CHAPTER 9: “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.
「ブリキの木こりが答えようとしたとき、低いうなり声が聞こえ、首を回すと（蝶番で美しく動く）奇妙な獣が草の上を飛び跳ねてこちらに向かってくるのが見えた。
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.
耳は頭の近くにあり、口は大きく開いて醜い歯を2列見せ、赤い目は火の玉のように光っていたからだ。
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.
山猫が近づいてくると、ブリキの木こりはその前に小さな灰色の野ネズミが走っているのを見た。彼には心がなかったが、こんなかわいくて無害な生き物を殺そうとするのは山猫にとって間違っていると思った。
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.
そこで木こりは斧を振り上げ、山猫が通りかかると、斧で一撃して獣の頭を胴から切り落とし、足元に2つになって転がりました。
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.
野ネズミは敵から解放されると、足を止め、ゆっくりと木こりのところへ寄ってきて、キーキーと小さな声で言った。ありがとうございます！命を救ってくれて本当にありがとうございます！」木こりは答えた。
“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.
「私は心がないから、友達が必要な人はみんな助けるように気をつけているんだ。
“Why, I am a Queen—the Queen of all the Field Mice!”“Oh, indeed,” said the Woodman, making a bow.
「私は野ネズミの女王です！」木こりはそう言ってお辞儀をした。
“Therefore you have done a great deed, as well as a brave one, in saving my life,” added the Queen.
そして、「ですから、あなたは私の命を救うという、勇敢で偉大な行為をされたのです」と、女王は付け加えました。
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.
その時、数匹のネズミが小さな足で精一杯走ってくるのが見え、女王を見るなりこう叫びました。どうして山猫から逃げられたのですか？彼らは皆、小さな女王にお辞儀をし、ほとんど頭の上に立っているような状態でした。
“This funny tin man,” she answered, “killed the Wildcat and saved my life.
「このおかしなブリキ男は、山猫を殺して、私の命を救ってくれたのです」と答えました。
So hereafter you must all serve him, and obey his slightest wish”“We will!” cried all the mice, in a shrill chorus.
だから、これからはみんな彼に仕え、彼のわずかな望みにも従わなければならない」「そうします！」と、ネズミたちは大合唱したのです。
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.
眠りから覚めたトトは、このネズミたちの群れを見て歓喜の声をあげ、その中に飛び込んでいったのである。
Toto had always loved to chase mice when he lived in Kansas, and he saw no harm in it.
トトは、カンザスで暮らしていた頃、ネズミを追いかけるのが大好きで、何の害もないと思っていた。
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.
しかし、ブリキの木こりは犬を腕に抱きかかえ、ネズミに「戻ってこい！」と呼びかけました。戻れ！戻れ！」とネズミたちに呼びかけました。トトは君たちを傷つけないよ」これにはネズミの女王が草の塊の下から頭を出して、臆病な声で尋ねた。「本当に噛まれないの？」木こりは言った。「噛ませないよ、だから怖がるな」ネズミたちは一匹ずつ忍び足で戻ってきて、トトは二度と吠えなかった。木こりの腕から出ようとしたが、もし彼が錫でできているとよく分かっていなかったならば、噛んだかもしれない。
Finally one of the biggest mice spoke.
ついに一匹の大ネズミが口を開いた。
“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.
「女王の命を救ってくれたお礼に、何かできることはないのか」木こりは答えた。
“Why, he would eat us all up”“Oh, no,” declared the Scarecrow; “this Lion is a coward”“Really?” asked the Mouse.
「なぜ、彼は私たち全員を食べるだろう」「そんなことはない、このライオンは臆病者だ」とかかしは宣言しました。
“He says so himself,” answered the Scarecrow, “and he would never hurt anyone who is our friend.
「かかしはそう答えました。「かかしは友だちを傷つけたりしません。
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.
もし、彼を救うのを手伝ってくれるなら、彼はあなたたちを親切に扱うと約束します」「よろしい」女王は言った、「私たちはあなたを信じます。
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.
でも、どうしたらいいの？」「あなたを女王と呼び、あなたに従おうとするネズミはたくさんいるの？」「ええ、何千匹もいますよ」と彼女は答えた。
“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.
「女王は、そばにいたネズミたちに、すぐに行って民衆を集めるように言いました。
As soon as they heard her orders they ran away in every direction as fast as possible.
彼らは彼女の命令を聞くや否や、四方八方へ全力で逃げ出した。
“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.
「かかしはブリキの木こりに言いました。「さあ、川辺の木に行って、ライオンを乗せる車を作りなさい」そこで木こりはすぐに木に向かい、作業を開始しました。
He fastened it together with wooden pegs and made the four wheels out of short pieces of a big tree trunk.
木製の釘で固定し、大きな木の幹の短冊で4つの車輪を作った。
So fast and so well did he work that by the time the mice began to arrive the truck was all ready for them.
その甲斐あって、ネズミがやってくる頃には、トラックの準備はすっかり整っていた。
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.
大きなねずみ、小さなねずみ、中くらいのねずみ、それぞれ口に糸をくわえて、四方八方からやってきて、その数は数千匹にもなりました。
It was about this time that Dorothy woke from her long sleep and opened her eyes.
ドロシーが長い眠りから覚めて、目を開けたのはその頃だった。
She was greatly astonished to find herself lying upon the grass, with thousands of mice standing around and looking at her timidly.
その時、彼女は自分が草の上に横たわり、何千匹ものネズミがその周りに立って、おずおずと自分を見ているのに気づき、大変驚きました。
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.
ドロシーがうなずいたので、女王はお辞儀をすると、少女と仲よくなりました。
The Scarecrow and the Woodman now began to fasten the mice to the truck, using the strings they had brought.
かかしと木こりは、持ってきた糸でネズミをトラックに固定し始めた。
One end of a string was tied around the neck of each mouse and the other end to the truck.
紐の一端をネズミの首にかけ、もう一端をトラックに結びつけました。
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.
もちろん、トラックは引くネズミの何千倍も大きいのだが、すべてのネズミに馬具をつけると、いとも簡単に引けるようになった。
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.
かかしとブリキの木こりさえもその上に座ることができ、ライオンが眠っている場所まで奇妙な小さな馬で素早く引き寄せられました。
After a great deal of hard work, for the Lion was heavy, they managed to get him up on the truck.
ライオンは重かったので、大変な苦労の末、なんとかトラックに乗せることができた。
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.
ネズミがポピーの中に長くいると眠ってしまうので、女王は急いで部下に出発を命じました。
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.
しかし、木こりとかかしの二人が後ろから押してくれたので、うまくいくようになりました。
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.
やがて彼らはライオンをケシの花壇から緑の野原に転がし、花の毒の香りではなく、甘く新鮮な空気を再び吸わせるようになりました。
Dorothy came to meet them and thanked the little mice warmly for saving her companion from death.
ドロシーが迎えに来て、仲間を死から救ってくれた小ネズミたちに温かくお礼を言った。
She had grown so fond of the big Lion she was glad he had been rescued.
彼女はこの大きなライオンをとても気に入っていて、彼が救出されたことを喜んでいた。
Then the mice were unharnessed from the truck and scampered away through the grass to their homes.
そして、トラックから降ろされたネズミたちは、草むらの中を逃げまどいながら、それぞれの家へと帰っていった。
The Queen of the Mice was the last to leave.
マウスの女王は最後に出て行った。
“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.
「また何かあったら、野原に出てきて呼べば、私たちはあなたの声を聞いて助けに行くから」と。
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.
女王は走り去り、ドロシーはトトをしっかり抱いて、女王が怖がらないようにしました。
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.
そして、かかしが近くの木の実をドロシーに持ってきて、ドロシーはそれを夕食に食べました。