Crossing the River on the Raft

The travelers, having emerged from the dark forest, found their path to the Emerald City blocked by a broad, swift river. On the far side, the yellow brick road ran through a beautiful country of green meadows and fruit-laden trees, a sight that filled them with hope. The Scarecrow proposed that the Tin Woodman build a raft to carry them across, and the Woodman set to work chopping down small trees. While he labored, the Scarecrow discovered a tree full of fine fruit on the riverbank, which provided a hearty meal for Dorothy, who had eaten nothing but nuts all day. The work took so long that night fell before the raft was finished, and the party slept under the trees, Dorothy dreaming of the Emerald City and the Wizard who would send her home.

The Raft Crossing

The next morning, refreshed and hopeful, the travelers completed the raft. The Tin Woodman cut a few more logs and fastened them together with wooden pins. Dorothy sat in the middle of the raft, holding Toto in her arms. When the Cowardly Lion stepped aboard, the raft tipped badly under his weight, but the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman stood at the other end to steady it, using long poles to push the raft through the water. They got along well at first, but when they reached the middle of the river, the swift current seized the raft and swept it downstream, far from the road of yellow brick. The water grew so deep that the long poles could no longer touch the bottom. The Tin Woodman warned that if they could not reach land, they would be carried into the country of the Wicked Witch of the West, who would enchant them and make them slaves. Each companion voiced what they would lose: the Scarecrow would get no brains, the Lion no courage, the Tin Woodman no heart, and Dorothy would never return to Kansas.

The Scarecrow Lost

As the Scarecrow pushed hard on his long pole, it stuck fast in the mud at the bottom of the river. Before he could pull it out or let go, the raft was swept away, leaving the poor Scarecrow clinging to the pole in the middle of the river. He called out "Good-bye!" after them, and the Tin Woodman began to cry, but fortunately remembered he might rust and dried his tears on Dorothy's apron. The Scarecrow reflected that he was now worse off than when he first met Dorothy, for at least then he had been stuck on a pole in a cornfield where he could pretend to scare crows; now he was stuck on a pole in the middle of a river, with no hope of ever getting brains. The raft floated downstream, leaving the Scarecrow far behind. The Lion then sprang into the water, and the Tin Woodman caught hold of his tail. The Lion swam with all his might toward the shore, and Dorothy helped push the raft with the Tin Woodman's long pole. They reached the shore at last, tired out, and stepped off onto the pretty green grass, knowing the stream had carried them far past the road of yellow brick.