.
So they called the yellow Winkies and asked them if they would help torescue their friends, and the Winkies said that they would be delightedto do all in their power for Dorothy, who had set them free frombondage. So she chose a number of the Winkies who looked as if theyknew the most, and they all started away. They traveled that day andpart of the next until they came to the rocky plain where the TinWoodman lay, all battered and bent. His axe was near him, but theblade was rusted and the handle broken off short.
The Winkies lifted him tenderly in their arms, and carried him back tothe Yellow Castle again, Dorothy shedding a few tears by the way at thesad plight of her old friend, and the Lion looking sober and sorry.When they reached the castle Dorothy said to the Winkies:
Are any of your people tinsmiths?
Oh, yes. Some of us are very good tinsmiths, they told her.
Then bring them to me, she said. And when the tinsmiths came,bringing with them all their tools in baskets, she inquired, Can youstraighten out those dents in the Tin Woodman, and bend him back intoshape again, and solder him together where he is broken?
The tinsmiths looked the Woodman over carefully and then answered thatthey thought they could mend him so he would be as good as ever. Sothey set to work in one of the big yellow rooms of the castle andworked for three days and four nights, hammering and twisting andbending and soldering and polishing and pounding at the legs and bodyand head of the Tin Woodman, until at last he was straightened out intohis old form, and his joints worked as well as ever. To be sure, therewere several patches on him, but the tinsmiths did a good job, and asthe Woodman was not a vain man he did not mind the patches at all.
When, at last, he walked into Dorothy's room and thanked her forrescuing him, he was so pleased that he wept tears of joy, and Dorothyhad to wipe every tear carefully from his face with her apron, so hisjoints would not be rusted. At the same time her own tears fell thickand fast at the joy of meeting her old friend again, and these tearsdid not need to be wiped away. As for the Lion, he wiped his eyes sooften with the tip of his tail that it became quite wet, and he wasobliged to go out into the courtyard and hold it in the sun till itdried.
If we only had the Scarecrow with us again, said the Tin Woodman,when Dorothy had finished telling him everything that had happened, Ishould be quite happy.
We must try to find him, said the girl.
So she called the Winkies to help her, and they walked all that day andpart of the next until they came to the tall tree in the branches ofwhich the Winged Monkeys had tossed the Scarecrow's clothes.
It was a very tall tree, and the trunk was so smooth that no one couldclimb it; but the Woodman said at once, I'll chop it down, and then wecan get the Scarecrow's clothes.
Now while the tinsmiths had been at work mending the Woodman himself,another of the Winkies, who was a goldsmith, had made an axe-handle ofsolid gold and fitted it to the Woodman's axe, instead of the oldbroken handle. Others polished the blade until all the rust wasremoved and it glistened like burnished silver.
As soon as he had spoken, the Tin Woodman began to chop, and in a shorttime the tree fell over with a crash, whereupon the Scarecrow's clothesfell out of the branches and rolled off on the ground.
Dorothy picked them up and had the Winkies carry them back to thecastle, where they were stuffed with nice, clean straw; and behold!here was the Scarecrow, as good as ever, thanking them over and overagain for saving him.
Now that they were reunited, Dorothy and her friends spent a few happydays at the Yellow Castle, where they found everything they needed tomake them comfortable.
But one day the girl thought of Aunt Em, and said, We must go back toOz, and claim his promise.
Yes, said the Woodman, at last I shall get my heart.
And I shall get my brains, added the Scarecrow joyfully.
And I shall get my courage, said the Lion thoughtfully.
And I shall get back to Kansas, cried Dorothy, clapping her hands.Oh, let us start for the Emerald City tomorrow!
This they decided to do. The next day they called the Winkies togetherand bade them good-bye. The Winkies were sorry to have them go, andthey had grown so fond of the Tin Woodman that they begged him to stayand rule over them and the Yellow Land of the West. Finding they weredetermined to go, the Winkies gave Toto and the Lion each a goldencollar; and to Dorothy they presented a beautiful bracelet studded withdiamonds; and to the Scarecrow they gave a gold-headed walking stick,to keep him from stumbling; and to the Tin Woodman they offered asilver oil-can, inlaid with gold and set with precious jewels.
Every one of the travelers made the Winkies a pretty speech in return,and all shook hands with them until their arms ached.
Dorothy went to the Witch's cupboard to fill her basket with food forthe journey, and there she saw the Golden Cap. She tried it on her ownhead and found that it fitted her exactly. She did not know anythingabout the charm of the Golden Cap, but she saw that it was pretty, soshe made up her mind to wear it and carry her sunbonnet in the basket.
Then, being prepared for the journey, they all started for the EmeraldCity; and the Winkies gave them three cheers and many good wishes tocarry with them.