“WE CANNOT BE FAR from the road of yellow brick, now,” remarked the Scarecrow, as he stood beside the girl, “for we have come nearly as far as the river carried us away.”
“我们离那黄砖路应该不远了，” 稻草人站在女孩身旁说道，“因为我们已经走了很久，几乎就和河流带走我们的地方一样远了。”

The Tin Woodman was about to reply when he heard a low growl, and turning his head (which worked beautifully on hinges) he saw a strange beast come bounding over the grass toward them.
花木兰正要回答，这时他听到了一声低沉的吼叫，转过头（他的头可以灵活地转动）他看见一只陌生的野兽向他们跳过草地。 —

It was, indeed, a great yellow Wildcat, and the Woodman thought it must be chasing something, for its ears were lying close to its head and its mouth was wide open, showing two rows of ugly teeth, while its red eyes glowed like balls of fire.
的确，那是一只巨大的黄色野猫，木偶听说它一定是在追逐什么，因为它的耳朵紧贴着头，嘴巴大张着，露出了两排丑陋的牙齿，而它的红眼睛像火球一样发光。 —

As it came nearer the Tin Woodman saw that running before the beast was a little gray field mouse, and although he had no heart he knew it was wrong for the Wildcat to try to kill such a pretty, harmless creature.
当它靠近时，铁人看到在野兽前面奔跑的是一只小灰色田鼠，尽管他没有心，但他知道野猫去杀害这样一只漂亮又无害的生物是错误的。

So the Woodman raised his axe, and as the Wildcat ran by he gave it a quick blow that cut the beast’s head clean off from its body, and it rolled over at his feet in two pieces.
因此，铁人举起斧头，当野猫从他身边跑过时，他给了它一记猛击，将野兽的头从身体上砍了下来，它在他脚边分成两截滚了开。

The field mouse, now that it was freed from its enemy, stopped short; and coming slowly up to the Woodman it said, in a squeaky little voice:
这只田鼠被敌人抓住后获救，停下来，慢慢地走向伐木工人，并用尖尖的小声音说道：

“Oh, thank you! Thank you ever so much for saving my life.”
“哦，谢谢！非常感谢你救了我的命。”

“Don’t speak of it, I beg of you,” replied the Woodman. “I have no heart, you know, so I am careful to help all those who may need a friend, even if it happens to be only a mouse.”
“不要谈论这个，我请求你。” 伐木工人回答道：”你知道我没有心，所以我会小心地帮助所有可能需要朋友的人，即使只是一只老鼠。”

“Only a mouse!” cried the little animal, indignantly. “Why, I am a Queen—the Queen of all the Field Mice!”
“只是一只老鼠!” 小动物愤怒地喊道：” 喂，我是一个女王——所有田鼠的女王!”

“Oh, indeed,” said the Woodman, making a bow.
“哦，确实是这样。” 伐木工人鞠了一躬。

“Therefore you have done a great deed, as well as a brave one, in saving my life,” added the Queen.
“因此，你救了我的命，不仅是一次伟大的行动，也是一次勇敢的行动，” 女王补充道。

At that moment several mice were seen running up as fast as their little legs could carry them, and when they saw their Queen they exclaimed:
正在这时，几只老鼠迅速跑过来，小腿拼命地跑。当它们看到女王时，它们惊叫道：

“Oh, your Majesty, we thought you would be killed!
“哦，陛下，我们以为您会被杀害！ —

How did you manage to escape the great Wildcat?” and they all bowed so low to the little Queen that they almost stood upon their heads.
您是如何逃脱大野猫的追击的呢？” 它们全都向女王低头，以至于差点趴在地上。

“This funny tin man,” she answered, “killed the Wildcat and saved my life.
“这只有趣的铁皮人，”她回答道，“杀死了狂猫，救了我的性命。 —

So hereafter you must all serve him, and obey his slightest wish.”
所以以后你们都必须侍奉他，听从他的每一个愿望。”

“We will!” cried all the mice, in a shrill chorus.
“我们愿意!” 所有的老鼠高声喊道。 —

And then they scampered in all directions, for Toto had awakened from his sleep, and seeing all these mice around him he gave one bark of delight and jumped right into the middle of the group.
然后他们四处奔跑，因为托托从睡梦中醒来，看到周围有这么多老鼠，他高兴地叫了一声，跳进了它们的中间。 —

Toto had always loved to chase mice when he lived in Kansas, and he saw no harm in it.
当托托住在堪萨斯州的时候，他总是喜欢追逐老鼠，他觉得没什么不好的。

But the Tin Woodman caught the dog in his arms and held him tight, while he called to the mice, “Come back!
但铁皮人抱紧了狗，大喊着对老鼠们说：“回来！回来！ —

Come back! Toto shall not hurt you.”
托托不会咬你们。”

At this the Queen of the Mice stuck her head out from underneath a clump of grass and asked, in a timid voice, “Are you sure he will not bite us?”
听到这里，老鼠女王从一丛草丛下探出头来，小声问道：“你确定他不会咬我们吗？”

“I will not let him,” said the Woodman;
“我不会让他咬你们的，”铁皮人说， —

“so do not be afraid.” One by one the mice came creeping back, and Toto did not bark again, although he tried to get out of the Woodman’s arms, and would have bitten him had he not known very well he was made of tin.
“所以不要害怕。”一只接一只的老鼠悄悄地回来了，托托没有再吠叫，尽管它试图挣脱木偶人的怀抱，如果它不非常清楚对方是由锡做成，它早就咬了他。 —

Finally one of the biggest mice spoke.
最后一个最大的老鼠开口了。

“Is there anything we can do,” it asked, “to repay you for saving the life of our Queen?”
“有什么我们可以做的吗？”它问道，“来回报你救了我们女王的命？”

“Nothing that I know of,” answered the Woodman;
“我不知道有什么可以做的，”木偶人回答道； —

but the Scarecrow, who had been trying to think, but could not because his head was stuffed with straw, said, quickly, “Oh, yes;
但是稻草人一直在努力思考，但是他脑袋里塞满了稻草，所以想不出来，他迅速说道，“哦，可以的； —

you can save our friend, the Cowardly Lion, who is asleep in the poppy bed.”
你们可以救救我们的朋友、胆怯的狮子，它在罂粟床上睡觉。”

“A Lion!” cried the little Queen. “Why, he would eat us all up.”
“一只狮子！”小女王喊道，“为什么，它会把我们都吃掉。”

“Oh, no,” declared the Scarecrow;
“噢，不会的，”稻草人断言， —

“this Lion is a coward.”
“这只狮子是个胆小鬼。”

“Really?” asked the Mouse.
“真的吗？”老鼠问道。

“He says so himself,” answered the Scarecrow, “and he would never hurt anyone who is our friend.
“他自己这么说，”稻草人回答道，“而且他永远不会伤害我们的朋友。” —

If you will help us to save him I promise that he shall treat you all with kindness.”
“如果你们帮助我们救他，我保证他会善待你们所有人。”女王说道。

“Very well,” said the Queen, “we trust you. But what shall we do?”
“好吧，”女王说，“我们相信你。但是我们应该做什么呢？”

“Are there many of these mice which call you Queen and are willing to obey you?”
“有很多这样的老鼠会称呼你为女王并服从你吗？”

“Oh, yes; there are thousands,” she replied.
“哦，是的；有成千上万只，”她回答道。

“Then send for them all to come here as soon as possible, and let each one bring a long piece of string.”
“那么尽快把它们都召集过来，并让每只带一根长绳子。

The Queen turned to the mice that attended her and told them to go at once and get all her people.
女王转向侍奉她的老鼠，并告诉他们立即去找到她的人民。 —

As soon as they heard her orders they ran away in every direction as fast as possible.
听到她的命令后，他们迅速四散而去。

“Now,” said the Scarecrow to the Tin Woodman, “you must go to those trees by the riverside and make a truck that will carry the Lion.”
“现在，”稻草人对铁人说， “你必须去河边的那些树上做一个能够载着狮子的货车。”

So the Woodman went at once to the trees and began to work;
于是，木锤开始去树边工作。 —

and he soon made a truck out of the limbs of trees, from which he chopped away all the leaves and branches.
他很快用树枝制作了一辆车，将叶子和树枝都砍掉。 —

He fastened it together with wooden pegs and made the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree trunk.
他用木桩将其固定在一起，并用一棵大树的短段制作了四个车轮。 —

So fast and so well did he work that by the time the mice began to arrive the truck was all ready for them.
他工作得又快又好，到老鼠开始到达时，货车已经准备就绪。

They came from all directions, and there were thousands of them:
他们来自四面八方，数量众多：有大老鼠， —

big mice and little mice and middle-sized mice;
小老鼠和中等大小的老鼠； —

and each one brought a piece of string in his mouth.
正在这个时候， —

It was about this time that Dorothy woke from her long sleep and opened her eyes.
多萝西从漫长的睡眠中醒来，睁开了眼睛。 —

She was greatly astonished to find herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice standing around and looking at her timidly.
她非常惊讶地发现自己躺在草地上，周围站着成千上万只老鼠，它们羞怯地看着她。 —

But the Scarecrow told her about everything, and turning to the dignified little Mouse, he said:
但稻草人向她解释了一切，并转身对着尊贵的小老鼠说道：

“Permit me to introduce to you her Majesty, the Queen.” Dorothy nodded gravely and the Queen made a curtsy, after which she became quite friendly with the little girl.
“允许我向您介绍她的陛下，女王。”多萝西庄重地点点头，女王抬起身子行了个屈膝礼，之后她便对这个小女孩友好起来。 —

The Scarecrow and the Woodman now began to fasten the mice to the truck, using the strings they had brought.
然而，稻草人和铁木人现在开始用他们带来的绳子将老鼠绑在车上。 —

One end of a string was tied around the neck of each mouse and the other end to the truck.
绳子的一端系在每只老鼠的脖子上，另一端系在车上。 —

Of course the truck was a thousand times bigger than any of the mice who were to draw it;
当然，这辆车比任何一只老鼠都大一千倍； —

but when all the mice had been harnessed, they were able to pull it quite easily.
但当所有的老鼠都被套上车后，它们就能轻易地拉动它。 —

Even the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman could sit on it, and were drawn swiftly by their queer little horses to the place where the Lion lay asleep.
甚至稻草人和锡木人也可以坐在上面，由他们奇特的小马迅速地带到狮子躺着的地方。

After a great deal of hard work, for the Lion was heavy, they managed to get him up on the truck.
经过艰苦的努力，因为狮子很重，他们设法把他放到了车上。 —

Then the Queen hurriedly gave her people the order to start, for she feared if the mice stayed among the poppies too long they also would fall asleep.
然后女王匆忙地下令出发，因为她担心老鼠在罂粟花中停留时间太长，它们也会睡着。

At first the little creatures, many though they were, could hardly stir the heavily loaded truck;
起初，尽管数量众多，这些小生物几乎无法移动装满重物的车； —

but the Woodman and the Scarecrow both pushed from behind, and they got along better.
但是木人和稻草人都从后面推，它们就行得更顺利了。 —

Soon they rolled the Lion out of the poppy bed to the green fields, where he could breathe the sweet, fresh air again, instead of the poisonous scent of the flowers.
很快，他们把狮子从罂粟花丛中推出来，来到了绿色的田野上，他可以再次呼吸到甜美清新的空气，而不是毒花的气味。 —

Dorothy came to meet them and thanked the little mice warmly for saving her companion from death.
多萝西走过来迎接他们，并热情地感谢那些小老鼠救了她的伙伴脱离死亡的危险。 —

She had grown so fond of the big Lion she was glad he had been rescued.
她对这只大狮子非常喜爱，她很高兴他被救了出来。 —

Then the mice were unharnessed from the truck and scampered away through the grass to their homes.
然后，小老鼠从卡车上解开了束缚，从草地上蹦蹦跳跳地回到了它们的家中。 —

The Queen of the Mice was the last to leave.
老鼠女王是最后一个离开的。

“If ever you need us again,” she said, “come out into the field and call, and we shall hear you and come to your assistance.
“如果你再需要我们，” 她说道，”到田地里呼唤我们，我们会听到并来帮助你。 —

Good-bye!”
再见！”

“Good-bye!” they all answered, and away the Queen ran, while Dorothy held Toto tightly lest he should run after her and frighten her.
“再见！”他们都回答道，老鼠女王跑掉了，多萝西紧紧抱住托托，以免他跑过去吓到她。

After this they sat down beside the Lion until he should awaken;
此后，他们坐在狮子旁边，等待他醒来； —

and the Scarecrow brought Dorothy some fruit from a tree near by, which she ate for her dinner.
稻草人从附近的树上摘了一些水果给多萝西吃午饭。