The next morning, the friends said goodbye to the green girl and the green soldier. The Guardian of the Gates opened the gate for them. He was surprised they wanted to leave the beautiful Emerald City.
"You are our ruler now," he told the Scarecrow. "You must come back soon."
"I will," the Scarecrow said. "But first, I must help Dorothy get home."
Dorothy thanked the Guardian for his kindness. Then they all walked out of the city and started their journey to the South.
The sun was bright. The friends were happy and full of hope. Dorothy hoped she could get home soon. The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman were happy to help her. The Lion was happy to be in the country again. And Toto ran around, barking merrily.
"I do not like city life," said the Lion. "I want to show the other animals how brave I am now."
They looked back one last time at the Emerald City. They could see the tall green towers of the Palace of Oz.
"Oz was not a bad Wizard," said the Tin Woodman, feeling his heart.
"He gave me very good brains," said the Scarecrow.
"If Oz drank some of his own courage, he would be a brave man," said the Lion.
Dorothy was quiet. Oz did not keep his promise to her. But he was a good man, even if he was a bad Wizard.
The first day, they walked through green fields. That night, they slept on the grass under the stars. The next morning, they came to a thick wood. They could not go around it, so they had to go through it.
The Scarecrow walked in front. He found a big tree with low branches. He tried to walk under it. But the branches moved! They wrapped around the Scarecrow. They lifted him up and threw him back to his friends. The Scarecrow was not hurt, but he was very surprised.
"The trees are fighting us!" said the Lion.
"Let me try," said the Tin Woodman. He walked to the tree with his axe. When a branch came down to grab him, he chopped it in two with his axe. The tree shook its other branches, like it was in pain. The Tin Woodman walked safely under it.
"Come on! Be quick!" he shouted. The others ran and passed under the tree. Only Toto was caught by a small branch. The Tin Woodman quickly chopped the branch and freed the little dog.
The other trees in the forest did not move. It seemed that only the first row of trees could fight. They were like the police of the forest.
The friends walked through the woods easily. But when they got to the other side, they found a new problem. In front of them was a high, smooth wall. It looked like it was made of white china (the material for making fine plates and cups).
"What do we do now?" Dorothy asked.
"I will make a ladder," said the Tin Woodman. "We must climb over this wall."