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在古时候，三个小男孩在加拿大森林里打猎玩。他们想装成和大人们一样个头高大。正好那时一个巨人正在四处寻找食物。他透过树木看到了这几个孩子。他想抓住他们三个,好好吃上一顿。于是他迅速地一起拍击自己的手掌,发出了一个类似鹌鹑的声音。孩子们听到声音了，他们都觉得是一只鹌鹑，因此向那个声音走去。于是巨人便抓住了他们三个。他抓住每个小男孩的脚后跟，挨个往地上撞。他觉得三个人都死了，就把他们丢在一个大的桦皮口袋里。巨人把口袋背在身后,回家了。想着回去的这顿美餐，他心里就高兴得不得了。 但是他不知道撞男孩头的那块地面是软的。孩子们只是被打晕了。巨人走了几步之后，孩子们就都苏醒过来了。然而他们没有弄出一点声响。其中一个小男孩有一把石头做成的捕猎小刀。巨人在树下面走，树枝不时拍打在桦木口袋子上。当树枝发出声响时，男孩就在袋子上割了一个孔。孩子们一个个从孔里钻了出来，发了疯一样赶快跑回家。 巨人强壮有力，感觉不到背上孩子们的重量，因此孩子们溜掉的时候巨人也没有觉出重量上有什么差别。他到了家，把袋子放在了外面。他的一个弟弟正在等他。巨人说：“我外面的袋子里有非常丰厚的一餐。出来看看吧。”他们打开一看,袋子是空的。巨人十分气恼。但是他也只有和他的弟弟坐在火旁，贪婪地吃着他们洞里还有的东西。 孩子们到家后，告诉认识的人所发生的事情。人们就出发去寻找巨人。很快他们来到了巨人住的洞里。巨人和他的兄弟吃饱了，正在火旁睡觉。人们隐藏在树后面，朝两个巨人射箭。老大被射了一箭，他醒了，对他的弟弟说，"我身子被扎了一下。”但随之一阵箭铺天盖地地射向他们，两个巨人倒下去，死了。从此那个地方就再没有遭到过巨人的侵袭。 The Boys and the Giant Three little boys were hunting in the Canadian woods in old times. They pretended to be big like men. A giant was prowling about looking for food. He saw the boys through the trees. He thought he would catch them and have a good meal. So he slapped his hands together rapidly and made a noise like a partridge drumming. The little boys heard the noise. They thought it was a partridge, and they went towards the sound. The giant caught them. He picked each one by the heels and struck the head of each on the ground. He thought they were all dead. Then he put them in a big birch-bark bag, put it on his back, and started home, well pleased with the thought of the nice meal he was going to have. But the ground on which he had struck the boys' heads was soft. The boys were on¬ly stunned by the blow. And after the giant had walked a little way, the boys came to life again. But they made no sound. One of the boys had a little hunting knife made of stone. The giant walked under the trees, and the branches rattled on the birch-bark bag. When the branches rattled, the boy cut a hole in the bag, and the giant could not hear the noise of the cutting. The boys slipped through the hole, one after the other. Then they ran home as fast as they could. The giant was very strong. He had not felt the weight of the boys on his back. And he did not notice a difference in the weight when they slipped out. When he reached home, he left his load outside. One of his brothers was waiting for him. The giant said, “I have a good fat meal outside in my bag. Come out and see it. ” When they opened the bag，it was empty. The giant was very cross. But with his brother he sat before the fire to eat greedily what food he had in his cave. When the boys reached home, they told their people what had happened to them. The people set out to find the giants. Soon they came to their cave. The giant and his brother were sleeping before the fire after their hearty meal. The people hid in the trees and shot at the giants. An arrow struck the old giant. He awoke and said to his brother, “I have a stitch in my side.” But soon a shower of arrows struck them and they fell dead, and the place was troubled no more by giants. |
