英语民间小故事:The Jackal and the Partridge
来源:古今学识馆 本文已影响1.57W人
来源:古今学识馆 本文已影响1.57W人
A Jackal and a Partridge swore eternal friendship; but the Jackal was very exacting and jealous. "You don't do half as much for me as I do for you," he used to say, "and yet you talk a great deal of your friendship. Now my idea of a friend is one who is able to make me laugh or cry, give me a good meal, or save my life if need be. You couldn't do that!"
"Let us see," answered the Partridge; "follow me at a little distance, and if I don't make you laugh soon you may eat me!"
So she flew on till she met two travellers trudging along, one behind the other. They were both footsore and weary, and the first carried his bundle on a stick over his shoulder, while the second had his shoes in his hand.
Lightly as a feather the Partridge settled on the first traveller's stick. He, none the wiser, trudged on, but the second traveller, seeing the bird sitting so tamely just in front of his nose, said to himself,
"What a chance for a supper!" and immediately flung his shoes at it, they being ready to hand. Whereupon the Partridge flew away, and the shoes knocked off the first traveller's turban.
"What a plague do you mean?" cried he, angrily turning on his companion. "Why did you throw your shoes at my head?"
"Brother!" replied the other mildly, "do not be vexed. I didn't throw them at you, but at a Partridge that was sitting on your stick."
"On my stick! Do you take me for a fool?" shouted the injured man, in a great rage. "Don't tell me such cock-and-bull stories. First you insult me, and then you lie like a coward; but I'll teach you manners!"
Then he fell upon his fellow-traveller without more ado, and they fought until they could not see out of their eyes, till their noses were bleeding, their clothes in rags, and the Jackal had nearly died of laughing.
"Are you satisfied?" asked the Partridge of her friend.
"Well," answered the Jackal, "you have certainly made me laugh, but I doubt if you could make me cry. It is easy enough to be a buffoon; it is more difficult to excite the higher emotions."
"Let us see," retorted the Partridge, somewhat piqued; "there is a huntsman with his dogs coming along the road. Just creep into that hollow tree and watch me: if you don't weep scalding tears, you must have no feeling in you!"
The Jackal did as he was bid, and watched the Partridge, who began fluttering about the bushes till the dogs caught sight of her, when she flew to the hollow tree where the Jackal was hidden. Of course the dogs smelt him at once, and set up such a yelping and scratching that the huntsman came up, and seeing what it was, dragged the Jackal out by the tail. Whereupon the dogs worried him to their hearts' content, and finally left him for dead.
By and by he opened his eyes--for he was only foxing--and saw the Partridge sitting on a branch above him.
"Did you cry?" she asked anxiously. "Did I rouse your higher emo---"
"Be quiet, will you!" snarled the Jackal; "I'm half dead with fear!"
So there the Jackal lay for some time, getting the better of his bruises, and meanwhile he became hungry.
"Now is the time for friendship!" said he to the Partridge. "Get me a good dinner, and I will acknowledge you are a true friend."
"Very well!" replied the Partridge; "only watch me, and help yourself when the time comes."
Just then a troop of women came by, carrying their husbands' dinners to the harvest-field.
The Partridge gave a little plaintive cry, and began fluttering along from bush to bush as if she were wounded.
"A wounded bird!--a wounded bird!" cried the women; "we can easily catch it!"
Whereupon they set off in pursuit, but the cunning Partridge played a thousand tricks, till they became so excited over the chase that they put their bundles on the ground in order to pursue it more nimbly. The Jackal, meanwhile, seizing his opportunity, crept up, and made off with a good dinner.
"Are you satisfied now?" asked the Partridge.
"Well," returned the Jackal, "I confess you have given me a very good dinner; you have also made me laugh--and cry--ahem! But, after all, the great test of friendship is beyond you--you couldn't save my life!"
"Perhaps not," acquiesced the Partridge mournfully, "I am so small and weak. But it grows late--we should be going home; and as it is a long way round by the ford, let us go across the river. My friend the crocodile will carry us over."
Accordingly, they set off for the river, and the crocodile kindly consented to carry them across, so they sat on his broad back and he ferried them over. But just as they were in the middle of the stream the Partridge remarked, "I believe the crocodile intends to play us a trick. How awkward if he were to drop you into the water!"
"Awkward for you too!" replied the Jackal, turning pale.
"Not at all! not at all! I have wings, you haven't."
On this the Jackal shivered and shook with fear, and when the crocodile, in a gruesome growl, remarked that he was hungry and wanted a good meal, the wretched creature hadn't a word to say.
"Pooh!" cried the Partridge airily, "don't try tricks on us,-- I should fly away, and as for my friend the Jackal, you couldn't hurt him. He is not such a fool as to take his life with him on these little excursions; he leaves it at home, locked up in the cupboard."
"Is that a fact?" asked the crocodile, surprised.
"Certainly!" retorted the Partridge. "Try to eat him if you like, but you will only tire yourself to no purpose."
"Dear me! how very odd!" gasped the crocodile; and he was so taken aback that he carried the Jackal safe to shore.
"Well, are you satisfied now?" asked the Partridge.
"My dear madam!" quoth the Jackal, "you have made me laugh, you have made me cry, you have given me a good dinner, and you have saved my life; but upon my honor I think you are too clever for a friend; so, good-bye!"
And the Jackal never went near the Partridge again.
英语情感故事:She Told Me It Was Okay to Cry
Catch the Star that will Take You to Your Dream
A great hi ask for dee waters.(
The Darkling Thrush
英语励志寓言:The Hare And The tortoise
经典英文诗How do I love thee by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
英文民间故事传说:A Crow and His Three Friends
励志英语文章:The prime condition great secrets of success
英语作文经典语句 Great hopes make great man
英文励志名言佳句 Experience is the best teacher
英语名句 The first step is as good as half over 等
英语作文万能句子:Better early than late
端午节的诗句—《The Dragon Boat Festival》
英语激励名言 Experience is the best teacher
英语童话故事:The Crab and the Monkey
The Hen and the Little Girl英语故事短文
The four marks of leadership
有关学习的英语名言 Practice makes perfect
O sing, fair lady, when with me
英文民间故事:Rabbit the hunter
英语情感故事:Mothers & Daughters
英文名言名句大全 A good medicine tastes bitter
友情的英文名言 A life without a friend
英文版寓言故事:The Goat and the Ass
经典的英文语句 I’ll make my joy like this small butterfly
英语名著读书笔记 The Old Man and the Sea
American media: mouthpiece of terrorism
高中英语名言名句 The shortest answer is doing thething
What asks no question but demands an answer?
Why do people wear watches when they cross the desert?
The Luthean Digest的名言
Why the Fish Laughed-英语民间故事
英语励志故事: The Dove And The Ant
Whats lacking in our education?
英语作文万能句子:Line is better than words
英语民间故事:Prince Ivan and Grey Wolf
英语名人名言大全 Habit is a second nature
[英语诗歌]-working on the railroad
英语寓言故事之The Wolf and the Lamb