Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 It seemed as if they'd been walking through the sewers for ever. They'd left Ratborough far behind and were following the canal towards the tunnel where Brian had been spotted by the rat scouts. Toto, Silver and Catface were bound in pawcuffs (which looked a lot like pink gift ribbon). Toto could see the shadows cast by the guards' torches (which looked a

第七章他们好像永远都在阴沟里走。 他们把拉特伯勒远远甩在了后面，沿着运河朝布莱恩被鼠探发现的隧道走去。 托托、小银和猫脸被绑在脚镣里（看起来很像粉红色的礼物丝带）。 托托可以看到守卫们的火把投下的影子（看起来像一个黑影）

lot like lit matches), turning them all into giants. We'll need to fight like giants if we're going to stand any chance against Brian, she thought to herself. Up ahead, Catface's dad was being carried along by some less-than-happy rat soldiers on a throne constructed from an old flannel and a pincushion, held together by toothbrushes and twigs. At the front of the procession, a rat scout scurried about, sniffing here and there. 'I'm getting close,' he yelled. The rats all shouted words of encouragement as they held their torches aloft. 'Well, my son, let's see how my army and I deal with this monster of yours,' the king shouted over to Catface. 'HALT!' The hundred-strong army came to a standstill.

很像点燃的火柴)，把他们都变成巨人。 如果我们想有机会战胜布莱恩，我们就得像巨人一样战斗，她想。 在前面，猫脸的爸爸正被一些不太高兴的老鼠士兵抬着，坐在一个用旧法兰绒和针垫搭成的宝座上，用牙刷和树枝把它们连在一起。 在队伍的最前面，一只老鼠侦察员跑来跑去，嗅来嗅去。 “我快到了，”他喊道。 老鼠们高举火把，大声地说着鼓励的话。 “好吧，我的儿子，让我们看看我和我的军队是怎么对付你这个怪物的。”国王对猫脸喊道。 “暂停!”一百多人的军队陷入了停顿。

'Bring the prisoners up here!' cried the king, just as the rat scout returned from a tunnel up ahead. He looked petrified. 'Th-th-the snake... he's up there, through that tunnel! It comes out into a small chamber with a pool. He's resting on the bank at the side. I don't think he saw me, but... he's awfully big- massive fangs, clever eyes, huge tail- you'd be mad to...' He petered off as he saw the king glaring at him. 'I'm sure he's no match for your army, my king,' he finished, bowing low. The king gave him a look of disgust, then turned to his general. 'OK, my loyal subject, here's the plan,' the king said, sounding confident. 'All one hundred of us will rush through the tunnel, surrounding Brian on all sides. I'll stab him

“把囚犯们带到这儿来！”国王喊道，这时侦察兵正从前面的地道里回来。 他看起来很害怕。“Th-th-the蛇… 他在上面，穿过隧道！它进入一个带水池的小房间。 他在岸边休息。 我想他没看见我，但是… 它太大了——巨大的尖牙，聪明的眼睛，巨大的尾巴——你要是……”他看见国王怒视着他，就走开了。 “我敢肯定他不是你军队的对手，我的国王。”他说完，深深地鞠了一躬。 国王厌恶地看了他一眼，然后转向他的将军。 “好吧，我忠诚的臣民，计划是这样的。”国王自信地说。 “我们一百个人都会冲过隧道，从四面八方围住布莱恩。 我要刺伤他

in the tail- you go for the head and subdue the beast. Yes, that sounds fair. Deal?' The general looked as if he thought that was a terrible idea, but he saluted anyhow. 'Right,' the king addressed his troops. 'Today is the day we show all those surface dwellers that we rats rule this city, and that we can defeat this monster called Brian. If you love your town and your family, follow me!' Toto, Silver and Catface were dragged along by the force of the crowd, and before they knew it they were out of the tunnel and into the chamber, facing the bank opposite. There, curled up in a massive coil of green and olive scales, was an enormous snake. He looked ferocious; he looked terrifying; he looked... asleep.

在尾巴上，你要抓住头，制服野兽。 是的，听起来很公平。交易?”将军似乎认为这是个可怕的主意，但他还是敬了个礼。 “好的，”国王对他的军队说。 “今天是我们向所有地表居民展示我们老鼠统治这个城市的日子，我们可以打败这个叫布莱恩的怪物。 如果你爱你的城市和你的家人，就跟我来！”托托、西尔弗和猫脸被人群的力量拖着往前走，他们还没来得及反应过来，就已经出了地道，进入了房间，面对着对面的河岸。 在那里，一条巨大的蛇蜷缩在一团绿色和橄榄色的鳞片里。 他看起来很凶恶；他看起来很可怕；他看起来…… 睡着了。

'Well, that was a bit of an anticlimax,' said Silver. Slowly, the army of rats edged its way towards the sleeping snake, with lit matches and toothpicks held aloft. But Toto wasn't fooled. She knew this was the most deadly predator she'd ever faced.

西尔弗说：“嗯，这有点扫兴。” 老鼠大军举着点燃的火柴和牙签，慢慢地向熟睡的蛇靠近。 但是托托没有被骗。她知道这是她遇到过的最致命的掠食者。