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远古的时候，蚂蚁有很多敌人，由于他们又小又有破坏性，所以他们被屠杀了很多次。不仅大部分鸟儿是他们的敌人，而且还有他的死对头食蚁兽和只要一有机会就四处围攻他们的蜈蚣。 于是一些蚂蚁就认为最好开个会，看看能否达成某些协议,在他们遭到鸟和动物攻击时能否躲到一些安全的地方。 但是，他们集会时却有很大的分歧，没做出任何决定。 一些蚂蚁认为他们应该钻进地里的小洞里，住在里面；另一些想在地面上建一个又大又结实的房子，除了蚂蚁谁也进不去;还有一些想住在树上，那样就可以远离食蚁兽，可是却完全忘了他们可能成为鸟儿们的猎物;甚至还有一些想要长出翅膀，能够飞。 红蚁在地面上建了房子，住在里面，可是食蚁兽瞬间就摧毁了他们几天以来辛苦的劳动。米蚁住在地下，可是情况丝毫不比红蚁好。因为他们一出去，食蚁兽就来拜访他们，把他们大批地吸出来。灶巢蚁爬到树上，可是很多次蜈蚣都在那里等着他们，或者是鸟儿狼吞虎咽地吃掉他们。灰蚁却想着通过飞翔来躲避这灭顶之灾，可是这对它们来说丝毫无益，因为蜥蜴、蜘蛛，还有鸟儿都比他们跑得快得多。 当昆虫国王知道蚂蚁们不能达成一致时，就送给他们一个秘诀:团结一致。可是不幸的是，信使却是甲壳虫， 他根本没找到蚂蚁那儿，因此蚂蚁们现在仍然是一盘散沙，不断地成为敌人的猎物。 The Lost Message The ant has had from time immemorial many enemies, and because he is small and destructive, there have been a great many slaughters among them. Not only were most of the birds their enemies, but Anteater lived almost wholly from them, and Centipede beset them every time and at all places when he had the chance. So now there were a few among them who thought it would be well to hold council together and see if they could not come to some arrangement whereby they could retreat to some place of safety when attacked by birds and animals. But at the gathering their opinions were quite different, and they could come to no decision. Some desired that they should all go into a small hole in the ground, and live there； some others wanted to have a large and strong dwelling built on the ground, where nobody could enter but an ant； still another wanted to dwell in trees, so as to get rid of Anteater, forgetting entirely that there they would be the prey of birds； also some others seemed eager to have wings and fly. The Red-ants built their house on the ground and lived under it, but Anteater leveled to the ground in a minute what had cost them many days of precious labor. The Rice-ants lived under the ground, and with them it went no better. For whenever they came out, Anteater visited them and took them out sack and pack. The Wagtail-ants fled to the trees， but there on many occasions sat Centipede waiting for them，or the birds gobbled them up. The Gray-ants had intended to save themselves from extermination by taking to flight, but this also availed them nothing, because the Lizard, the Hunting-spider, and the birds went a great deal faster than they. When the Insect-king heard that they could come to no agreement, he sent them the secret of unity, and the message of Work-together. But unfortunately he chose for his messenger the Beetle, and he has never yet arrived at the Ants, so that they are still today the embodiment of discord and consequently the prey of enemies. |
