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在这个故事里，郊狼是一个魔术师，他能变成别的东西，这种能力叫做变形。 很久以前，人们经常饥肠辘辘。草原上没有野牛或羚羊可以狩猎。一天，郊狼 外出寻找食物，他爬上一座高高的山脊四处环顾，看到远处有一座小房子，院子外面围着一圈栅栏，后面是一个畜栏，里面有一大群野牛。 郊狼很震惊：“有人藏了野牛。”他自言自语道，"这不公平，我们都在挨饿，大家应该分享这些野牛。”他蹲下来，观察了那个房子好几个小时，他看到一个男人，男人的妻子，还有他们的儿子走来走去地做着家务，照顾着野牛。快到傍晚了，他跑回村里，告诉人们他看到的一切，并且愿意帮助人们把野牛从畜栏中放出来。 一个年轻人说他愿意和郊狼一起去，他是首领的儿子，人们都说他很勇敢。第二天，郊狼和首领的儿子来到了高高的山脊上。他们在灌木丛中安顿下来，观察着屋里的那家人和他们的畜栏。野牛还在里面，但是围着畜栏的栅栏太高，爬不过去，又太粗折不断。年轻人一时间没了主意。 "我有个办法。’’郊狼说道，“我们可以穿过房子去放野牛。” “但是怎么做呢？ ” 年轻人问，“那家人一直在那里，而且那个父亲力气很大，他不会让我们进去的。” "可是他的儿子会让啊。”郊狼说，“他没有宠物，我敢肯定他会想要个宠物的。明天我就变成什么东西，让他在做家务时发现我。”年轻人认为这倒是个好主意，他们就在那里搭帐篷过夜了。 第二天早上，男孩出门去小溪中取水时，看到一只小鸟折断了翅膀躲在房子附近。他放下大水罐，捡起小鸟，带回了家中。 "看我发现了什么？”他对母亲说，“是一只小鸟，翅膀折断了。我能养着它吗？ 我会好好照顾它的。”父亲很不高兴，"不行，”他喊道，“一只鸟没什么用，把它送回你发现它的地方去。”男孩害怕了，照父亲的话做了。等男孩进屋后，郊狼变回原形，溜回到山脊上找年轻人去了。 "我失败了。"郊狼呻吟道。“别担心。”年轻人安慰他，你的计划还是管用的， 小狗会比小鸟有用。” "好主意！ ”郊狼说道，又高兴了起来，"今天下午我再试一次。" 下午，当男孩去小溪取水的时候，一只小狗跑了过来，舔小溪里的水喝。男孩抚摸着小狗，抱起来带回了家中。“狗没什么用。”父亲大喊，“我会杀了它。” “不！——请不要杀了它。"男孩哭喊着，紧紧地抱着狗不放。 “唉，那好吧。”父亲说，"但是我要看看它是否真是一条狗，不能轻易相信动物。” 他从火堆里捡起一块滚烫的煤，慢慢地靠近小狗的脸，狗狂狀起来，在男孩怀里不安地扭动。“好吧，是真狗。”父亲说道，“他只能在屋外和野牛一起睡，不准在屋里。” 郊狼巴不得如此。他和男孩一起安安静静地玩着,一直玩到被带到屋外过夜为止。 全家人都睡着之后，变成了小狗的郊狼跑到野牛中间，狂吠起来，还一边啃咬野牛的腿。野牛受到惊吓，朝房子冲去。它们撞倒后门，穿过房子，又撞破前门，朝外面狂奔而去，年轻人正在那儿等着赶野牛呢。 噪声惊醒了这家人，父亲噌地从床上跳起来，试图挡住野牛，却没挡住。最后一头毛发倒竖的野牛狂奔而去，这时，男孩发现他的狗不见了。“我的狗呢？ ”他哭喊起来，“我的狗丢了。” “那不是条狗，”父亲说，“那是郊狼，他是个骗子，他放跑了我们的野牛。” 野牛就这样被放到了地球上，成群结对地到处游荡了。 In this story Coyote, the trickster1, changes into other things. This is called transf¬orming. A long time ago, people were hungry. There were no buffalo or antelope on the prairie for them to hunt. One day Coyote was out looking for food and climbed a high ridge to look around. He saw a small house a long way away, with a fenced-in yard and corral2 on the back. Inside the corral was a large herd of buffalo. Coyote was shocked. “Someone has hidden the buffalo.” he said to himself. “That’s not fair. We，re all hungry. Everyone should share the buffalo.” He lay down and watched the house for hours. He saw a man, his wife and their son coming and going, doing chores and taking care of the buffalo. Late in the afternoon he ran back to the village, told the people what he，d seen and offered to help them release the buffalo from the corral. A young man said he would go with Coyote. He was a chiefs son, and people said he was very brave. The next day Coyote and the chiefs son walked back to the high ridge. They lay down in the brush and watched the family in the house with the corral. The buffalo were still there, but the fences around the corral were too high to climb and too strong to knock down. The young man didn’t know what to do. “I have a plan.” said Coyote. “We’ll go through the house to release the buffalo.” “But how?” asked the young man. “The family is always there and the father is powerful. He won’t let us in.” “But his son will.” said Coyote. “He doesn’t have a pet, and I，m sure he’d like one. Tomorrow I’ll change into something for him to find when he does his chores.” The young man thought this was a good plan, and they made camp for the night. Next morning the boy came out of the house to fetch water from the stream and saw a bird with a broken wing sheltering near the house. He put down his pitcher, picked up the bird and carried it into the house. “Look what I found.” he said to his mother. “It’s a bird and its wing is broken. Can I keep it? I’ll take care of it.” His father wasn’t pleased. “No way，，，he shouted. “It’s useless. Take it back outside where you found it.” The boy was frightened and did as he was told. When he’d gone inside again, Coyote changed back into himself and slunk3 back to the young man on the ridge. “I failed.” Coyote moaned. “Don’t worry.” said the young man. “Your plan is still a good one. It’ll work better with a dog instead of a bird.” “Good idea.” said Coyote, happy again. “I’ll try it this afternoon.” When the boy went to the stream that afternoon，a small dog trotted up and lapped at the water. The boy stroked the dog, then picked it up and carried it into the house. “Dogs are useless.” shouted his father. ‘Til kill it.” “No, No — please don’t kill him!” the boy cried as he hugged the dog tightly. “Oh all right.” said his father. “But let me see if it’s real. You can’t trust animals.” He took a hot coal from the fire and moved it slowly towards the dog’s face. The dog barked and wriggled in the boy’s arms. “OK，it’s real.” said the father. “It can sleep outside with the buffalo, not in the house.” This was just what Coyote wanted. He played quietly with the boy until he was taken outside for the night. When the family was asleep Coyote ran amongst the buffalo in his dog form, barking loudly and nipping at their legs. The buffalo were frightened and ran towards the house. They smashed the back door down, charged through the house, smashed the front door and stampeded4 out to where the young man was waiting to drive them on. The noise woke the family. The father sprang out of bed and tried to stop the buffalo, but couldn't. When the last shaggy buffalo had galloped off6，the boy couldn’t find his dog. “Where’s my dog?” he cried. “I’ve lost him.” “That was no dog.” said his father. “That was Coyote the Trickster. He's let our buffalo escape.” And that was how the buffalo were released on Earth to roam in herds everywhere. |
