陈雪华
A wolf once met a donkey on the road out- 有一回,狼在村外的路上碰见驴。
side the village.
“I m going to eat you up.”said the wolf.
“Certainly, ”replied the donkey, thinkingfast.“But please don t eat me out here on theroad where everyone can see. I shall be soashamed. Take me into the forest. Don t beafraid that I shall try to escape. Here, tie thisrope round your neck and fasten it to my bridle.Then I will lead you to a quiet spot I know.”
The wolf thought this was a good idea sohe fastened the rope round his neck and knottedit firmly to the donkey s bridle.
“Now I will go wherever you say.”saidthe donkey.
“Show me the way to your quiet spot.”or-dered the wolf.
“Very well, ”said the donkey, setting offdown the road towards the village. As theycame to the first houses the wolf began to sus-pect that he had been tricked.
“This is not the way to the forest, ”hesaid, tugging at his end of the rope.“This roadgoes to the village.”
“Don t worry, ”said the donkey cheerful-ly,“This is a short cut.”The donkey began totrot faster, then to gallop. The rope round thewolf s neck drew tight; in a very short time hewas dragged right up to the donkey s door.
The master, his wife and their three sonsall came running out to rescue the donkey.They were so angry that they would have killedthe wolf there and then. Fortunately for thewolf, however, one of the sons threw a knife athim. The knife missed, but it cut the rope roundhis neck. The next moment all the family couldsee was a cloud of dust in the road as the wolffled to the dark forest.
有一回,狼在村外的路上碰見驴。
“我要把你吃掉。”狼说。
“当然可以,”驴灵机一动,回答说,“但请不要在这条路上吃,人人都会看见的,我会感到难为情。把我带到森林里去吧。别担心我会逃跑。喏,把这根绳子一头绕在你脖子上,一头拴在我的缰绳上,然后我把你带到一个我熟悉的安静的地方去。”
狼认为这是个好主意,于是把绳子绕在脖子上,把另一头牢牢系在驴的缰绳上。
“现在你说到什么地方去,我就到什么地方去。”驴说。
“带我到你说的那个安静的地方去。”狼吩咐道。
“很好。”驴说着,就沿着通向村子的路走去。他们来到头几所房子附近时,狼怀疑自己受骗上当了。
“这不是到森林去的路,”他使劲拉绳子的一头说,“这条路是到村子里去的。”
“别着急,”驴高兴地说,“这是一条近路。”驴加快了步子,接着跑起来。套在狼脖子上的绳子抽紧了;一会儿功夫,就把狼拉到驴的家门口。
驴的主人、主人的妻子和三个儿子都跑出来救驴。他们非常生气,要立即就地把狼打死。不过,狼很幸运,主人的一个儿子拿刀砍狼,没砍着,却把套在狼脖子上的绳子砍断了。转眼之间,这一家子看到路上尘土飞扬,狼逃向黑暗的树林里去了。