第4章 THE ROAD THROUGH THE FOREST 穿过森林的路

After a few hours the road began to be rough, and the walking grew so difficult that the Scarecrow often stumbled over the yellow bricks, which were here very uneven. Sometimes, indeed, they were broken or missing altogether, leaving holes that Toto jumped across and Dorothy walked around. As for the Scarecrow, having no brains, he walked straight ahead, and so stepped into the holes and fell at full length on the hard bricks. It never hurt him, however, and Dorothy would pick him up and set him upon his feet again, while he joined her in laughing merrily at his own mishap.

The farms were not nearly so well cared for here as they were farther back. There were fewer houses and fewer fruit trees, and the farther they went the more dismal and lonesome the country became.

At noon they sat down by the roadside, near a little brook, and Dorothy opened her basket and got out some bread. She offered a piece to the Scarecrow, but he refused.

“I am never hungry,”he said, “and it is a lucky thing I am not, for my mouth is only painted, and if I should cut a hole in it so I could eat, the straw I am stuffed with would come out, and that would spoil the shape of my head.”

Dorothy saw at once that this was true, so she only nodded and went on eating her bread.

“Tell me something about yourself and the country you came from,”said the Scarecrow, when she had finished her dinner.

So she told him all about Kansas, and how gray everything was there, and how the cyclone had carried her to this queer Land of Oz.

The Scarecrow listened carefully, and said, “I cannot understand why you should wish to leave this beautiful country and go back to the dry, gray place you call Kansas.”

“That is because you have no brains,”answered the girl. “No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home.”

The Scarecrow sighed.

“Of course I cannot understand it,”he said. “If your heads were stuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in the beautiful places, and then Kansas would have no people at all. It is fortunate for Kansas that you have brains.”

“Won't you tell me a story, while we are resting?”asked the child.

The Scarecrow looked at her reproachfully, and answered: “My life has been so short that I really know nothing whatever. I was only made day before yesterday. What happened in the world before that time is all unknown to me. Luckily, when the farmer made my head, one of the first things he did was to paint my ears, so that I heard what was going on. There was another Munchkin with him, and the first thing I heard was the farmer saying, ‘How do you like those ears? ’

“‘They aren't straight, ' answered the other.

“‘Never mind, ' said the farmer. ‘They are ears just the same, ' which was true enough.

“‘Now I'll make the eyes, ' said the farmer. So he painted my right eye, and as soon as it was finished I found myself looking at him and at everything around me with a great deal of curiosity, for this was my first glimpse of the world.

“‘That's a rather pretty eye, ' remarked the Munchkin who was watching the farmer.‘Blue paint is just the color for eyes.’

“‘I think I'll make the other a little bigger, ' said the farmer. And when the second eye was done I could see much better than before. Then he made my nose and my mouth. But I did not speak, because at that time I didn't know what a mouth was for. I had the fun of watching them make my body and my arms and legs; and when they fastened on my head, at last, I felt very proud, for I thought I was just as good a man as anyone.

“‘This fellow will scare the crows fast enough, ' said the farmer. ‘He looks just like a man.’

“‘Why, he is a man, ' said the other, and I quite agreed with him. The farmer carried me under his arm to the cornfield, and set me up on a tall stick, where you found me. He and his friend soon after walked away and left me alone.

“I did not like to be deserted this way. So I tried to walk after them. But my feet would not touch the ground, and I was forced to stay on that pole. It was a lonely life to lead, for I had nothing to think of, having been made such a little while before. Many crows and other birds flew into the cornfield, but as soon as they saw me they flew away again, thinking I was a Munchkin; and this pleased me and made me feel that I was quite an important person. By and by an old crow flew near me, and after looking at me carefully he perched upon my shoulder and said: ‘I wonder if that farmer thought to fool me in this clumsy manner. Any crow of sense could see that you are only stuffed with straw.' Then he hopped down at my feet and ate all the corn he wanted. The other birds, seeing he was not harmed by me, came to eat the corn too, so in a short time there was a great flock of them about me.

“I felt sad at this, for it showed I was not such a good Scarecrow after all; but the old crow comforted me, saying,‘If you only had brains in your head you would be as good a man as any of them, and a better man than some of them. Brains are the only things worth having in this world, no matter whether one is a crow or a man.’

“After the crows had gone I thought this over, and decided I would try hard to get some brains. By good luck you came along and pulled me off the stake, and from what you say I am sure the Great Oz will give me brains as soon as we get to the Emerald City.”

“I hope so,”said Dorothy earnestly, “since you seem anxious to have them.”

“Oh, yes; I am anxious,”returned the Scarecrow. “It is such an uncomfortable feeling to know one is a fool.”

“Well,”said the girl, “let us go.”And she handed the basket to the Scarecrow.

There were no fences at all by the roadside now, and the land was rough and untilled. Toward evening they came to a great forest, where the trees grew so big and close together that their branches met over the road of yellow brick. It was almost dark under the trees, for the branches shut out the daylight; but the travelers did not stop, and went on into the forest.

“If this road goes in, it must come out,”said the Scarecrow, “and as the Emerald City is at the other end of the road, we must go wherever it leads us.”

“Anyone would know that,”said Dorothy.

“Certainly; that is why I know it,”returned the Scarecrow. “If it required brains to figure it out, I never should have said it.”

After an hour or so the light faded away, and they found themselves stumbling along in the darkness. Dorothy could not see at all, but Toto could, for some dogs see very well in the dark; and the Scarecrow declared he could see as well as by day. So she took hold of his arm and managed to get along fairly well.

“If you see any house, or any place where we can pass the night,”she said, “you must tell me; for it is very uncomfortable walking in the dark.”

Soon after the Scarecrow stopped.

“I see a little cottage at the right of us,”he said, “built of logs and branches. Shall we go there?”

“Yes, indeed,”answered the child. “I am all tired out.”

So the Scarecrow led her through the trees until they reached the cottage, and Dorothy entered and found a bed of dried leaves in one corner. She lay down at once, and with Toto beside her soon fell into a sound sleep. The Scarecrow, who was never tired, stood up in another corner and waited patiently until morning came.

几小时后，路开始崎岖不平，渐渐地难走起来。稻草人时常绊倒在黄砖上。因为这里很不平坦，有的地方的黄砖确实已经破碎或完全不见了，留下了坑坑洼洼，所以透透跳了过去，多萝西则绕了过去，而稻草人没有脑子，一直向前走，就踩进了坑里，全身都倒在了硬砖上。然而，那绝不会伤害他。随后，多萝西把他提起来，让他重新站直。他赶上多萝西时，对自己的不幸事故开心大笑。

他们往前走着，房子越来越少，果树也越来越少，这里的农田几乎没有被好好耕种过。他们再向前走，这地方变得更加阴沉和寂寞。

中午时分，他们在靠近一条小溪的路边坐下来，多萝西打开篮子，拿出面包，递给稻草人一片，但他没有要。

“我永远不会饿，”他说，“我不会饿是一件幸运事，因为我的嘴仅仅是画的，我在那里开一个洞就能吃，但填塞在我里面的稻草却会跑出来，那也会破坏我头部的形状。”

多萝西马上明白他说得没错，只是点了点头，继续吃着面包。

“把你自己和你所来国家的情况告诉我。”她吃完午饭后，稻草人说。

于是，她就把堪萨斯州的所有情况，包括那里所有的一切都灰蒙蒙的以及龙卷风是怎样把她刮到这个奇异的奥兹国来的事儿，统统告诉了他。

稻草人仔细倾听，然后说道：“我无法明白你为什么想离开这个美丽的国家，回到那个又干又灰、名叫堪萨斯州的地方。”

“那是因为你没有脑子，”小女孩回答说，“无论我们的家怎样凄凉和灰色，我们有血有肉的人宁愿住在那里，即使他乡再美，也不愿住在他乡。什么地方也比不上家。”

稻草人叹了口气。

“我当然不能理解，”他说，“如果你们的脑袋像我的一样塞满稻草，你们说不定就会住在这些美丽的地方了，那样堪萨斯州就会完全没有人住了。你们有脑子，那是堪萨斯州的运气。”

“我们休息时，你给我讲一个故事好吗？”小女孩问。

稻草人面带责备地看着她，回答说：“我的生命这样短暂，我确实什么都不知道。我只是前天才被做成的。在那之前世界上发生的事儿，我一无所知。幸运的是，那个农民做成了我的头，他最先做的一件事是画我的耳朵，所以我就听到了眼前发生的事儿。当时还有一个芒奇金人和他在一起，我听到的第一件事是那个农民说：‘你觉得那些耳朵怎么样？’

“‘它们不直。’另一个回答说。

“‘没关系，’那个农民说，‘反正都是耳朵，’这够像的了。

“‘现在我要画眼睛了。’那个农民说。所以，他就画了我的右眼，他一画完，我就发现自己在看着他，并带着极大的好奇心看着周围的一切，因为这是我第一次看到世界。

“‘那是一只非常漂亮的眼睛，’那个芒奇金人目不转睛地望着那个农民说，‘蓝色正是眼睛的颜色。’

“‘我想我要把另一只眼睛画大点儿。’那个农民说。当第二只眼睛画成时，我就能比以前看得清楚多了。随后，他画了我的鼻子和嘴。可是，我不能说话，因为当时我还不知道嘴有什么用。我开心地望着他做我的身体、手臂和腿，当它们最后和我的头接牢时，我非常自豪，因为我想我差不多像人一样了。

“‘这个家伙一定会吓住乌鸦，’那个农民说，‘他看上去真像个人。’

“‘哎呀，他就是一个人。’另一个说。我完全同意他的话。那个农民把我夹在手臂下，来到玉米田里，将我竖在一根高秆上，你就是在那里发现我的。过了一会儿，那个农民和他的朋友就走开了，把我独自留在了那里。

“我不想这样被遗弃，就想跟在他们后面走。可是，我的脚着不了地，我只好待在那个秆子上。因为我刚被做成，没有什么事儿可想，所以过着孤独的生活。好多乌鸦和别的小鸟飞进玉米田，但它们一看见我，便又飞走了，以为我是芒奇金人。这使我很高兴，并使我感到自己是个非常重要的人。不久以后，一只老乌鸦飞近我，在仔细看过我后，落在我的肩上，说：‘我不知道那个农民是不是想用这种笨拙的方式来愚弄我。任何一只有判断力的乌鸦都能看出你只不过是塞满了稻草。’于是，它跳到我的脚边，吃它想吃的所有玉米。别的小鸟看见它没有受到我的伤害，也飞下来吃玉米，所以我的四周马上便有了一大群乌鸦。

“我对这件事感到非常伤心，因为这毕竟表明我不是个好稻草人，但那只老乌鸦安慰我说：‘只要你的脑袋里有了脑子，你就会像其他所有的人一样，而且比他们中的一些人还好。在这个世界上，无论是乌鸦还是人，脑子是唯一有价值的东西。’

“那些乌鸦飞走后，我仔细考虑这事儿，决定想得到一些脑子。侥幸的是，你走过来把我从秆子上拿了下来，从你说的话里，我相信，我们一到翡翠城，伟大的奥兹就会送给我脑子的。”

“我希望这样，”多萝西真诚地说，“因为你好像渴望得到它们。”

“噢，是的，我渴望，”稻草人回答说，“因为知道自己是个笨蛋，这样的感觉让人非常不舒服。”

“好，”小女孩说，“我们走吧。”说完，她把篮子递给了稻草人。

现在路边没有任何围墙，地面崎岖不平，田野也没有耕种。黄昏时分，他们来到了一大片森林前，那些树木非常高大，靠在一起，树枝交叉在黄砖路上空。树枝遮天蔽日，树下面几乎一片黑暗。可这两个旅行者没有停步，继续向森林里走去。

“这条路能进去，肯定能出来，”稻草人说，“翡翠城在路的另一端，我们必须顺着这条路指引的地方走。”

“那谁都知道。”多萝西说。

“当然，我也知道，”稻草人回答说，“如果需要脑子去想，我绝对不会说出来。”

大约一小时后，阳光渐渐地消失了，他们在黑暗中磕磕绊绊地向前走。多萝西什么也看不见，但透透能看见，因为有些狗能在黑暗里看得一清二楚。稻草人说他也像白天一样能看见。所以，她就拉住他的手臂，还能向前走。

“如果你看见什么房子或我们能过夜的什么地方，”她说，“就一定告诉我，因为在黑暗中走路很不舒服。”

过了一会儿，稻草人停住了脚步。

“我看见我们左边有个小屋，”他说，“是用圆木和树枝搭建的。我们去那里好吗？”

“去，当然去，”小女孩回答说，“我一点劲儿也没有了。”

于是，稻草人领她穿过树林，一直走到那个小屋边。随后，多萝西走进去，在一个角落发现了一张铺有干树叶的床。她马上躺上去，很快就进入了甜美的梦乡，透透卧在她身边。稻草人永远不会疲倦，他站在另一个角落，耐心地等到了第二天早晨。