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一只豪猪过来跟狗索要食物。狗说他没什么可吃的，但把他带到了法官的一块甘蔗地。 “尽管吃。”狗说，"但不要吃根部，以便甘蔗再次生长。” 豪猪发现甘蔗甜美多汁，于是每天都去地里吃。开始时，他还听狗的话，只吃茎干。但几天之后,他也开始吃根部。 一天，法官发现自己的甘蔗地被破坏了，非常生气。狗说豪猪应对此事负责。豪猪说自己是清白的。 豪猪一直等到冬天来临。然后，一个寒冷的早上，他来到狗的家里，告诉他法官传唤他们。 当他们走进法庭时，狗冻得直打哆嗦。 “法官大人，您看到他在发抖了吧。”豪猪说，“那是因为他有罪。” "你还有什么可为自己辩解的？”法官板着脸问。 但是狗因为太冷，牙齿一个劲地打颤，说不出话来。法官于是宣布他有罪，把他踢出了法庭。 非洲人说，只要狗叫个不停，就是在提醒法官：豪猪已经进了他的地。 The Root of the Matter A porcupine came and asked a dog for food. The dog said he had no food but showed him a field of sugarcane belonging to a judge. “Eat as much as you want,” said the dog, “but leave the roots intact so that the Dlants will grow again.” The porcupine found the sugarcane sweet and juicy. He began to visit the field ever- i day. In the beginning he ate only the stems, as directed by the dog, but after a few Jays he began to eat the roots, too. One day the judge saw the destruction in his field and was very angry. He called the Jog and accused him of destroying his crop. The dog said it was the porcupine that was blame. The porcupine said he was innocent and suggested that the matter be settled court. The judge agreed. The porcupine waited till winter set in. Then one chilly morning he went to the dog’s louse and told him the judge had summoned them. When they entered the judge’s chamber the dog began to shiver with the cold. “See how he trembles, Your Honor，” said the porcupine. “Isn’t that a sure sign of I uilt?” “What do you have to say for yourself?” asked the judge, looking sternly at the dog. But the dog’s teeth were chattering with the cold and he could not speak. Thinking lat his silence was an admission of guilt, the judge pronounced him guilty and kicked him out of the house. Whenever a dog barks incessantly, Africans say he i.^. porcupine has got into his field. |
