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从前，森林里有一个湖，湖里住着一只乌龟，湖边住着一只鹿，不远处的树上住着一只啄木鸟，他的巢就搭建在树顶上。他们三个是好朋友。 有一天，一位猎人在湖边发现了鹿蹄印，就在湖边设下一个坚固的皮制圈套，然后离开了。 那天刚入夜，鹿去湖边饮水，一下就被皮圈套套住了，他哀叫起来。 啄木鸟马上从树上飞下来，乌龟马上浮出水面,他们商量怎样才能把鹿救出来。 乌龟的牙齿锋利，他就开始啃咬圈套上的皮革。啄木鸟飞到了猎人家门前，阻止猎人靠近。 天刚破晓，猎人就手持钢刀走到了房门前。啄木鸟立刻扑扇着翅膀冲向猎人，朝他的脸上猛拍。 疼痛难忍的猎人马上返回屋内坐了好一会儿。太阳升起来了，猎人拿起刀子再次出门了。 这一次啄木鸟以最快的速度飞回了湖边，大声对朋友们叫喊："猎人来了！” 这时候，乌龟已经咬断了圈套上几乎所有的皮绳，只剩下最后一根了。皮绳太坚固了，乌龟满嘴是血，他感到自己的牙齿都快脱落了。圈套中的鹿听见了啄木鸟的话音，远远望到猎人走过来了。情急之中，他拼命向前一冲，挣断了最后那根皮绳，向林中奔去。 但是乌龟已经累得筋疲力尽，连逃跑的力气都没有了，只好呆在原地。猎人过来捡起乌龟扔进袋中，绑在了一棵树上。 鹿在暗中看到了乌龟被捉，下定决心要救朋友一命。于是，他故意现身让猎人发现。 猎人拿起刀子起身去追鹿。鹿在猎人眼前时隐时现，把猎人引到了森林里。 猎人追上来了，灵巧的鹿很快就从他的视线中溜走了。然后他选择另一条道路，像一阵疾风一样绕回了刚才乌龟留下的地方。 鹿用犄角挑下了树上的口袋，放在地上，又把袋口挑开，放出了乌龟。 啄木鸟也从巢中飞下来了。鹿对他们说朋友们，你们救了我的命，但是我们不能呆在这儿长谈，被猎人发现我们就不好办了。所以，我的朋友啄木鸟，请你飞走;我的朋友乌龟，请你潜入水中。我将到林中藏起来。” 果然，猎人不久就回来了，但他没有看到鹿，没有看到乌龟，也不见了啄木鸟的踪影，只看到了地上自己的破口袋。 The Woodpecker, Turtle and Deer Once upon a time a Deer lived in a forest near a lake. Not far from the same lake, a Woodpecker had a nest in the top of a tree； and in the lake lived a Turtle. They were good friends. One day, a hunter saw the foot-prints of the Deer near the lake. So he set a strong trap of leather near the water and went his way. Early that night when the Deer went down to drink, he was caught in the trap, and he cried the cry of capture. At once the Woodpecker flew down from her tree-top, and the Turtle came out of the water to see what could be done. The Turtle had sharp teeth, so he began to gnaw the leather. The Woodpecker flew to the hunter's house to see to it that the hunter kept away. At dawn the hunter came, knife in hand, to the door of his house. The Woodpecker, flapping her wings, flew at the hunter and struck him in the face. The hunter turned back into the house and lay down for a while. When the sun arose, he took his knife, and started out once more. This time the Woodpecker flew back as fast as she could fly to her friends, crying, “Here comes the hunter!” By this time the Turtle had gnawed through all the pieces of the trap but one. The leather was so hard that it made his teeth feel as if they would fall out. His mouth was all covered with blood. The Deer heard the Woodpecker, and saw the hunter. With a strong pull the Deer broke this last piece of the trap, and ran into the woods. But the Turtle was so weak he could not get away. He lay where he was. The hunter picked him up and threw him into a bag, tying it to a tree. The Deer saw that the Turtle was taken, and made up his mind to save his friend’s life. So the Deer let the hunter see him. The hunter seized his knife and started after the Deer. The Deer, keeping just out of his reach, led the hunter into the forest. When the Deer saw that the hunter was after him, he slipped away from the hunter, and swift as the wind, he went by another way to where he had left the Turtle. Then the Deer lifted the bag with his horns, and throwing it upon the ground, he tore the bag open, and let the Turtle out. The Woodpecker flew down from her nest, and the Deer said to them, u You two friends saved my life, but if we stay here talking, the hunter will find us, and we may not get away. So my Friend Woodpecker, just fly away. And you. Friend Turtle, dive into the water. I will hide in the forest. ’’ The hunter did come back, but neither the Deer, nor the Turtle, nor the Woodpecker was to be seen. He only found his torn bag. |
