Toto whimpered a little, but none of the others was frightened, and they kept along the well-trodden path until they came to an opening in the wood, in which were gathered hundreds of beasts of every variety. There were tigers and elephants and bears and wolves and foxes and all the others in the natural history, and for a moment Dorothy was afraid. But the Lion explained that the animals were holding a meeting, and he judged by their snarling and growling that they were in great trouble.
As he spoke several of the beasts caught sight of him (пока он это говорил, несколько животных заметили его;
"What is your trouble (а что у вас за беда)?" asked the Lion quietly (спокойно спросил Лев).
assemblage [q'semblIdZ], enemy ['enqmI], peace [pi:s], quietly ['kwaIqtlI]
As he spoke several of the beasts caught sight of him, and at once the great assemblage hushed as if by magic. The biggest of the tigers came up to the Lion and bowed, saying: "Welcome, O King of Beasts! You have come in good time to fight our enemy and bring peace to all the animals of the forest once more."
"What is your trouble?" asked the Lion quietly.
"We are all threatened (нам всем угрожает: «мы все угрожаемы»)," answered the tiger, "by a fierce enemy (лютый враг: «лютым врагом») which has lately come into this forest (который недавно пришел в этот лес = объявился в этом лесу). It is a most tremendous monster (это одно из самых ужасных чудовищ), like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant (похожее на огромного паука, с телом столь же большим, как у слона) and legs as long as a tree trunk (и лапами столь же длинными, как ствол дерева). It has eight of these long legs (у него восемь таких длинных лап), and as the monster crawls through the forest (и когда этот монстр ползет по лесу) he seizes an animal with a leg (он хватает животное одной лапой) and drags it to his mouth (и тащит его в рот), where he eats it as a spider does a fly (и поедает его /там/, как паук /поедает/ муху). Not one of us is safe (никто из нас не /находится/ в безопасности) while this fierce creature is alive (пока эта свирепая тварь жива;
fierce [fIqs], tremendous [trI'mendqs], spider ['spaIdq]
"We are all threatened," answered the tiger, "by a fierce enemy which has lately come into this forest. It is a most tremendous monster, like a great spider, with a body as big as an elephant and legs as long as a tree trunk. It has eight of these long legs, and as the monster crawls through the forest he seizes an animal with a leg and drags it to his mouth, where he eats it as a spider does a fly. Not one of us is safe while this fierce creature is alive, and we had called a meeting to decide how to take care of ourselves when you came among us."
The Lion thought for a moment (Лев задумался на минуту).
"Are there any other lions in this forest (а есть ли другие львы в этом лесу)?" he asked.
"No; there were some, but the monster has eaten them all (нет, было несколько, но монстр сожрал их всех). And, besides, they were none of them nearly so large and brave as you (и, кроме того, никто из них не был хотя бы приблизительно столь же крупным и смелым, как ты)."
"If I put an end to your enemy (если я покончу с вашим врагом: «положу конец вашему врагу»), will you bow down to me and obey me as King of the Forest (склонитесь ли вы передо мной и подчинитесь мне, как Королю Леса;
"We will do that gladly (мы с радостью сделаем это)," returned the tiger (ответил тигр); and all the other beasts roared with a mighty roar (и все другие звери зарычали мощным ревом): "We will (мы будем /подчиняться/ = подчинимся)!"
thought [TO:t], monster ['mOnstq], eaten [i:tn], tiger ['taIgq]