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几十年前的一天,有个菲律宾人上山去打猎。他带着自己忠实的猎狗，沿着山坡稳步向上走去，偶尔他也停下来，在树丛中砍出一条小路来。他的狗不时跑进茂密的树丛中，这儿闻闻，那儿嗅嗅，搜寻猎物。 猎人向前走啊，走啊，没有发现任何猎物。后来，眼看他快要登上那座最高峰的峰顶了，这时候，猎狗尖叫了一声，只见灌木丛中跃出一头肥硕的鹿。“嗖"的一声，猎人掷出了标枪，刺中了鹿的身子。他等了一会儿，但鹿没有倒下，而是继续向前狂奔，速度没有丝毫放慢。后来，它跳进了一个地洞中，猎人和狗在后面穷追不舍。 从洞口下去没走多远，洞穴内豁然开阔，出现了很多宽敞的洞室。还没搞明白怎么回事，猎人已经迷失了方向，他有点绝望了。他听到了远处的狗吠声，但没有人为他带路，他在黑暗中摸索着向前走。 循着狗叫声,猎人在一片漆黑中跌跌撞撞向前走，从一个洞室走到另一个洞室，不时还撞到石墙上，就这样走了好长时间。后来，他一伸手，突然抓着了一棵小树，上面结满了浆果。 猎人很吃惊，想不到在这样幽暗的地方竟然还生长着植物。他折下一根树枝，没想到这时候小矮树开始用一种奇怪的语言跟他讲话了。猎人怕极了，赶忙朝他最后听到狗叫声的方向跑去，不-会儿，他发现自己到了阿布拉河河岸的一片空地上，那头鹿就躺在他的脚下，已经死了。 猎人手里一直攥着那根小树枝，这时候他才细看了一下,结果大吃一惊:上面的浆果竟然变成了价值连城的玛瑙！他把死鹿扛在背上，急忙赶回了家，给人们讲了他的奇遇。 见到熠熠发光的玛瑙珠，人们相信猎人讲的故事是真的。于是许多人马上让猎人带路，一起去寻找那棵宝树。 但是，他们的寻宝计划失败了。在他们赶到地洞以前,邪魔已经带走了那棵树，并在地洞的岩壁上雕刻了奇怪的图案。直到今天，我们仍然可以看到这些奇怪的雕刻物。 The Tree with the Agate Beads More than a hundred seasons ago, a Tinguian went one day to the mountains to hunt. Accompanied by his faithful dog，he made his way steadily up the mountainside, only halting where it was necessary to cut a path through the jungle. And the dog ran here and there searching in the thick underbrush. On and on he went without seeing any game, and then, when he was almost at the top of the highest peak, the dog gave a sharp yelp, and out of the brush leaped a fine deer. Zip! Went the man’s spear, and it pierced the animal’s side. For an instant he waited, but the deer did not fall. On it ran with unslackened speed, and a moment later it plunged into a hole in the ground with the man and dog in close pursuit. A short distance from the entrance the cave opened out into large, spacious rooms, and before he realized it the man was hopelessly lost. In the distance he could hear the baying of the dog, and with no other guide he hurried on through the darkness. Following the sound, he went for a long time from one unfamiliar room to another, stumbling in the darkness and striking against the stone walls, and then suddenly his outstretched hands grasped a small tree on which berries grew. Astonished at finding anything growing in this dark place, he broke off a branch, and as he did so the shrub began to talk in a strange language. Terrified, the man ran in the direction he had last heard the dog，and a moment later he found himself in the open air on the banks of the Abra River, with the dead deer at his feet. When he examined the twig which he still held in his hand, he saw to his great surprise that the berries were agate beads of great value. And packing the deer on his back, he hastened home where he told his wonderful story. The sight of the beautiful beads convinced the people that he told the truth, and a number of men at once returned with him to secure the tree. Their quest, however, was unsuccessful, for before they reached the spot the evil spirit had taken the tree away and on the walls of the cave it had made strange carvings which even to this day can be seen. |
