The Battle with the Wolves

The Battle with the Wolves is the first of four escalating attacks the Wicked Witch of the West unleashes on Dorothy and her companions after they enter her territory. It establishes the pattern of each companion using his unique nature to counter a specific threat, and it marks the Tin Woodman's first major contribution to the group's survival.

Background and the Witch's Decision

After Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, the Cowardly Lion, and Toto cross into the Winkie Country, the Wicked Witch of the West spots them with her single eye, which is as powerful as a telescope. She is enraged to find them in her domain. Rather than enslaving them, she decides to have them destroyed, judging that none of them—a girl, a straw man, a tin man, and a lion—are fit for work. She blows a silver whistle that hangs around her neck, summoning a pack of great wolves with long legs, fierce eyes, and sharp teeth. The leader of the wolves asks if she does not want to make the strangers her slaves, but she refuses, ordering them to tear the party to pieces.

The Tin Woodman's Stand

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman are wide awake when the wolves approach, and they hear them coming. The Tin Woodman declares the fight his own, telling the others to get behind him. He seizes his axe, which he has made very sharp, and as the leader of the wolves arrives, he swings his arm and chops the wolf's head from its body, killing it instantly. As soon as he raises his axe again, another wolf comes up and falls under the sharp edge of his weapon. The attack consists of forty wolves, and the Tin Woodman kills all forty, leaving them lying dead in a heap before him. After the battle, he puts down his axe and sits beside the Scarecrow, who praises the fight as a good one.

Aftermath and the Witch's Response

The travelers wait until Dorothy awakens the next morning. When she sees the great pile of shaggy wolves, she is frightened, but the Tin Woodman tells her everything that happened. She thanks him for saving them, and after breakfast they resume their journey. The Wicked Witch, looking out from her castle door with her far-seeing eye, sees all her wolves lying dead and the strangers still traveling through her country. This makes her angrier than before, and she blows her silver whistle twice, summoning a great flock of wild crows for the next attack.