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I suppose that Polychrome, and perhaps Queen Ann and her Army, might have been able to dispel the enchantment of Ruggedo’s Chief Magician had they known that danger lay in their pathway; for the Rainbow’s Daughter was a fairy and as Oogaboo is a part of the Land of Oz its inhabitants cannot easily be deceived by such common magic as the Nome King could command.
我想，如果多彩虹，也许还有安女王和她的军队，知道他们的道路上有危险，他们可能能够驱散崎岖多的首席魔法师的魔法；因为彩虹的女儿是一个仙女，而奥加布是奥兹国的一部分，它的居民不容易被诺姆国王所能指挥的这种普通魔法所欺骗。
But no one suspected any especial danger until after they had entered Ruggedo’s cavern, and so they were journeying along in quite a contented manner when Tik-Tok, who marched ahead, suddenly disappeared.
但是直到他们进入崎岖多的洞穴后，没有人怀疑有任何特别的危险，所以他们以相当满足的方式旅行，当走在前面的滴答突然消失时。
The officers thought he must have turned a corner, so they kept on their way and all of them likewise disappeared—one after another. Queen Ann was rather surprised at this, and in hastening forward to learn the reason she also vanished from sight.
军官们认为他一定拐了个弯，所以他们继续前进，他们也都同样消失了——一个接一个。安女王对此相当惊讶，在匆忙向前了解原因时，她也从视线中消失了。
Betsy Bobbin had tired her feet by walking, so she was now riding upon the back of the stout little mule, facing backward and talking to Shaggy and Polychrome, who were just behind.
贝齐·鲍宾走路走累了脚，所以她现在骑在结实的小骡子的背上，面向后，和沙格和多彩虹说话，他们就在后面。
Suddenly Hank pitched forward and began falling and Betsy would have tumbled over his head had she not grabbed the mule’s shaggy neck with both arms and held on for dear life.
突然，汉克向前倾斜并开始坠落，贝齐如果没有用双臂抓住骡子毛茸茸的脖子并紧紧抓住生命，就会从他的头上滚下来。
All around was darkness, and they were not falling directly downward but seemed to be sliding along a steep incline.
周围一片漆黑，他们不是直接向下坠落，而是似乎沿着一个陡峭的斜坡滑行。
Hank’s hoofs were resting upon some smooth substance over which he slid with the swiftness of the wind.
Hank 的蹄子踩在一些光滑的物质上，他在上面以风的速度滑行。
They were, indeed, descending the “Hollow Tube” that led to the other side of the world.
他们确实正在下降通向世界另一边的“空心管”。
“Stop, Hank—stop!” cried the girl; but Hank only uttered a plaintive “Hee-haw!” for it was impossible for him to obey.
“停下来，Hank——停下来！”女孩喊道；但 Hank 只发出了一声哀怨的“嘻嗬！”因为他不可能服从。
After several minutes had passed and no harm had befallen them, Betsy gained courage.
几分钟过去了，没有发生任何伤害，Betsy 鼓起了勇气。
She could see nothing at all, nor could she hear anything except the rush of air past her ears as they plunged downward along the Tube.
她什么也看不见，除了他们沿着管子向下猛冲时耳边的风声，她什么也听不到。
Whether she and Hank were alone, or the others were with them, she could not tell.
她和汉克是单独在一起，还是其他人也和他们在一起，她无法分辨。
But had some one been able to take a flashlight photograph of the Tube at that time a most curious picture would have resulted.
但是，如果当时有人能用闪光灯拍下管子的照片，结果会是一张非常奇怪的照片。
There was Tik-Tok, flat upon his back and sliding headforemost down the incline.
那里是嘀嗒嘀嗒，平躺在他的背上，头朝前滑下斜坡。
And there were the Officers of the Army of Oogaboo, all tangled up in a confused crowd, flapping their arms and trying to shield their faces from the clanking swords, which swung back and forth during the swift journey and pummeled everyone within their reach.
还有奥加布军队的军官们，都在一个混乱的人群中纠缠在一起，挥舞着手臂，试图保护他们的脸免受叮当响的剑的伤害，这些剑在快速的旅程中来回摆动，打击了他们范围内的每个人。
Now followed Queen Ann, who had struck the Tube in a sitting position and went flying along with a dash and abandon that thoroughly bewildered the poor lady, who had no idea what had happened to her.
现在跟着安女王，她坐在管子上，飞了起来，带着一种彻底迷惑了这位可怜的女士的冲劲和放纵，她不知道自己发生了什么事。
Then, a little distance away, but unseen by the others in the inky darkness, slid Betsy and Hank, while behind them were Shaggy and Polychrome and finally Files and the Princess.
然后，在一段距离之外，但在漆黑的黑暗中其他人看不到，滑过了贝琪和汉克，而在他们后面是毛茸茸的和多彩的，最后是文件和公主。
When first they tumbled into the Tube all were too dazed to think clearly, but the trip was a long one, because the cavity led straight through the earth to a place just opposite the Nome King’s dominions, and long before the adventurers got to the end they had begun to recover their wits.
当他们第一次跌进管子时，所有人都太晕眩了，无法清晰地思考，但这次旅行很长，因为这个洞穴直接穿过地球通向一个与诺姆国王的领地正好相反的地方，而且在冒险家们到达终点之前很久，他们就开始恢复他们的智慧。
“This is awful, Hank!” cried Betsy in a loud voice, and Queen Ann heard her and called out: “Are you safe, Betsy?”
“这太可怕了，汉克！”贝琪大声喊道，安女王听到了她的声音，喊道：“你安全吗，贝琪？”
“Mercy, no!” answered the little girl. “How could anyone be safe when she’s going about sixty miles a minute?” Then, after a pause, she added: “But where do you s’pose we’re going to, Your Maj’sty?”
“天哪，不！”小女孩回答道。“当一个人以每分钟大约六十英里的速度前进时，怎么可能有人安全呢？”然后，停顿了一下，她又补充道：“但是你猜我们要去哪里，陛下？”
“Don’t ask her that, please don’t!” said Shaggy, who was not too far away to overhear them. “And please don’t ask me why, either.”
“请不要问她那个，也请不要问我为什么。”沙格说，他离得不远，能听到他们的声音。“也请不要问我为什么。”
“No one can tell where we are going until we get there,” replied Shaggy, and then he yelled “Ouch!” for Polychrome had overtaken him and was now sitting on his head.
“没有人能告诉我们要去哪里，直到我们到达那里，”沙吉回答说，然后他大喊“哎哟！”因为彩虹女儿追上了他，现在正坐在他的头上。
The Rainbow’s Daughter laughed merrily, and so infectious was this joyous laugh that Betsy echoed it and Hank said “Hee haw!” in a mild and sympathetic tone of voice.
彩虹女儿开心地笑了起来，这欢快的笑声如此具有感染力，以至于贝齐也跟着笑了起来，汉克则用温和而同情的语气说“嘻嗬！”
“I’d like to know where and when we’ll arrive, just the same,” exclaimed the little girl.
“我还是想知道我们什么时候、在哪里到达，”小女孩大声说道。
“Be patient and you’ll find out, my dear,” said Polychrome. “But isn’t this an odd experience? Here am I, whose home is in the skies, making a journey through the center of the earth—where I never expected to be!”
“耐心点，你会知道的，亲爱的，”彩虹女儿说。“但这不是一次奇怪的经历吗？我，家在天空中的人，正在穿越地球的中心——我从未想过会来到这里！”
“How do you know we’re in the center of the earth?” asked Betsy, her voice trembling a little through nervousness.
“你怎么知道我们在地球的中心？”贝齐问道，她的声音因为紧张而微微颤抖。
“I have often heard of this passage, which was once built by a Magician who was a great traveler.
“我经常听说这条通道，它曾经是一位伟大的旅行魔法师建造的。”
He thought it would save him the bother of going around the earth’s surface, but he tumbled through the Tube so fast that he shot out at the other end and hit a star in the sky, which at once exploded.”
“他认为这样可以省去绕地球表面旅行的麻烦，但他在管道里下落得太快，以至于从另一端射出来，撞到了天空中的一颗星星，那颗星星立刻爆炸了。”
“No one knows that,” answered Polychrome. “But I don’t think it matters much.”
“没人知道。” 彩衣仙女回答道。“但我觉得这并不重要。”
“It matters a good deal, if we also hit the stars when we come out,” said Queen Ann, with a moan.
“如果我们出去的时候也撞到星星，那就很重要了，”安女王呻吟着说。
“Don’t worry,” advised Polychrome. “I believe the Magician was going the other way, and probably he went much faster than we are going.”
“别担心，”多彩建议道。“我相信魔法师是往另一个方向走的，而且他可能比我们走得快得多。”
“It’s fast enough to suit me,” remarked Shaggy, gently removing Polychrome’s heel from his left eye. “Couldn’t you manage to fall all by yourself, my dear?”
“对我来说已经够快了，”毛茸茸的人温和地把多彩的脚后跟从他的左眼上移开，说道。“亲爱的，你就不能自己摔倒吗？”
All this time they were swiftly falling through the Tube, and it was not so easy for them to talk as you may imagine when you read their words. But although they were so helpless and altogether in the dark as to their fate, the fact that they were able to converse at all cheered them, considerably.
一直以来，他们都在快速地穿过管子，他们说话并不像你想象的那么容易，当你读到他们的话时。但尽管他们如此无助，对自己的命运完全一无所知，他们能够交谈的事实让他们相当振奋。
Files and Ozga were also conversing as they clung tightly to one another, and the young fellow bravely strove to reassure the Princess, although he was terribly frightened, both on her account and on his own.
文件和奥兹加也在紧紧地相互依偎着交谈，年轻人勇敢地努力让公主放心，尽管他非常害怕，既为她，也为他自己。
An hour, under such trying circumstances, is a very long time, and for more than an hour they continued their fearful journey.
在这种艰难的情况下，一个小时是非常漫长的，他们继续着他们可怕的旅程，持续了一个多小时。
Then, just as they began to fear the Tube would never end, Tik-Tok popped out into broad daylight and, after making a graceful circle in the air, fell with a splash into a great marble fountain.
然后，就在他们开始担心管道永远不会结束的时候，嘀嗒从管道里突然弹出，进入了明亮的日光中，在空中做了一个优美的圆圈，然后扑通一声掉进了一个巨大的大理石喷泉里。
Out came the officers, in quick succession, tumbling heels overhead and striking the ground in many undignified attitudes.
紧接着，军官们一个接一个地出来了，脚后跟在空中翻滚，以许多不体面的姿势着地。
“For the love of sassafras!” exclaimed a Peculiar Person who was hoeing pink violets in a garden. “What can all this mean?”
“看在山茱萸的份上！”一个正在花园里锄粉色紫罗兰的怪人惊叹道。“这一切意味着什么？”
For answer, Queen Ann sailed up from the Tube, took a ride through the air as high as the treetops, and alighted squarely on top of the Peculiar Person’s head, smashing a jeweled crown over his eyes and tumbling him to the ground.
作为回答，安女王从管道里飘了起来，在空中飞得和树梢一样高，然后正好落在那个怪人的头上，把一顶镶有宝石的王冠砸在他的眼睛上，把他摔倒在地。
The mule was heavier and had Betsy clinging to his back, so he did not go so high up.
这头骡子更重，背上还驮着贝齐，所以他没有飞得那么高。
Betsy was jarred a trifle but not hurt and when she looked around her she saw the Queen and the Peculiar Person struggling together upon the ground, where the man was trying to choke Ann and she had both hands in his bushy hair and was pulling with all her might.
贝琪被震了一下，但没有受伤，当她环顾四周时，她看到女王和那个怪人在地上扭打在一起，那个人试图掐住安的喉咙，而她双手都在他浓密的头发里，拼命地拉着。
Some of the officers, when they got upon their feet, hastened to separate the combatants and sought to restrain the Peculiar Person so that he could not attack their Queen again.
一些军官站起来后，赶紧把打斗的人分开，并试图阻止那个怪人再次攻击他们的女王。
By this time, Shaggy, Polychrome, Ozga and Files had all arrived and were curiously examining the strange country in which they found themselves and which they knew to be exactly on the opposite side of the world from the place where they had fallen into the Tube.
这时，沙格、多彩、奥兹加和菲尔斯都到了，他们好奇地打量着他们发现自己身处的这个陌生的国家，他们知道这个国家正好在他们掉进管子的地方的对面。
It was a lovely place, indeed, and seemed to be the garden of some great Prince, for through the vistas of trees and shrubbery could be seen the towers of an immense castle.
这确实是一个可爱的地方，似乎是某个伟大王子的花园，因为透过树木和灌木丛的远景，可以看到一座巨大城堡的塔楼。
But as yet the only inhabitant to greet them was the Peculiar Person just mentioned, who had shaken off the grasp of the officers without effort and was now trying to pull the battered crown from off his eyes.
但到目前为止，唯一迎接他们的居民就是刚才提到的那个怪人，他毫不费力地挣脱了军官们的束缚，现在正试图把那顶被砸坏的王冠从他的眼睛上拉下来。
Shaggy, who was always polite, helped him to do this and when the man was free and could see again he looked at his visitors with evident amazement.
沙格总是很有礼貌，帮助他做到了这一点，当这个人自由了，又能看见时，他看着他的访客，明显地感到惊讶。
“Well, well, well!” he exclaimed. “Where did you come from and how did you get here?”
“哎呀，哎呀，哎呀！”他惊呼道。“你们从哪里来，又是怎么到这里的？”
“I can’t say, exac’ly where we came from, cause I don’t know the name of the place,” said the girl, “but the way we got here was through the Hollow Tube.”
“我不能确切地说我们来自哪里，因为我不知道那个地方的名字，”女孩说，“但我们来这里的方式是通过空心管。”
“Don’t call it a ‘hollow’ Tube, please,” exclaimed the Peculiar Person in an irritated tone of voice. “If it’s a tube, it’s sure to be hollow.”
“请不要把它叫做‘空心’管，”奇特的人用恼怒的语气喊道。“如果它是一根管子，它肯定是空心的。”
“Because all tubes are made that way. But this Tube is private property and everyone is forbidden to fall into it.”
“因为所有的管子都是这样制造的。但这根管子是私人财产，禁止任何人掉入其中。”
“We didn’t do it on purpose,” explained Betsy, and Polychrome added: “I am quite sure that Ruggedo, the Nome King, pushed us down that Tube.”
“我们不是故意的，”贝齐解释说，而彩衣补充道：“我很确定是诺姆国王鲁格多把我们推下了那根管子。”
“Ha! Ruggedo! Did you say Ruggedo?” cried the man, becoming much excited.
“哈！鲁格多！你说鲁格多？”那个人喊道，变得非常兴奋。
“That is what she said,” replied Shaggy, “and I believe she is right. We were on our way to conquer the Nome King when suddenly we fell into the Tube.”
“她是这么说的，”毛茸茸回答说，“我相信她是对的。我们正在去征服诺姆国王的路上，突然我们掉进了管子里。”
“Not exac’ly enemies,” said Betsy, a little puzzled by the question, “‘cause we don’t know him at all; but we started out to conquer him, which isn’t as friendly as it might be.”
“不完全是敌人，”贝齐说，对这个问题有点困惑，“因为我们根本不认识他；但我们开始要征服他，这可能不是那么友好。”
“True,” agreed the man. He looked thoughtfully from one to another of them for a while and then he turned his head over his shoulder and said: “Never mind the fire and pincers, my good brothers. It will be best to take these strangers to the Private Citizen.”
“没错，”这个人表示同意。他若有所思地看了他们一会儿，然后转过头去，说：“别管火和钳子了，我的好兄弟们。最好把这些陌生人带到私人公民那里去。”
“Very well, Tubekins,” responded a Voice, deep and powerful, that seemed to come out of the air, for the speaker was invisible.
“很好，管道人，”一个深沉有力的声音回应道，似乎是从空气中传来的，因为说话的人看不见。
All our friends gave a jump, at this. Even Polychrome was so startled that her gauze draperies fluttered like a banner in a breeze. Shaggy shook his head and sighed; Queen Ann looked very unhappy; the officers clung to each other, trembling violently.
我们所有的朋友都跳了起来。就连彩虹仙子也吓了一跳，她的薄纱飘动起来，就像微风中的旗帜。邋遢人摇了摇头，叹了口气；安女王看起来很不高兴；军官们互相紧紧抓住，剧烈地颤抖着。
But soon they gained courage to look more closely at the Peculiar Person. As he was a type of all the inhabitants of this extraordinary land whom they afterward met, I will try to tell you what he looked like.
但很快他们就鼓起勇气，更仔细地观察这个奇特的人。因为他是他们后来遇到的这个非凡土地上所有居民的典型，所以我会尽力告诉你他长什么样。
His eyes were large and blue in color and his teeth finely formed and white as snow.
他的眼睛很大，是蓝色的，牙齿精致，洁白如雪。
He wore a robe of scarlet, which did not cover his arms and extended no lower than his bare knees.
他穿着一件猩红色的长袍，长袍没有遮住他的手臂，也没有低过他裸露的膝盖。
On the bosom of the robe was embroidered a terrible dragon’s head, as horrible to look at as the man was beautiful.
长袍的胸前绣着一个可怕的龙头，看起来和这个人一样美丽。
His arms and legs were left bare and the skin of one arm was bright yellow and the skin of the other arm a vivid green.
他的胳膊和腿都裸露着，一只胳膊的皮肤是亮黄色的，另一只胳膊的皮肤是鲜艳的绿色。
He had one blue leg and one pink one, while both his feet—which showed through the open sandals he wore—were jet black.
他有一条蓝色的腿和一条粉红色的腿，而他的两只脚——透过他穿的露趾凉鞋可以看到——都是乌黑的。
Betsy could not decide whether these gorgeous colors were dyes or the natural tints of the skin, but while she was thinking it over the man who had been called “Tubekins” said:
贝齐无法决定这些华丽的颜色是染料还是皮肤的自然色调，但当她正在思考时，那个被称为“特百基斯”的男人说道：
But just then a Voice exclaimed: “Here’s another of them, Tubekins, lying in the water of the fountain.”
但就在这时，一个声音惊叫道：“这里还有一个，特伯金斯，躺在喷泉的水里。”
“Water is a bad thing for his clockworks, anyway,” agreed Shaggy, as with one accord they all started for the fountain. But before they could reach it, invisible hands raised Tik-Tok from the marble basin and set him upon his feet beside it, water dripping from every joint of his copper body.
“不管怎么说，水对他的发条装置来说是个坏东西。”毛茸茸的人表示同意，他们一致向喷泉走去。但还没等他们走到喷泉，看不见的手就把嘀嗒从大理石盆里提了起来，让他站在旁边，水从他铜制身体的每个关节处滴下来。
“Ma—ny tha—tha—tha—thanks!” he said; and then his copper jaws clicked together and he could say no more. He next made an attempt to walk but after several awkward trials found he could not move his joints.
“非——常——非——常——感——谢！”他说；然后他的铜下巴咔哒一声合上了，再也说不出话来。接下来他试图走路，但经过几次尴尬的尝试后，发现他无法移动他的关节。
Peals of jeering laughter from persons unseen greeted Tik-Tok’s failure, and the new arrivals in this strange land found it very uncomfortable to realize that there were many creatures around them who were invisible, yet could be heard plainly.
看不见的人发出阵阵嘲笑，嘲笑嘀嗒嘀嗒的失败，这个陌生土地上的新来者发现，意识到周围有许多看不见但能清楚听到的生物，这让他们感到非常不舒服。
“I think his machinery is wound; but he needs oiling,” replied Shaggy.
“我想他的机械装置已经上发条了；但他需要加油，”毛茸茸的人回答道。
At once an oilcan appeared before him, held on a level with his eyes by some unseen hand.
立刻，一个油壶出现在他面前，被一只看不见的手举到和他眼睛一样高的位置。
As if to assist him, a strong current of warm air was directed against the copper man, which quickly dried him.
好像是为了帮助他，一股强烈的暖气流对准了铜人，很快就把他吹干了。
“Come!” commanded Tubekins, and turning his back upon them he walked up the path toward the castle.
“来！”图布金斯命令道，然后背对着他们，沿着小路朝城堡走去。
asked Queen Ann, uncertainly; but just then she received a shove that almost pitched her forward on her head; so she decided to go.
安女王迟疑地问道；但就在这时，她被推了一下，差点一头栽倒；于是她决定去。
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