08-MICE WITH SPICE!

MICE WITH SPICE! Just then, the doors of the kitchen FLEW OPEN. A big cat wearing a cook's hat decorated with a skull and crossbones bounded in. "Your Meowing Majesty, weren't the stuffed snails to your liking? I wish I could do more for Your Whiskered Excellency, but I—" he began. But the Bandit held up his paw. "Enough jabbering!" he ordered. "Tell me, what do you think of these rodents?" "Mice!" screeched Slobbertooth, nearly jumping out of his fur. "My favorite meal to prepare! What an honor, your Royal Purrfection! What a privilege! What a—"

老鼠加香料!就在这时，厨房的门突然打开了。 一只戴着厨师帽的大猫跳进来，帽子上装饰着骷髅和交叉的骨头。 “喵喵陛下，您不喜欢吃蜗牛吗?” 我真希望能为大胡子大人多做点什么，可是我——”他开始说。 但是强盗举起了他的爪子。 “别废话了!”他命令道。 “告诉我，你觉得这些啮齿动物怎么样?”“老鼠!”流口水尖叫道，差点吓得跳出来。 “我最喜欢的一餐!”多么荣幸，你的皇家完美!多么荣幸啊!- - - - - -”

The Black Bandit clawed the air. "Silence!" he shrieked. "Tell me their breed and the best way to cook them." Slobbertooth pulled out a magnifying glass and studied us. Thea patted her head modestly. "Oh, Mr. Tooth, dear," she said with a wink. "Don't be too cruel. I'm having a bad fur day." For a minute, Slobbertooth smiled, confused. Leave it to my sister to charm the claws off a cat!

黑匪在空中乱抓。 “安静!”他尖叫道。“告诉我它们的品种和最好的烹饪方法。” “流牙”拿出放大镜，仔细打量着我们。 西娅谦虚地拍拍自己的头。 “哦，牙先生，亲爱的，”她眨眨眼说。 “别太残忍了。我今天过得很糟糕。” 有一会儿，流口水笑了，有点困惑。 让我妹妹把猫的爪子迷住吧!

"Yes, well, these mice are healthy specimens," said the chef, pulling himself together. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to fatten them up, though. We could feed them for a week before eating them." "How many servings can you dish out?" asked the Bandit. Slobbertooth twirled his whiskers, deep in thought. "I'd say about twenty," he finally answered. He picked up a thick cookbook. I peeked at the cover. It was the latest edition of Cooking for Cats: From Rodents to Sweet Rolls by Kitty Carver. "Let's see, I could bake them in a stew with some juicy vegetables," he suggested. "Or a squeaky mouse dip is

“是的，这些老鼠都是健康的样本，”厨师说着，振作了起来。 “不过，把它们养肥也不是个坏主意。 我们可以喂它们一个星期再吃。” “你能吃多少?”强盗问。 流口水扭动着胡须，陷入了沉思。 “我想大概有20个，”他最后回答。 他拿起一本厚厚的烹饪书。 我偷看了一下封面。这是凯蒂·卡弗最新版的《为猫做饭:从啮齿动物到甜面包卷》。 “让我想想，我可以把它们和一些多汁的蔬菜一起炖，”他建议道。 “或者是吱吱作响的老鼠蘸酱

always delicious. Then again, there's the classic: roast mouse. And, of course, nothing beats my mouse bone steak with pepper and lemon." Licking his lips, the Black Bandit nodded. "Yes, the last recipe will be just purrfect," he decided. "But don't use too much garlic. We don't want to hide the sweet taste of rodent meat!" "Of course, Your Highness. You couldn't have made a better choice," crooned Slobbertooth. "Yes siree, you are clearly an expert on the subject of food."

总是很好吃。当然，还有最经典的:烤老鼠。 当然，没有什么比我的老鼠骨牛排加胡椒和柠檬更好的了。” 黑匪舔着嘴唇点了点头。 “是的，最后一道菜会非常完美，”他决定道。 但不要放太多大蒜。 我们不想隐藏啮齿动物肉的甜味!”“当然，殿下。 你的选择再好不过了。” “是的，先生，你显然是食物方面的专家。”

The Black Bandit ignored the compliments. He waved the cook back toward the kitchen. "Out of my sight!" he growled, giving him a boot. "AT YOUR ORDERS, Your Most High and Excellent Claws!" muttered Slobbertooth, bowing low. I waited for him to kiss the Bandit's boots. But he didn't. I guess even Slobbertooth wasn't up to that much slobbering. He raced out of the room. The Black Bandit turned to the cat who had captured us. He threw him the ring he wore on his little finger. "Take this, you idiot. This is my reward for your brave deed!" he said. "Thank you, Excellency. You are more than generous," STAMMERED the cat. He bowed so low his whiskers brushed the floor. Then he slunk away.

黑匪没有理会这些恭维。 他挥手让厨师回厨房去。 “滚出我的视线!”他咆哮着，踢了他一脚。 “听从您的命令，您最高贵、最卓越的爪子!” 我等着他亲亲强盗的靴子。 但他没有。我想即使是流口水也没那么多口水。 他跑出了房间。黑匪转向那只抓住我们的猫。 他把戴在小指上的戒指扔给了他。 “拿着这个，你这个白痴。这是我对你英勇行为的奖赏!” “谢谢您，阁下。你真是太慷慨了。”猫结结巴巴地说。 他鞠了个躬，胡子都拂过地板了。 然后他偷偷溜走了。

The Bandit jumped onto the table. "Take the rodents to their cells, and woe to the cat who lets them escape!" he meowed fiercely. He slashed the air with his sword. All the pirates disappeared under the table to avoid having their whiskers chopped off. Four big, ugly cats sprang into action. They looked like they had been pro wrestlers in one of their nine lives. They pushed us up a stairway leading to the Cat's Ear, a very tall silver tower. "Check this one out! He's plump enough to eat raw!" roared a striped cat, feeling Trap's tail.

强盗跳上了桌子。 “把老鼠关进笼子里去，让它们跑掉的猫要倒霉了!”他凶狠地叫道。 他用剑猛砍空中。 所有的海盗都躲到桌子底下，以免他们的胡子被砍掉。 四只又大又丑的猫跳了起来。 他们看起来就像曾经是职业摔跤手一样。 他们把我们推上通往猫耳楼的楼梯，那是一座非常高的银色塔。 “看看这个!”他胖得可以生吃了!”一只带条纹的猫摸着特拉普的尾巴吼道。