田鼠女王
“我们现在离黄砖路应该不远了，”稻草人站在女孩身旁说道，“因为我们被河水冲走多远，如今也就差不多走了多远了。”
铁皮樵夫正要答话，忽然听见一声低吼。他转过头（他的头在铰链上转动得十分灵活），看见一只奇怪的野兽正蹦跳着穿过草地朝他们奔来。那确实是一只巨大的黄色野猫，樵夫心想它必定在追捕什么，因为它的耳朵紧贴着脑袋，嘴巴大张，露出两排丑陋的牙齿，而那双红眼如同火球般发着光。野猫越跑越近，铁皮樵夫看清它前面正跑着一只灰色的小田鼠；虽说他没有心，却也明白野猫想要杀死这样一只漂亮又无害的小生灵是不对的。
于是樵夫举起斧头，野猫跑过他身边时，他迅疾一劈，将那野兽的头干净利落地从身上砍下，滚落在他脚边，成了两截。
田鼠脱离了敌人，猛地停住脚步，慢慢凑到樵夫跟前，用尖细的小嗓音说：
“噢，谢谢您！太感谢您救了我的命。”
“请别这么说，”樵夫答道，“您知道，我没有心，所以我格外留意去帮助一切可能需要朋友的人，哪怕对方只是一只老鼠。”
“只是一只老鼠！”小家伙愤愤地叫道，“哼，我可是女王——所有田鼠的女王！”
“噢，原来如此。”樵夫说着鞠了一躬。
“因此，您救了我的命，既做了一件大好事，也是一件勇敢的事。”女王补充道。
就在这时，好几只老鼠被人看见正迈开小短腿拼命跑来，一见女王便惊呼：
“噢，陛下，我们以为您没命了！您是怎么从大野猫爪下逃出来的？”它们朝小女王鞠躬躬得那样低，几乎倒立起来。
“这个滑稽的锡人，”她答道，“杀死了野猫，救了我的命。所以今后你们都得听他差遣，对他言听计从。”
“我们愿意！”所有老鼠齐声尖叫。随即它们四散奔逃，因为托托睡醒了，看见周围这么多老鼠，它高兴地吠了一声，一下跳进鼠群当中。托托在堪萨斯住时向来爱追老鼠，觉得这没什么不妥。
可铁皮樵夫一把将狗搂进怀里紧紧抱住，朝老鼠们喊道：“回来！回来！托托不会伤你们的。”
一听这话，鼠女王从一丛草底下探出头来，怯生生地问：“您保证它不咬我们吗？”
“我不会放它去的，”樵夫说，“所以别害怕。”
老鼠们一只接一只爬回来，托托没再吠，尽管它挣扎着要跳出樵夫的怀抱，若不是清楚对方是铁皮做的，早咬他了。终于，一只最大的老鼠开了口。
“有什么我们能做的吗，”它问，“好报答您救了女王的命？”
“我不知道有什么，”樵夫答。可一旁苦思却因脑袋塞满稻草而想不出的稻草人连忙说：“噢，有！你们能救我们的朋友，胆小狮，他正在罂粟花床上睡着呢。”
“狮子！”小女王叫道，“哎呀，他会把我们全吃掉的。”
“噢不，”稻草人断言，“这狮子是个懦夫。”
“真的？”老鼠问。
“他自己说的，”稻草人答，“他绝不会伤害我们的朋友。你们若帮我们救他，我担保他会善待你们全体。”
“很好，”女王说，“我们信你。可我们该怎么做？”
“那些称你为女王、愿听你号令的老鼠多吗？”
“噢，多着呢，有好几千。”她答。
“那就传令它们全都尽快到此，每只带一长段绳子来。”
女王转身吩咐随侍的老鼠，叫它们立刻去召集全体臣民。老鼠们一听命令，眨眼便朝四面八方飞奔而去。
“现在，”稻草人对铁皮樵夫说，“你得去河边那些树旁，造一辆能运狮子的拖车。”
樵夫立刻去到树边动手，很快用树枝做成一辆拖车，剔去了叶与枝。他用木钉拼合，又用大树干截成的短块做了四个轮子。他干得又快又好，等老鼠们开始到来时，拖车已备妥。
它们从四面涌来，成千上万：大老鼠、小老鼠、中老鼠；每只嘴里都叼着一段绳。约莫此时，多萝西从长睡中醒来，睁开眼。发现自己躺在草地上，成千老鼠围着怯怯望她，她惊异不已。稻草人把经过告诉她，又转向那端庄的小老鼠说：
“请容我引见，这位是女王陛下。”
多萝西庄重地点头，女王行了个屈膝礼，之后便与小女孩亲热起来。
稻草人和樵夫这时用老鼠带来的绳将鼠群套上拖车。每根绳一头系在老鼠脖上，一头拴车。拖车自比任何拉车的老鼠大上千倍；可等全体老鼠套好，竟能轻松拉动。连稻草人和铁皮樵夫都能坐上去，被这群怪模怪样的小“马”飞快拖到狮子酣睡之处。
狮子很重，费了好大劲，他们才把他弄上车。随后女王急令臣民启程，怕老鼠在罂粟中待久也睡去。
起初小家伙们虽多，几乎挪不动重车；可樵夫与稻草人从后推，便顺当些。不久他们把狮子滚出罂粟床，来到绿野，那里他又能呼吸清甜鲜风，而非毒花之气。
多萝西迎上去，热谢小老鼠救了同伴的命。她已极喜欢大狮子，高兴他得救。
随后老鼠卸车，窜草归家。鼠女王最后离去。
“若再需我们，”她说，“到田里唤一声，我们听见便来助你。再见！”
“再见！”众答，女王跑远，多萝西紧抱托托，怕它追去吓她。
此后他们坐在狮子旁等他醒；稻草人从近树摘果给多萝西，她当饭吃了。
The Queen of the Field Mice
“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.”
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. 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. 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.
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.
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:
“Oh, thank you! Thank you ever so much for saving my life.”
“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.”
“Only a mouse!” cried the little animal, indignantly. “Why, I am a
Queen—the Queen of all the Field Mice!”
“Oh, indeed,” said the Woodman, making a bow.
“Therefore you have done a great deed, as well as a brave one, in
saving my life,” added the Queen.
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:
“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.
“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.”
“We will!” cried all the mice, in a shrill chorus. 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. Toto had always loved to chase mice
when he lived in Kansas, and he saw no harm in it.
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.”
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?”
“I will not let him,” said the Woodman; “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. Finally one
of the biggest mice spoke.
“Is there anything we can do,” it asked, “to repay you for saving the
life of our Queen?”
“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.”
“A Lion!” cried the little Queen. “Why, he would eat us all up.”
“Oh, no,” declared the Scarecrow; “this Lion is a coward.”
“Really?” asked the Mouse.
“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.”
“Very well,” said the Queen, “we trust you. But what shall we do?”
“Are there many of these mice which call you Queen and are willing to
obey you?”
“Oh, yes; there are thousands,” she replied.
“Then send for them all to come here as soon as possible, and let each
one bring a long piece of string.”
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.
“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.”
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. He fastened it together with wooden pegs and
made the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree trunk. So fast
and so well did he work that by the time the mice began to arrive the
truck was all ready for them.
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. It was about this time that Dorothy woke
from her long sleep and opened her eyes. She was greatly astonished to
find herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice standing
around and looking at her timidly. But the Scarecrow told her about
everything, and turning to the dignified little Mouse, he said:
“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.
The Scarecrow and the Woodman now began to fasten the mice to the
truck, using the strings they had brought. One end of a string was tied
around the neck of each mouse and the other end to the truck. 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. 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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
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.
“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!”
“Good-bye!” they all answered, and away the Queen ran, while Dorothy
held Toto tightly lest he should run after her and frighten her.
After this they sat down beside the Lion until he should awaken; and
the Scarecrow brought Dorothy some fruit from a tree near by, which she
ate for her dinner.
