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“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.”
“我们现在离黄砖路应该不远了，”稻草人站在女孩旁边说道，“因为我们已经走了差不多和河流带我们走的一样远的距离。”
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.
铁皮人正要回答，这时他听到一声低沉的咆哮，转过头（他的头在铰链上转动得非常漂亮），他看到一只奇怪的野兽在草地上向他们跳跃而来。
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.
那确实是一只巨大的黄色野猫，铁皮人认为它一定在追逐什么东西，因为它的耳朵紧贴着头，嘴巴张得大大的，露出两排丑陋的牙齿，而它的红眼睛像火球一样闪闪发光。
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.
当它越来越近时，铁皮人看到在野兽前面奔跑的是一只小灰田鼠，尽管他没有心，但他知道野猫试图杀死这样一个漂亮、无害的生物是不对的。
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.
于是铁皮人举起他的斧头，当野猫跑过时，他迅速一击，将野兽的头从身体上干净地砍下来，它在他的脚下分成两块滚了过去。
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:
那只田鼠，既然已经从敌人那里逃脱，突然停了下来；然后慢慢地走到铁皮人跟前，用尖细的小声音说：
“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.”
“别再提了，我求你了，”铁皮人回答道。“你知道的，我没有心，所以我很小心地帮助所有可能需要朋友的人，哪怕碰巧只是一只老鼠。”
“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！”小动物愤怒地叫道。“哎呀，我可是女王——所有田鼠的女王！”
“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，不仅是勇敢的行为，也是伟大的行为。”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:
就在这时，几只老鼠被看到跑得尽可能快，他们的小短腿能跑多快就跑多快，当他们看到他们的女王时，他们惊呼道：
“Oh, your Majesty, we thought you would be killed! How did you manage to escape the great Wildcat?” They all bowed so low to the little Queen that they almost stood upon their heads.
“哦，陛下，我们以为你会被杀！你是怎么设法逃脱那只大野猫的？”他们都向小女王鞠躬，鞠得如此之低，以至于他们几乎站在了头上。
“This funny tin man,” she answered, “killed the Wildcat and saved my life. So hereafter you must all serve him, and obey his slightest wish.”
“这个有趣的铁皮人，”她回答说，“杀死了野猫，救了我的命。所以从今以后你们都要为他服务，服从他最轻微的愿望。”
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.
然后他们向四面八方逃窜，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，跳进了这群老鼠的中间。
Toto had always loved to chase mice when he lived in Kansas, and he saw no harm in it.
托托在堪萨斯州生活时一直喜欢追逐老鼠，他觉得这没什么坏处。
But the Tin Woodman caught the dog in his arms and held him tight, while he called to the mice, “Come back! Come back! Toto shall not hurt you.”
但是铁皮人抓住了狗，紧紧地抱在怀里，同时对老鼠喊道：“回来！回来！托托不会伤害你们的。”
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?”
这时，鼠女王从一簇草丛下面伸出头来，用胆怯的声音问道：“你确定他不会咬我们吗？”
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. Finally one of the biggest mice spoke.
老鼠们一个接一个地悄悄回来，托托没有再叫，尽管他试图从铁皮人的怀里挣脱出来，如果他不知道铁皮人是用铁皮做的，他可能会咬他。最后，一只最大的老鼠说话了。
“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，”它问，“来报答你救了我们女王的命吗？”
“Nothing that I know of,” answered the Woodman; but the Scarecrow, who had been trying to think, but could not because his head was stuffed with straw, said, quickly, “Oh, yes; you can save our friend, the Cowardly Lion, who is asleep in the poppy bed.”
“我不知道有什么，”铁皮人回答；但是稻草人，他一直在努力思考，但由于他的脑袋里塞满了稻草，所以想不出来，他很快地说：“哦，是的；你们可以救我们的朋友，胆小的狮子，他睡在罂粟花床上。”
“He says so himself,” answered the Scarecrow, “and he would never hurt anyone who is our friend. If you will help us to save him I promise that he shall treat you all with kindness.”
“他自己这么说的，”稻草人回答说，“他永远不会伤害任何是我们朋友的人。如果你能帮助我们救他，我保证他会善待你们所有人。”
“Are there many of these mice which call you Queen and are willing to obey you?”
“有很多这样的老鼠，它们叫你女王，愿意听从你的命令吗？”
“Then send for them all to come here as soon as possible, and let each one bring a long piece of string.”
“那么尽快把它们都叫到这里来，让每只老鼠都带一根长绳子。”
The Queen turned to the mice that attended her and told them to go at once and get all her people. As soon as they heard her orders they ran away in every direction as fast as possible.
女王转向服侍她的老鼠，告诉它们立刻去把她所有的子民都找来。他们一听到她的命令，就立刻向四面八方跑去，尽可能快。
“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，”稻草人对铁皮人说，“你必须到河边的那些树那里，做一辆能载狮子的卡车。”
So the Woodman went at once to the trees and began to work; and he soon made a truck out of the limbs of trees, from which he chopped away all the leaves and branches.
于是铁皮人立刻走到树旁开始工作；他很快就用树枝做了一辆卡车，把所有的树叶和树枝都砍掉了。
He fastened it together with wooden pegs and made the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree trunk.
他用木钉把它固定在一起，用大树树干的短段做了四个轮子。
So fast and so well did he work that by the time the mice began to arrive the truck was all ready for them.
他工作得如此之快，如此之好，以至于当老鼠开始到达时，卡车已经为他们准备好了。
They came from all directions, and there were thousands of them: big mice and little mice and middle-sized mice; and each one brought a piece of string in his mouth.
他们从四面八方赶来，有成千上万只：大老鼠、小老鼠和中老鼠；每只老鼠嘴里都叼着一根绳子。
It was about this time that Dorothy woke from her long sleep and opened her eyes.
大约在这个时候，多萝西从她的长眠中醒来，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，有成千上万只老鼠站在周围，胆怯地看着她。
But the Scarecrow told her about everything, and turning to the dignified little Mouse, he said:
但是稻草人告诉了她一切，然后转向那只威严的小老鼠，他说：
Dorothy nodded gravely and the Queen made a curtsy, after which she became quite friendly with the little girl.
多萝西郑重地点点头，女王行了一个屈膝礼，之后她和小女孩变得非常友好。
The Scarecrow and the Woodman now began to fasten the mice to the truck, using the strings they had brought.
稻草人现在开始用他们带来的绳子把老鼠系到卡车上，樵夫也在帮忙。
One end of a string was tied around the neck of each mouse and the other end to the truck.
一根绳子的一端系在每只老鼠的脖子上，另一端系在卡车上。
Of course the truck was a thousand times bigger than any of the mice who were to draw it; but when all the mice had been harnessed, they were able to pull it quite easily.
当然，卡车比要拉它的任何一只老鼠都大一千倍；但是当所有的老鼠都被套上时，它们能够很容易地拉动它。
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、铁皮人也能坐在上面，被他们奇怪的小马迅速拉到狮子睡着的地方。
After a great deal of hard work, for the Lion was heavy, they managed to get him up on the truck. 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.
经过一番努力，因为狮子很重，他们设法把他抬上了卡车。然后女王急忙命令她的人民出发，因为她担心如果老鼠在罂粟花中停留太久，他们也会睡着。
At first the little creatures, many though they were, could hardly stir the heavily loaded truck; but the Woodman and the Scarecrow both pushed from behind, and they got along better.
起初，这些小动物，虽然很多，几乎无法推动重载的卡车；但是铁皮人和稻草人都从后面推，他们进展得更好。
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床上滚到绿色的田野里，在那里他可以再次呼吸到甜美、新鲜的空气，而不是花朵的有毒气味。
Dorothy came to meet them and thanked the little mice warmly for saving her companion from death. She had grown so fond of the big Lion she was glad he had been rescued.
多萝西来迎接他们，并热烈感谢小老鼠们救了她的同伴免于死亡。她已经非常喜欢这只大狮子，很高兴他被救了。
Then the mice were unharnessed from the truck and scampered away through the grass to their homes. The Queen of the Mice was the last to leave.
然后，老鼠们从卡车上卸下缰绳，穿过草地逃回了它们的家。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. Good-bye!”
“如果你们再需要我们，”她说，“就到田野里来叫，我们会听到你们的声音并来帮助你们。再见！”
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