The Tinder Box 打火匣
A SOLDIER came marching along the high road. “Left， right—left， right.” He had his knapsack on his back， and a sword at his side， he had been to the wars， and was now returning home.
公路上有一个兵正在开步走——一，二！一，二！他背着一个行军袋，一把长剑挂在腰间。因为他已经参加过好几次战争，现在要回家去。
As he walked on， he met a very frightfullooking old witch in the road. Her underlip hung quite down on her breast， and she stopped and said， “Good evening， soldier， you have a very fine sword， and a large knapsack， and you are a real soldier！ so you shall have as much money as ever you like.”
他在路上碰见了一个老巫婆，她是一个非常可憎的人物，她的下嘴唇垂到了她的胸上。她说：“晚安，兵士！你的剑真好，你的行军袋真大，你是一个不折不扣真正的兵士啊！现在你喜欢要有多少钱就能够有多少钱了。”
“Thank you， old witch！” said the soldier.
“谢谢你了，老巫婆！”兵士答。
“Do you see that large tree？” said the witch， pointing to a tree which stood beside them. “Well， it is quite hollow inside， and you must climb to the top， when you will see a hole， through which you can let yourself down into the tree to a great depth. I will tie a rope round your body， so that I can pull you up again when you call out to me.”
“你看见那棵大树了吗？” 巫婆指着他们旁边的一棵树问。“那里面是空的。如果你爬到它的顶上去，就可以看到一个洞口。你从那儿往下一溜，就可以深深地钻进树身里去。我在你腰上系一根绳，这样，你叫我的时候，我就可以把你拉上来。”
“But what am I to do， down there in the tree？” asked the soldier.
“那我到树底下去干什么呢？” 兵士问。
“Get money，” she replied. “for you must know that when you reach the ground under the tree， you will find yourself in a large hall， lighted up by three hundred lamps. You will then see three doors， which can be easily opened， for the keys are in all the locks. On entering the first of the chambers， to which these doors lead， you will see a large chest， standing in the middle of the floor， and upon it a dog seated， with a pair of eyes as large as teacupsteacup n.茶杯， 一茶杯容量. But you need not be at all afraid of him！ I will give you my blue checked apron， which you must spread upon the floor， and then boldly seize hold of the dog， and place him upon it. You can then open the chest， and take from it as many pence as you please， they are only copper pence. But if you would rather have silver money， you must go into the second chamber. Here you will find another dog， with eyes as big as millwheels， but do not let that trouble you. Place him upon my apron， and then take what money you please. If， however， you like gold best， enter the third chamber， where there is another chest full of it. The dog who sits on this chest is very dreadful， his eyes are as big as a tower， but do not mind him. If he also is placed upon my apron， he cannot hurt you， and you may take from the chest what gold you will.”
“取钱呀，”巫婆回答说。“你将会知道，你一钻进树底下去，便会看到一条宽大的走廊。那儿很亮，因为那里点着300多盏明灯。你将看到三个门，都可以打开，因为钥匙就在门锁里。你走进第一个房间去，可以看到当中有一口大箱子，箱子上面坐着一只狗，它的眼睛非常的大，像一对茶杯。可是你不要管它！我可以把我蓝格子布的围裙给你。你把它铺在地上，然后赶紧走过去，把那只狗抱起来，放在我的围裙上。然后你就把箱子打开，你想要多少钱就取出多少钱。这些钱只是铜铸的。但是假如你想取得银铸的钱，就得走进第二个房间里去。不过那儿也坐着一只狗，它有水车轮那么大的眼睛。可是你不要去理它。你把它放在我的围裙上，然后把钱取出来。但是，如果你想得到金子铸的钱，你也会达到目的。你拿得动多少就可以拿多少——如果你到第三个房间里去的话。不过坐在这儿钱箱上的那只狗的一双眼睛，可有圆塔那么大啦。你要知道，它称得上是一只狗啦！可是你一点也不必害怕。你只需把它放在我的围裙上，它就不会伤害你了。你从那个箱子里能够取出多少金子来，就取出多少金子来吧。”
“This is not a bad story，” said the soldier. “but what am I to give you， you old witch？ for， of course， you do not mean to tell me all this for nothing.”
“这倒相当不坏，”兵士说。“不过我用什么东西来酬谢你呢。老巫婆？我想你不会什么也不要的吧。”
“No，” said the witch， “but I do not ask for a single penny. Only promise to bring me an old tinderbox， which my grandmother left behind the last time she went down there.”
“不要，”巫婆说，“我不要一个铜板。我只要你帮我把那个旧打火匣取出来。那是我祖母上次忘在那里面的。”
“Very well！ I promise. Now tie the rope round my body.”
“好吧！请在我腰上系上绳子吧。”兵士说。
“Here it is，” replied the witch. “and here is my blue checked apron.”
“好吧，”巫婆说。“拿我的蓝格子围裙去吧。”
As soon as the rope was tied， the soldier climbed up the tree， and let himself down through the hollow to the ground beneath， and here he found， as the witch had told him， a large hall， in which many hundred lamps were all burning. Then he opened the first door. “Ah！” there sat the dog， with the eyes as large as teacups， staring at him.
绳子刚一系好兵士就爬上树，一下子就溜进那个洞口里去了。正像老巫婆说的一样，他现在来到了一条点了几百盏灯的大走廊里。他打开了第一道门。哎呀！有一条狗果然坐在那儿。眼睛有茶杯那么大，直瞪着他。
“Youre a pretty fellow！” said the soldier， seizing him， and placing him on the witchs apron， while he filled his pockets from the chest with as many pieces as they would hold. Then he closed the lid， seated the dog upon it again， and walked into another chamber. And， sure enough， there sat the dog with eyes as big as millwheels.
“你这个好家伙！”兵士说。于是他就把它抱到巫婆的围裙上。接着他就取出了许多铜板，他的衣袋能装多少就装多少。他把箱子锁好，把狗又放到箱子上面，然后他就走进第二个房间里去。哎哟！这儿坐着一只狗，眼睛大得简直像一对水车轮。
“You had better not look at me in that way，” said the soldier. “you will make your eyes water.” and then he seated him also upon the apron， and opened the chest. But when he saw what a quantity of silver money it contained， he very quickly threw away all the coppers he had taken， and filled his pockets and his knapsack with nothing but silver.
“你不应该这样死死盯着我，”兵士说。“这样你就会弄坏你的眼睛啦。”他把狗儿抱到女巫的围裙上。当他看到箱子里有那么多的银币的时候，他便把所有的铜板都扔掉，把自己的衣袋和行军袋全部装满了银币。
Then he went into the third room， and there the dog was really hideous. His eyes were， truly， as big as towers， and they turned round and round in his head like wheels.
接着他就走进第三个房间——乖乖，这可真有点吓人！这儿的一只狗，两只眼睛真正有圆塔那么大！它们在脑袋上转动着，简直就像两个轮子！
“Good morning，” said the soldier， touching his cap， for he had never seen such a dog in his life. But after looking at him more closely， he thought he had been civil enough， so he placed him on the floor， and opened the chest. Good gracious， what a quantity of gold there was！ Enough to buy all the sugarsticks of the sweetstuff women， all the tin soldiers， whips， and rockinghorses in the world， or even the whole town itself There was， indeed， an immenseimmense adj.极广大的， 无边的， <；口>；非常好的 quantity. So the soldier now threw away all the silver money he had taken， and filled his pockets and his knapsack with gold instead， and not only his pockets and his knapsack， but even his cap and boots， so that he could scarcelyscarcely adv.几乎不， 简直没有 walk.
“早上好！”兵士说。他把手举到帽子边上行了个礼，因为他以前从来没有看见过像这样的一只狗儿。然而，他对它瞧了一会儿以后，心里就想，“现在该差不多了。”他把它抱下来放到地上。然后他就打开箱子。老天爷呀！那里面的金子真够多！他可以用这金子把整个的哥本哈根买下来，他可以都买下卖糕饼女人所有的糖猪，他可以把全世界的锡兵啦、马鞭啦、摇动的木马啦，全部都买下来。是的，钱可真是不少啊——兵士把他衣袋和行军袋里满装着的银币全都倒了出来，把金子装进去。是的，他的衣袋，他的行军袋，他的帽子，他的皮靴全都装满了，他差点儿连走也走不动了。
He was really rich now， so he replaced the dog on the chest， closed the door， and called up through the tree， “Now pull me out， you old witch.”
现在他的确有钱了。他把狗儿又放回到箱子上去，锁好了门，在树里向上面喊一声：“把我拉上去呀，老巫婆！”