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很久很久以前，有个男孩叫杰克。一天早晨，他从家里出发，外面的世界去寻找财宝。没走多远他就遇到了一只猫。 "你去哪里，杰克？”猫问他。 “我去外边寻找财宝。” “我能和你一块去吗'？”“当然可以，"杰克说，“人越多越热闹。” 他们就往前走，踢踢踢踏，踢踢踢踏。又走了没多远，他们遇到了一条狗。 "你去哪里，杰克？"狗问他们。 “我去外边寻找财宝。” “我能和你一块去吗？" “当然可以,”杰克说，"人越多越热闹。" 他们继续往前走，踢踢踢踏，踢踢踢踏。后来他们又遇到了一只山羊，一头公牛和一只公鸡。他们一起往前走，踢踢踢踏，踢踢踢踏。 他们一直往前走，后来天黑下来，夜幕降临了。这时，他们看到远处有一所房子。杰克让动物们呆在原地不动，他走近房子透过窗户向里看。只见里面聚了一群强盗，他们正在数劫来的钱财。杰克走回来，让动物们先别出声，等他的口令，听到口令了就大喊大叫，吵闹声越大越好。动物们都准备好了，只听杰克一声令下，猫“喃喵喵”地叫起来，狗“汪汪汪"地叫起来，羊"咩咩哮”地叫起来,牛"哞哞哞”地叫起来，公鸡“喔喔喔”地叫起来，他们的叫声合在—起，响声震耳欲聋。强盗们被可怕的声音吓破了胆，纷纷抱头鼠窜。 然后，动物们就进了屋。杰克怕强盗们夜里回来，就安排猫在摇椅上睡，狗卧在桌下睡，山羊在楼上睡，公牛在地下室睡，公鸡飞上屋顶睡。安排好这一切，杰克才上了床。 时间一点一点过去，天色完全暗了下来。强盗们就派了一个人回到房子那里，看看钱还在不在。派去的人很快就跑回来，战战兢兢地讲了他的遭遇。 "我到了房子那里，”他说，"进了屋，想在摇椅上坐下，谁知那里坐着一个老太婆在织东西，她拿织针扎我。”你知道，他把那只猫当成了拿针编织的老太婆。 “我去桌子下面找钱，桌下躺着一个鞋匠，他用锥子刺我。”他把那只狗当成了鞋匠。 “然后我上楼，楼上有个人在打谷,他用连枷一下把我打倒了。”他说的那个人其实是山羊。 “我又去地下室，那儿有个人在劈木头，他拿斧子砍我。"他说的那个人其实是公牛。 “如果只有这些人也就罢了，但最可气的是房顶上的那个小家伙，他不断地大喊大叫：‘把他给我赶走！把他给我赶走，’当然了，那是公鸡搞的鬼,他在“嘟嗒嘟,嘟嗒嘟”地叫个不停。 How Jack Went to Seek His Fortune Once upon a time there was a boy named Jack, and one morning he started to go and seek his fortune. He hadn’t gone very far before he met a cat. “Where are you going, Jack?” said the cat. “I am going to seek my fortune.” “May I go with you?” “Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.” So on they went, jiggelty-jolt, jiggelty-jolt. They went a little further and they met a dog. “Where are you going, Jack?” said the dog. “I am going to seek my fortune.” “May I go with you?” “Yes，” said Jack, “the more the merrier. ’’ So on they went, jiggelty-jolt, jiggelty-jolt. Then they met a goat, a bull, and a rooster. So on they went, jiggelty-jolt, jiggelty-jolt. They went on till it was about dark. About this time they saw a house, and Jack told them to keep still while he looked in through the window. And there were some robbers counting over their money. Then Jack went back and told them to wait till he gave the word，and then to make all the noise they could. So when they were all ready Jack gave the word，and the cat mewed，and the dog barked，and the goat bleated，and the bull bellowed, and the rooster crowed, and all together they made such a dreadful noise that it frightened the robbers all away. And then they went in and took possession of the house. Jack was afraid the robbers would come back in the night, and so when it came time to go to bed he put the cat in the rocking-chair, and he put the dog under the table, and he put the goat up stairs, and he put the bull down cellar, and the rooster flew up on to the roof, and Jack went to bed. By-and-by the robbers saw it was all dark and they sent one man back to the house to look after their money. Before long he came back in a great fright and told them his story. “I went back to the house,” said he, “and went in and tried to sit down in the rock¬ing-chair, and there was an old woman knitting, and she stuck her knitting-needles into me. ’，That was the cat, you know. “I went to the table to look after the money and there was a shoemaker under the table, and he stuck his awl into me. ’’ That was the dog. “I started to go upstairs, and there was a man up there threshing, and he knocked me down with his flail.” That was the goat. “I started to go down cellar, and there was a man down there chopping wood, and he knocked me up with his axe. ’’ That was the bull. “But I shouldn’t have minded all that if it hadn't been for that little fellow on top of the house, who kept a-hollering, ‘Chuck him up to me_e! Chuck him up to me-e!’ ”Of course that was the cock-a-doodle-do. |
