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一年冬天，兔子穿过雪地的时候看到了狐狸。想藏起来却为时已晚，因为狐狸闻到了兔子的气味。 “我是昂格•亚斯，你的天敌！”狐狸狂吠，"你逃不掉了！” 兔子开始逃命。他飞快地绕着树，在岩石间绕大圈奔跑，希望能摆脱狐狸。但他回头一看，却发现狐狸正在逼近他。“我是昂格•亚斯，”狐狸再次咆哮，“你逃不了。” 兔子知道必须运用智慧才能逃命，便脱下鹿皮鞋说道：“跑到我前面去。”鹿皮鞋开始跑，雪地上留下串串脚印。这时兔子用他的魔力，让自己看起来像一只已经腐烂的死兔子一样躺在脚印旁。 狐狸来到死兔子旁边时，连停都没有停下来闻一闻。"这肉坏了。”他说道。这时他看到了雪地上有一长串脚印，又开始追赶，最终抓到了兔子的鹿皮鞋。 "哈，”狐狸吼道，“这次他愚弄了我。下次不管他的肉看起来多么烂，我都要把它吃掉。”他开始循迹往回走。不出他所料，他来到原来死兔子在的地方时，兔子已经不见了。有脚印穿过灌木丛，狐狸开始顺着足迹追赶。 狐狸没走多远就遇到一个老妇人坐在路旁，面前有一口锅，她正在炖肉。 "孩子，坐下来，”她说，“尝尝这鲜美的炖肉吧。” 狐裡坐下了，“您看到一只兔子过去了吗？” "看见了。”老妇人答道，递给他一碗热气腾腾的炖肉，那是一个精致的木雕碗。“我看到一只瘦骨嶙峋的兔子跑过去了，瘦得皮包骨头，看起来又老又硬。” "我要吃了那只兔子。”狐狸说。 '‘真的吗？”老妇人问，“你肯定能吃了它，因为那只兔子看起来又累又怕，他肯定知道你已快追上他了。尝尝我给你的这碗鲜美的肉吧。" 狐狸吃起来，边吃边看着老妇人：“你为什么要在头上插两片高高的羽毛呢，老婆婆？”他问道。 ‘‘这些羽毛嘛，”老妇人答道，“戴着这些羽毛能使我想起我儿子，他是个猎人。看你身后——他来了。" 狐狸回头看时，老妇人扔掉她的毛毯，高高地跳到空中，跳到狐狸头顶上方，用藏在毯子下的一根大棍子重重地打在狐狸头上。 狐狸醒来时，头疼难忍。他找那个炖肉锅，却只看到一截空树桩；找那个盛汤的木碗，却只找到一包树皮，里面装着烂泥和污水。四周全是兔子的脚印："原来又让他耍了，”狐狸说，“这是最后一次。”他一跃而起，又顺着脚印追去。 没走多远，他就看到一个人坐在小路旁，手里拿着一个龟壳做的拨浪鼓，打扮得像个巫医。 “你有没有看到一只兔子过去了？”狐狸问。 “是有只兔子过去了。”巫医答道，“他看起来生病了，很虚弱。" "我要吃掉那只兔子。"狐狸说。 “哦，”巫医说，“怪不得他看起来那么害怕呢。像您这样伟大的勇士决定抓住某人的话，他肯定逃不了。” 狐狸非常高兴。"是的，”他说：“我是昂格•亚斯,没有一只兔子能从我手中逃脱。” "但是，孩子，”巫医一边说道，一边摇了摇龟壳拨浪鼓，“你的头怎么了？你受伤了。” "没关系，”狐狸说，“我被树枝掉下来砸到了。" "孩子，”巫医说，“你必须让我来治疗你的伤口，这样才能快点儿愈合。兔子跑不了多远，过来坐下吧。” 狐狸坐了下来，巫医走上前，打开他的药袋，往伤口上喷了些药。 狐狸仔细打量着巫医，你为什么要插两根羽毛呢？他问道。 "这两根羽毛。”巫医回答说，“显示着我伟大的力量。我只要这样摇摇他们，一只老鹰就会飞下来。瞧，那边！老鹰现在飞下来了。" 狐狸看的时候，巫医高高跃到空中，跳到狐狸头顶上，用他的龟壳拨浪鼓狠狠地打在狐狸头上。 狐狸苏醒过来，发现自己独自在一小块空地上，头上的伤口粘满了刺和荆棘，巫医已经不见了，周围全是兔子的脚印。 “我再也不会被耍了！”狐狸咆哮着。他发出一声巨大而可怕的嚎叫："我是昂格•亚斯。"他喊道，"我是狐狸！” 在他前面的小路上，兔子听到了狐狸战斗的呐喊。但他还是太累了，跑不动了。所以他把自己变成一棵死了的大树。 狐狸来到树旁时，停下了脚步。“这棵树肯定就是兔子啦。”他说着，朝几条小树枝打去。树枝断了，掉到了地上。“不是兔子，”狐狸说，"我弄错了。这真是一棵树。”他又追下去，直到意识到他正在追的脚印就是原来的旧脚印，他只是一直在绕圈而已。“那棵树！”他喊道。 他连忙赶回树原来在的地方，可是树已经没有了。地上在小树枝掉下来的地方有几滴血。不过，狐狸并不知道，他打的小树枝就是兔子的鼻子尖，从那以后兔子的鼻子就变得很短了。 灌木丛中出现了新的兔子脚印。“现在我可要抓住你啦！"狐狸喊道。 兔子已经筋疲力尽了，他已用尽了所有的把戏，可狐狸还在追他。他来到小路边上的一棵死树旁，绕着树跑了四圈，用尽最后的力气一跃躲进旁边的黑莓丛中。然后他屏住呼吸等着。 狐狸来到死树前，看着周围的兔子脚印。“啊哈，”狐狸笑着说，"你又想耍我了。”他咬住死树，咬下一块烂木头来。“啊哈，"狐狸说，“能让自己尝起来都像一棵死树,厉害啊！但我是昂格•亚斯，我是狐理。你再也骗不了我了。” 然后，狐狸不顾咳嗽，不顾被噎住，吃掉了整棵树。兔子从他藏身的黑莓丛中看到了整个过程，极力忍住不笑出声来。狐狸吃完大餐离开时，还是感觉噎得要命,不停地咳嗽，浑身不舒服。 又过了一会儿，兔子才从他藏身的地方出来，继续赶路了。 One winter Rabbit was going along through the snow when he saw Fox. It was too late to hide, for Fox had caught Rabbit’s scent. “I am Ongwe las, the one who eats you!” barked Fox. “Yon cannot escape me!” Rabbit began to run for his life. He ran as fast as he could around trees and between rocks，making a great circle in the hope that he would lose Fox. But when he looked back he saw that Fox was gaining on him. “I am Ongwe las,” Fox barked again. “You cannot escape.” Rabbit knew that he had to use his wits. He slipped off his moccasins and said, “Run on ahead of me.” The moccasins began to run, leaving tracks in the snow. Then, using his magic power, Rabbit made himself look like a dead, half-rotten rabbit and lay down by the trail. When Fox came to the dead rabbit, he did not even stop to sniff at it. “This meat has gone bad.” he said. Then, seeing the tracks that led on through the snow he took up the chase again and finally caught up with Rabbit’s old moccasins. “Hah，” Fox snarled, “this time he has fooled me. Next time I will eat the meat no matter how rotten it looks.” He began to backtrack. Just as he expected when he came to the place where the dead rabbit had been, it was gone. There were tracks leading away through the bushes, and Fox began to follow them. He hadn’t gone far when he came upon an old woman sitting by the trail. In front of her was a pot, and she was making a stew. “Sit down, grandson,” she said. “Have some of this good stew.” Fox sat down. “Have you seen a rabbit go by?” “Yes,” said the old woman, handing him a beautifully carved wooden bowl filled with hot stew. “I saw a very skinny rabbit go by. There was no flesh on his bones, and he looked old and tough.” “I am going to eat that rabbit.” said Fox. “Indeed?” said the old woman. “You will surely do so, for the rabbit looked tired and frightened. He must have known you were close behind him. Now eat the good stew I have given you.” Fox began to eat and, as he did so, he looked at the old woman. “Why do you wear those two tall feathers on your head, old woman?” he asked. “These feathers?” said the old woman. “I wear them to remind me of my son who is a hunter. Look behind you—here he comes now.” Fox turned to look and, as he did so, the old woman threw off her blankets and leaped high in the air. She went right over Fox’s head and hit him hard with a big stick that had been hidden under the blankets. When Fox woke up his head was sore. He looked for the stew pot, but all he could see was a hollow stump. He looked for the wooden soup bowl, but all he could find was a folded piece of bark with mud and dirty water in it. All around him were rabbit tracks. “So, he has fooled me again,” Fox said. “It will be the last time.” He jumped up and began to follow the tracks once more. Before he had gone far he came to a man sitting by the trail. The man held a turtle- shell rattle in his hand and was dressed as a medicine man. “Have you seen a rabbit go by?” asked Fox. “Indeed,” said the medicine man, “and he looked sick and weak.^ “I am going to eat that rabbit.” Fox said. “Ah，” said the medicine man, “that is why he looked so afraid. When a great warrior like you decides to catch someone, surely he cannot escape.” Fox was very pleased. “Yes,” he said, “I am Ongwe Ias. No rabbit alive can escape me. “But, Grandson’ said the medicine man, shaking his turtle-shell rattle, “what has happened to your head? You are hurt.” “It is nothing,” said the Fox. “A branch fell and struck me.” “Grandson,” said the medicine man, “you must let me treat that wound, so that it heals quickly. Rabbit cannot go far. Come here and sit down.” Fox sat down, and the medicine man came close to him. He opened up his pouch and began to sprinkle something into the wound. Fox looked closely at the medicine man. “Why are you wearing two feathers?” he asked. “These two feathers,” the medicine man answered, “show that I have great power. I just have to shake them like this, and an eagle will fly down. Look, over there! An eagle is flying down now.” Fox looked and, as he did so, the medicine man leaped high in the air over Fox’s head and struck him hard with his turtle-shell rattle. When Fox woke up，he was alone in a small clearing. The wound on his head was full of burrs1 and thorns，the medicine man was gone, and all around him were rabbit tracks. “I will not be fooled again!” Fox snarled. He gave a loud and terrible war cry. “I am Ongwe Ias,” he shouted. “I am Fox!” Ahead of him on the trail, Rabbit heard Fox’s war cry. He was still too tired to run and so he turned himself into an old dead tree. When Fox came to the tree he stopped. “This tree must be Rabbit.” he said，and he struck at one of the small dead limbs. It broke off and fell to the ground. ‘Wo,” said Fox, “I am wrong. This is indeed a tree.” He ran on again, until he realized the tracks he was following were old ones. He had been going in a circle. “That tree!” he said. He hurried back to the place where the tree had been. It was gone, but there were a few drops of blood on the ground where the small limb had fallen. Though Fox didn’t know it, the branch he had struck had been the end of Rabbit’s nose, and ever since then rabbits’ noses have been quite short. Leading away into the bushes were fresh rabbit tracks. “Now I shall catch you!” Fox shouted. Rabbit was worn out. He had used all his tricks, and still Fox was after him. He came to a dead tree by the side of the trail. He ran around it four times and then, with one last great leap, lumped2 into the middle of some blackberry bushes close by. Then, holding his breath, he waited. Fox came to the dead tree and looked at the rabbit tracks all around it. “Hah,” Fox laughed, “you are trying to trick me again.” He bit at the dead tree, and a piece of rotten wood came away in his mouth. “Hah,” Fox said, ”you have even made yourself taste like a dead tree. But I am Ongwe las, I am Fox. You cannot fool me again.” Then, coughing and choking, Fox ate the whole tree. From his hiding place in the blackberry bushes, Rabbit watched and tried not to laugh. When Fox had finished his meal he went away, still coughing and choking and not feeling well at all. After a time, Rabbit came out of his hiding place and went on his way. |
