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一天早上，一位村民走出茅屋，看到屋外的泥路上有一些巨型的圆形脚印。 "天哪！这是什么？”他喊道。 很快，他的茅屋外面聚满了人。没有人以前见过这么大的脚印，他们都很迷惑。他们循着脚印走，发现脚印一直延伸到村子的另一边。 “我认为……我认为，”一个村民最后说，“昨夜有魔鬼来过我们这。” "它一定是个庞然大物。”另一个人战战兢兢地说。 “大家不要慌。”第三个村民说，“或许答案很简单。我们去找拉尔•布扎卡德吧。他过去帮过我们很多次……” 于是，有人去请邻村的拉尔•布扎卡德。他不慌不忙地来了。他弯腰观察脚印，从不同角度研究着。 “我们当中有人认为这是魔——魔鬼留下的。”村长吞吞吐吐地说。 你们的想像力可真够丰富。”拉尔•布扎卡德扫了他一眼说，“不，这些足迹并不是魔鬼或是怪物留下的，是鹿留下的。” "鹿！”村长惊叫起来，“但这些足迹这么大！” “那是因为，”拉尔•布扎卡德耐心地解释道，"鹿把巨石捆在脚上来戏弄我们。” 村民们站在那儿，目瞪口呆地望着拉尔•布扎卡德。 “只有你才能识穿鹿的诡计。”村长说。 拉尔•布扎卡德坦然地接受了赞美，回家了。 几天之后的一个夜晚，留下足迹的动物 ，再次经过此地。第二天早上，村民看到了足迹，这一次他们一点也不害怕。他们知道是那只鹿又来戏弄他们了。 The Mysterious Track One morning a villager stepped out of his hut and saw huge, round footmarks in the mud outside his dwelling. “Oh，my God! What’s this!” he shouted. Soon there was a large crowd outside his hut. None of the villagers had ever seen such large footprints before and they were bewildered by them. They followed the tracks and found that they ran all through the village to the other side. “I think.. I think,，，said a villager, finally, “we were visited by a demon last night. ” “He must’ve been of a monstrous size.，’ said another man, shuddering. “Let us not panic,” advised a third villager. “There might be a simple explanation for all this. Let’s call Lai Bujhakkad. He has helped us so many times in the past... ” So Lai Bujhakkad who lived in a neighboring village, was sent for and he came with¬out fuss. He bent over the prints and studied them from every angle. “Some of us think they were made by a d-demon. ” said the headman, hesitatingly. “You people have such fertile imaginations，” said Lai Bujhakkad, giving him a with¬ering look. “No, these tracks were not made by a demon or monster. They were made by a deer. ” “A deer!” exclaimed the headman. “But they're so big!” “That’s because,” explained Lai Bujhakkad patiently, “the animal tied large stones to its feet to fool us.” The villagers stood gaping in wonder at Lai Bujhakkad. “Only you could have seen through the deer’s clever trick. ” said the headman. Lai Bujhakkad graciously acknowledged the compliment and returned home. Some nights later, the animal who had made the tracks, a large elephant, came that way again. The villagers saw the tracks the next morning but this time they were not a- 什aid. They knew the deer was trying to fool them again. |
