IV THEIR FAT FRIEND

Gray Mouse and White Rabbit lived under the floor of the barn and were very happy. The only thing which ever bothered them was Small Dog. They hated Small Dog worse than poison.

 

“Poison always stays in one place,” said Gray Mouse, “but Small Dog is always jumping and digging. If he lives around this barn we might as well go away. Why, the other day he chased me right up to my front door, and if I had not been quick with my latch¹ key, I am afraid that he would have jostled me very rudely!”

 

Then Gray Mouse stopped talking and nearly jumped out of his skin. White Rabbit raised his ears and made his whiskers tremble. Right over their heads they heard a noise like thunder. Gray Mouse and White Rabbit ran up under the manger and peeped out. There they saw something which looked like a big barrel placed on four piano legs. It had a long pipe in front of it, four or five times bigger than the garden hose, and this big pipe was swinging backward and forward.

 

“What’s that?” asked White Rabbit, resting his paw on Gray Mouse’s arm.

 

“It looks to me,” answered Gray Mouse, “like an animal which the man has in the parlor² of his house, at least his legs look like those of that poor beast. The man’s daughter boxes the creature’s ears for two hours every morning, and although he cries and cries she will not stop.”

 

“You do not know very much,” whispered White Rabbit. “I heard the man say one morning that his little girl was pounding the piano in the parlor, and this thing is not a piano at all.”

 

Just then the creature winked³ his little eyes and made its big ears go flop⁴, flop.

 

“It seems to be alive,” said White Rabbit.

 

“Yes,” answered Gray Mouse, “and it looks a little bit like me only he is bigger than Black Horse. What a funny long nose he has! You speak to him, White Rabbit.”

 

“I’m too bashful,” replied White Rabbit, as he backed away.

 

He caught hold of Gray Mouse and pushed him right through the hole under the manger. Gray Mouse fell on the ground in front of the strange animal. One of the big beast’s feet kicked up the earth and covered up the hole out of which Gray Mouse had come. Gray Mouse was so scared that he did not know what to do. Besides he heard Small Dog snuffing at the barn door and scratching with his paws.

 

“What in the world shall I do?” squealed⁵ Gray Mouse. “Suppose Small Dog should get in? The door is not latched⁶ and he could open it, with his sharp nose and his big paws.”

 

Gray Mouse crouched⁷ down in a corner and trembled all over.

 

“O, O,” he cried, “what shall I do?”

 

Then the big beast heard him and looked down, his eyes opened wide and he hopped⁸ around on his great feet and made a noise like a trumpet⁹.

 

“Please, Mighty¹⁰ Mouse,” roared the big beast, “don’t crawl up my trunk; please don’t bite my poor, little, tender ears. Spare my life and I will always be your friend.”

 

Gray Mouse tried to stop trembling, for he saw that the great beast was afraid of him. He stood up on his hind¹¹ legs, folded his arms, took a deep breath, and swelled¹² out his chest.

 

“And who are you, sir?” squeaked¹³ Gray Mouse, “that you dare to shake down the plastering of my house with your clumsy feet?”

 

“Please, sir,” answered the big beast between his sobs¹⁴, “I am only a poor little elephant, who came in town with the circus, and they put me here in your barn until it was time to parade. I am sorry that I knocked down the plastering of your house, and if you will have mercy on me I will come down there and put it back again.”

 

“Don’t be afraid,” whispered White Rabbit, who had dug away the earth from over the hole under the manger and had come out behind Gray Mouse. “Whip him, Gray Mouse; here is a straw; now give him a good beating.”

 

Elephants are afraid of mice. So Gray Mouse, with his paws all shaking, took the straw and walked toward the elephant. He heard the hinges of the barn door creaking.

 

“Come away, Gray Mouse,” cried White Rabbit, “Small Dog is coming.”

 

“I’ll let you alone on one condition, Elephant,” said Gray Mouse, trying to be brave, although he was trembling so that he could hardly hold the straw, “and that is when you see any of my enemies trying to annoy me, that you teach him a good lesson.”

 

Small Dog got the door open and came jumping with his mouth wide open and his white teeth shining. Gray Mouse and White Rabbit ran into the hole under the manger. The Elephant, who feared nothing on earth except mice and flies, for he had once killed a tiger, wound his trunk around Small Dog. He lifted Small Dog up to the rafters and threw him down on the ground so hard that all the bark went out of him.

 

“If you disturb my little friends again,” roared the Elephant, “I’ll break every bone in your body.”

 

Small Dog walked on crutches¹⁵ for weeks after that, and he has never annoyed White Rabbit and Gray Mouse in their happy home. In fact, all three became very good friends and many is the time I have seen them sitting out in the barnyard smoking their corn-cob pipes.

1 latch   

n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁

参考例句：

• She laid her hand on the latch of the door.她把手放在门闩上。
• The repairman installed an iron latch on the door.修理工在门上安了铁门闩。

2 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

3 winked   

v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮

参考例句：

• He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼，她便知道他的想法和她一样。
• He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 flop   

n.失败(者)，扑通一声；vi.笨重地行动，沉重地落下

参考例句：

• The fish gave a flop and landed back in the water.鱼扑通一声又跳回水里。
• The marketing campaign was a flop.The product didn't sell.市场宣传彻底失败，产品卖不出去。

5 squealed   

v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He squealed the words out. 他吼叫着说出那些话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The brakes of the car squealed. 汽车的刹车发出吱吱声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 latched   

v.理解( latch的过去式和过去分词 )；纠缠；用碰锁锁上（门等）；附着（在某物上）

参考例句：

• The government have latched onto environmental issues to win votes. 政府已开始大谈环境问题以争取选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He latched onto us and we couldn't get rid of him. 他缠着我们，甩也甩不掉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

8 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

9 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

10 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

11 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

12 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

13 squeaked   

v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者

参考例句：

• The radio squeaked five. 收音机里嘟嘟地发出五点钟报时讯号。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Amy's shoes squeaked on the tiles as she walked down the corridor. 埃米走过走廊时，鞋子踩在地砖上嘎吱作响。 来自辞典例句

14 sobs   

啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
• She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。

15 crutches   

n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑

参考例句：

• After the accident I spent six months on crutches . 事故后我用了六个月的腋杖。
• When he broke his leg he had to walk on crutches. 他腿摔断了以后，不得不靠拐杖走路。