X The New Army

 "Now, then—fall in!" Major Monkey shouted to the whole company of field-and forest-folk.

 

But nobody had the slightest idea what he meant.

 

"You don't suppose he expects us to fall in the brook¹, do you?" Tommy Fox asked his nearest neighbor. If there was anything that Tommy disliked, it was getting his feet wet.

 

Major Monkey soon saw that nobody knew what to do.

 

"Form a long line, two deep!" he directed.

 

And then there was trouble, because everyone wanted to be in the front rank (as Major Monkey called it) in order to see everything.

 

After a good deal of jostling and squirming on the part of the company, and much loud talk on the part of Major Monkey, the new army at last stood stretched out in a double line along the pasture-fence.

 

Major Monkey seemed much pleased as he walked up and down in front of his soldiers. And then he happened to glance up.

 

There was Mr. Crow, perched on a limb over his head.

 

"Here, you!" the Major shouted. "Didn't you hear me say 'Fall in?'"

 

"Certainly!" said Mr. Crow. "But I'm a general, you know."

 

"Well, what of that?" the Major snapped. "So are all these people generals! You didn't think—did you?—that I'd have anybody in my army that wasn't at least a general?"

 

For a wonder, Mr. Crow said never a word. He was angry. But he didn't want to be left out of the army. So he decided² that he had better obey. And he flapped down and took his place just in front of the front rank.

 

"You mustn't stand there!" Major Monkey said to him severely³. "You're late falling in. There's no place left for you. So you'll have to stand behind all the others."

 

That was just a little more than old Mr. Crow could bear.

 

"I'll do nothing of the sort!" he squawked. "And I must say that this is shabby treatment to receive from an old friend."

 

Major Monkey certainly didn't want any trouble right at the beginning. So he hastened to soothe⁴ Mr. Crow's wounded feelings.

 

"Look here," he said to the old gentleman, "if I were you I shouldn't care to be a common general."

 

"What else can I be?" asked Mr. Crow with a hopeful gleam in his eye.

 

"You can be the cook," the Major suggested. "There are dozens of generals; but you'd be the only cook, you see."

 

Mr. Crow rather liked that idea.

 

"I accept your offer," he said somewhat stiffly. And then he marched down the line and took his place behind it.

 

Major Monkey breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that the trouble had proved no worse. And now he turned once more to inspect the crowd of generals that was to make up his army.

 

"Here, you!" he said suddenly, pointing to a brownish gentleman at one end of the front rank. "What's your name?"

 

"Rusty⁵ Wren⁶!" was the meek⁷ reply.

 

"Don't stick your tail up in the air like that!" Major Monkey cried. "You're spoiling the looks of the whole army."

 

Rusty Wren replied that it was very hard for him to keep his tail down for longer than a few moments at a stretch.

 

"I don't believe I'll be in the army," he announced. "Probably my wife is wondering where I am this moment. So I'm going home." And thereupon he flew away toward Farmer Green's dooryard, where he lived.

 

"Well, we're rid of him, anyhow," said Major Monkey. And then he noticed something else that wasn't as it should have been.

 

"Here, you!" he called to Peter Mink⁸. "Pull in your neck! It's too long! It sticks out and spoils the looks of the whole army."

 

Now, Peter Mink was a rude fellow. And he made such a rude reply that Major Monkey discharged him on the spot.

 

"Go away!" he cried. "We don't want any rowdies in our army."

1 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

5 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

6 wren   

n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员

参考例句：

• A wren is a kind of short-winged songbird.鹪鹩是一种短翼的鸣禽。
• My bird guide confirmed that a Carolina wren had discovered the thickets near my house.我掌握的鸟类知识使我确信，一只卡罗莱纳州鹪鹩已经发现了我家的这个灌木丛。

7 meek   

adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的

参考例句：

• He expects his wife to be meek and submissive.他期望妻子温顺而且听他摆布。
• The little girl is as meek as a lamb.那个小姑娘像羔羊一般温顺。

8 mink   

n.貂，貂皮

参考例句：

• She was wearing a blue dress and a mink coat.她穿着一身蓝色的套装和一件貂皮大衣。
• He started a mink ranch and made a fortune in five years. 他开了个水貂养殖场，五年之内就赚了不少钱。