因此铁皮人乖乖地跟在他后面,跟他一同到那宫殿中去。他不清楚将要看见的奥芝究竟是一位美丽的贵妇人,还是一个大头,但是他还是希望是美丽的贵妇人。“原因是,”他自己对自己说,“如果奥芝是大头,我确信我会得不到一颗心,因为一颗大头,它自己都没有心,所以更不能给我一颗心,但假如是那个美丽的贵妇人,我将苦苦地央求她赐予我一颗心,因为普遍来说,大家都觉得妇人有慈悲的心肠。”
当铁皮人来到大宫殿中,他看见的奥芝既不是大头,也不是贵妇人,而是一只可怕的大野兽。它几乎像一只大象一样大,这个绿色的大宫殿,似乎都不能负载它的重量。这只大野兽的头像犀牛,不过它的脸上竟然有五只眼睛。它的身上长着五只长长的手臂,还有五条细细长长的腿。它的身上覆盖着厚厚的羊毛似的毛,整体看来这是一只样子可怕得难以想象的怪物。不过铁皮人足够幸运,因为他在看见它的时候还没有心,否则,心脏一定会因为害怕而加快跳动的。但是因为他是铁皮人,虽然感到十分失望,却不怎么害怕。“我是伟大而又可怕的大魔术师奥芝!”那野兽的说话声音更像是一声怒吼,“你又是谁?来找我做什么?”
“我曾经是一个樵夫,现在是一个铁皮制成的铁皮人。我的身体里没有心,所以我不能恋爱。我请求你赐予我一颗心,让我可以像别人一样。”
野兽怒吼着问道:“为什么我要为你做这些?”铁皮人回答说:“我向你请求一颗心,因为只有你,伟大的奥芝,才能够实现我的愿望。”
奥芝听完这个回答,报以一声低低的不置可否的咆哮,然后粗暴地回应:“假如你真的想要一颗心,你就一定可以得到它。”
铁皮人急切地问:“我要怎么做才能得到它呢?”“你要去协助多萝茜杀死邪恶的西方女巫,”野兽回答说,“当那个西方恶女巫死了的时候,你到我这里来,我将会把全奥芝最仁慈、最善良和最懂得爱情的心赐予你。”
这之后铁皮人也满面愁容地跑回到小伙伴们那里来,把他看见的巨大可怕的野兽,告诉了大家。他们通通被震撼了,那大魔术家奥芝竟然能把自己变幻成那么多种样子。狮子说:“等到我去见他时,假如他还是一只大野兽,我将用我最恐怖的吼声,来恐吓它,这样它就会吓得满足我的愿望。假如他还是那个贵妇人,我将假装朝她身上扑去,强迫她满足我的要求。假如他是那个大头,它定会向我求饶。因为我会在宫殿里滚动那个大头,直到它答应完成我们所盼望的事。所以我的伙伴们,乐观一点,还有我呢。”
又一天的早晨,绿胡子的兵士再一次到来,这次他领着胆小的狮子到那大宫殿去,然后让它走进去,来到奥芝的面前。
胆小的狮子立刻穿过那扇门来到宫殿内,向四周环视,让它吃惊的是,在宝座前面,是一个燃烧猛烈而炽热的火球,狮子不得不眯着眼睛逼视着它。起初它以为是奥芝遇到了什么意外,什么东西烧了起来。可是,当它想靠近一点儿一探究竟时,发现那火热度惊人,就快要烧焦了它的胡须,因此只能颤抖地趴着退回去,站到最初靠近门口的那个地方。
这时一个极低沉又平静的声音,从大火球里面传来,说道:“我是伟大而又可怕的大魔术师奥芝,你又是谁?你来找我做什么?”
狮子应声回答:“我是一只没有胆量的狮子,我害怕一切。我来到这里是来请求你赐予我胆量,给我勇气,让我成为名副其实的野兽之王,正如人们所称呼的那样。”
奥芝平静地问道:“你认为,我为什么应该答应你?”狮子诚恳地回答说:“因为你是最伟大的魔术师,只有你才有能力完成我的愿望。”
顿时,火球烧得更旺了。
那声音继续说:“只要你把那西方恶女巫死了的消息带来给我,那时候,我一定把胆量赐予你。但是,只要那个恶女巫还存活于世,你就依然是一只胆小的狮子。”
狮子对于奥芝的一席话感到非常愤怒,但是它也无言以对,这时,它静静地站在殿内,默默凝视着那个大火球,那火球燃得更加剧烈且更加灼热了,使得它不得不转过身去从宫殿中冲了出去,因为它的伙伴们在等着它回来。它十分欢喜地跟他们团聚,然后把它和奥芝会见的可怕场景,讲给了他们听。
多萝茜非常忧愁地问:“那现在我们该怎么办呢?”
“我们能做的,只有一件事情,”狮子回答说,“那就是到温基人住的地方去,找到那西方恶女巫,然后把她杀掉。”
“可是,如果我们完不成呢?”小女孩子没信心地说。“如果这样,我就永远都不能获得胆量了。”狮子断然说。“我就永远不能拥有大脑了。”稻草人沮丧地说。
“要是这样,我的身体里就永远不会拥有一颗心了。”铁皮人也跟着说。“至于我,我将永远都不会与亨利叔叔和爱姆婶婶相聚了。”多萝茜伤心地说着,同时又哭了起来。
“小心!”绿女郎高声叫喊着,“你的眼泪会掉在美丽的绿缎衣上,会把它弄脏了的。”
多萝茜立马擦干了眼泪说:“我觉得我们一定要去尝试一下,但是我坚信即使为了要与叔叔和婶婶重逢,我也不会以杀死什么人为代价。”
“我跟你一起去,但是要去杀掉那个恶女巫,我胆子太小了!”狮子说。“我也和你一起去,”稻草人自告奋勇,“不过我只是一个没有脑子的笨汉,可能对于你,不会有多大的帮助。”
“虽然她是一个邪恶的女巫,我也不想伤害她,”铁皮人也说,“不过如果你要去,我一定同你一起。”
因此他们选择在第二天的一早开始新的旅途。铁皮人在奥芝城里的绿磨石上,磨快磨光了他的斧头,他还把全身的所有关节都加了油。稻草人往自己的身体里填进了新稻草,小女孩还用新油漆重新涂了他的眼睛,让他可以看得更清晰。那个绿衣女郎十分友善地对待他们,拿来好多好吃的食物装满了多萝茜的篮子,并且用一条绿色丝带把一个小铃缚紧在托托的脖子上。
他们很早就爬上床去,并且熟睡着,一直睡到太阳升起,那时,养在奥芝宫殿后院儿里的绿色公鸡,开始喔喔地叫,而那只母鸡,刚刚生了一颗绿蛋,在一旁咯咯地叫,他们才被这些嘈杂的声音吵醒了。
11.The Wonderful City of Oz
Even with eyes protected by the green spectacles, Dorothy and her friends were at first dazzled by the brilliancy of the wonderful City. The streets were lined with beautiful houses all built of green marble and studded everywhere with sparkling emeralds. They walked over a pavement of the same green marble, and where the blocks were joined together were rows of emeralds, set closely, and glittering in the brightness of the sun. The window panes were of green glass; even the sky above the City had a green tint, and the rays of the sun were green.
There were many people--men, women, and children--walking about, and these were all dressed in green clothes and had greenish skins. They looked at Dorothy and her strangely assorted company with wondering eyes, and the children all ran away andhid behindtheir mothers when they saw the Lion; but no one spoke to them. Many shopsstood in the street, and Dorothy saw that everything in them was green. Green candy and green pop corn were offered for sale, as well as green shoes, green hats, and green clothes of all sorts. At one place a man was selling green lemonade, and when the children bought it Dorothy could see that they paid for it with green pennies.
There seemed to be no horses nor animals of any kind; the men carried things around in little green carts, which they pushed before them. Everyone seemed happy and contented and prosperous.
The Guardian of the Gates led them through the streets until they came to a big building, exactly in the middle of the City, which was the Palace of Oz, the Great Wizard. There was a soldier before the door, dressed in a green uniform and wearing a long green beard.
"Here are strangers," said the Guardian of the Gates to him, "and they demand to see the Great Oz.""Step inside," answered the soldier, "and I will carry your message to him."So they passed through the Palace Gates and were led into a big room with a green carpet and lovely green furniture set with emeralds. The soldier made them all wipe their feet upon a green mat before entering this room, and when they were seated he said politely:
"Please make yourselves comfortable while I go to the door of the Throne Room and tell Oz you are here."They had to wait a long time before the soldier returned. When, at last, he came back, Dorothy asked:
"Have you seen Oz?"