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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.
田鼠都爬了回来，托托不再吠了，仍在铁皮人的手臂里挣扎着，甚至咬他，它忘了他是铁皮做的。
Finally one of the biggest mice spoke.
后来其中一只最大的田鼠开口了。
"Is there anything we can do," it asked, "to repay you for saving the life of our Queen?"
它问道：“你救了我们皇后的性命，我们怎么报答你呢？”
"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,
“我想不起有什么事可做，”铁皮人回答说；稻草人也在思索着，但是他想不出，因为他的头是稻草填塞的，只好信口说到：
"Oh, yes; you can save our friend, the Cowardly Lion, who is asleep in the poppy bed."
“啊，有一件事情，你们去救出那只胆小的狮子，它是我们的伙伴儿，它睡倒在罂粟花的田地里。”
"A Lion!" cried the little Queen. "Why, he would eat us all up."
“一只狮子！”小皇后叫着说；“不可思议，它会把我们全都吃掉的。”
"Oh, no," declared the Scarecrow; "this Lion is a coward."
“啊，没关系，”稻草人断然地说；“它是个胆小鬼。”
"Really?" asked the Mouse.
一只田鼠问：“真的吗？”
"He says so himself," answered the Scarecrow,
“是它自己告诉我们的，”稻草人回答说。
"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."
“它决不会伤害谁，它是我们的朋友。况且你们帮助我们救它，我保证它将会和善而友好地对待你们。”
"Very well," said the Queen, "we trust you. But what shall we do?"
“那太好了，”皇后说，“我们相信你。但是我们能做些什么呢？”
"Are there many of these mice which call you Queen and are willing to obey you?"
“你是这些田鼠的皇后，是不是所有田鼠都听从你的命令？”
"Oh, yes; there are thousands," she replied.
“当然，是的；我们还有很多老百姓呢，”她回答说。
"Then send for them all to come here as soon as possible, and let each one bring a long piece of string."
“那么，请你尽快地召唤他们到这里来，并且让它们每一个都带着一根长绳子。”
The Queen turned to the mice that attended her and told them to go at once and get all her people, "quickly now, quickly!"
皇后立刻转过身来吩咐等候它的田鼠们，让它们迅速地把所有的老百姓招呼来。
As soon as they heard her orders they ran away in every direction as fast as possible.
它们一听到这命令，很快就向四处散去。
"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."
“你呢，”稻草人对铁皮人说，“必须跑到河边的那个树林中去，造一辆大车来装运狮子。”
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.
铁皮人立刻跑到树林中去，开始工作；他砍去树上的所有叶子和树枝，很快便做成了一辆卡车。
He fastened it together with wooden pegs and made the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree trunk.
用木栓钉合在一起，在一株大树的干上切成了四片轮子。
So fast and so well did he work that by the time the mice began to arrive the truck was all ready for them.
他做得这么快，又那么精致，在田鼠们聚集在那儿时，大车已经造好了，赫然立在那里。
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.
它们从各处聚拢来，有好几千，大田鼠，小田鼠和不大不小的田鼠；每一只都衔着一条绳子。
