Читать книгу Beasts & Men - Jean de Boschère - Страница 3
ОглавлениеUPS AND DOWNS
The summer had been very hot. Not a drop of rain had fallen for many weeks, and there was drought in the valley where the animals lived. The streams had dried up and the springs had ceased to flow. Master Fox took up his pipe and went out to take a walk under the lime-trees to think things over. There he met Mistress Goat, all dressed up in her Sunday clothes.
“Good morrow, cousin,” said he. “You are very fine to-day.”
“Yes,” she answered, “I put on my best dress because it helps me to think. What we are to do for water I do not know. We have finished all that we had in the barrel, and unless we can find some more very quickly I and my children will die of thirst.”
“To tell you the truth,” said the Fox, “I was thinking the same thing. I am so dry that my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth, and I cannot even smoke my pipe with pleasure. What do you say to going together in search of water? Four eyes are better than two, any day in the week.”
“Agreed,” said the Goat; and away they started together. For a long time they looked everywhere, but not a trace of water could they find. All of a sudden the Goat gave a cry of joy, and running up to her the Fox saw that she had discovered a well, on the brink of which she was standing gazing at the cool water far below.
“Hurrah!” cried the Fox. “We are saved!”
“Yes,” answered the Goat, “but see how far down the water is! How are we to get at it!”
“You just leave that to me,” said the Fox. “I know all about wells—I’ve seen them before. All one has to do is to get into the bucket which is hanging by the rope and descend as smoothly and as safely as you please. I’ll go first, just to show you the way.”
So the Fox got into the bucket, and the weight of him caused it to descend, while the empty bucket at the other end of the rope rose to the top of the well. A minute afterwards he was at the bottom, leaning over the side of the pail and greedily lapping up the water. Nothing had ever tasted so delicious. He drank and drank until he could hold no more.
“Is it good?” cried Mrs. Goat from above, dancing with impatience.
“It is like the purest nectar!” answered the Fox. “Get into the bucket quickly and come down and join me.”
So the goat stepped into the bucket, which immediately began to descend with her weight, while at the same time the bucket with Master Fox in it began to rise to the surface. The two met half-way.
“How is this?” asked Mrs. Goat in surprise. “I thought you were going to wait for me!”
“I HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY YOUR DRINK. GOOD-BYE!”
“Ah, my dear friend,” answered Reynard with a wicked grin, “it is the way of the world. Some go up and some go down. I hope you will enjoy your drink. Good-bye!”
THE FARMER PUT HER IN THE FOLD
And as soon as he got to the top he jumped out of the bucket and ran off at top speed.
So poor Mrs. Goat had to stay there at the bottom of the well until the farmer came and found her, half dead with cold. When at last she was rescued she found that she had only exchanged one prison for another, for the farmer put her into the fold with his own sheep and goats, and so she lost her liberty for ever.
Three Friends
THE THREE MONKEYS
There were once three monkeys who were going for a voyage in a balloon. (This was in Monkey-land, far, far away and ever so long ago.) The three were so much alike that it was impossible to tell one from the other, and to make matters worse each of them answered to the name of James. Such a thing would never do in the crew of a balloon, so the old monkey who was in command decided that each of the three should have a different name. The first was to be called James, the second Jemmy, and the third Little James.
So far so good. The three monkeys climbed into the balloon, the ground ropes were untied, and the voyage was begun. When they had reached a height of some hundreds of feet, the captain wished to give an order, so he called to the first monkey: “James!”
“Aye aye, sir,” said all the three, running up to him.
“I called James,” said the captain, looking from one to the other.
“Well, I am James,” answered the first monkey.
“No, no. James is my name,” said the second.
“And mine too,” said the third.
“How can you be James if I am he?” cried the first angrily.
“I tell you James is my name!” cried the second.
“No, mine!”
And so the three monkeys began to quarrel and dispute. Words led to blows, and soon they were tumbling about all over the car of the balloon, biting, scratching, and pummelling while the captain sat in his chair and bawled to them to stop. Every minute it seemed as though the car would overturn, and the end of it was that Little James got pushed over the side. He turned a beautiful somersault, and fell down, down, down through the air, landing in a soft bed of mud, into which he sank so that only his face and the top of his yellow cranium were visible.
“Help! help!” bawled Little James at the top of his voice.
Up ran a pair of monkeys belonging to the neighbourhood and stood looking at him.
“He’s in the mud, brother,” said one.
“Up to his neck,” said the other. “How silly!” And they both began to grin.
“Help!” cried Little James again, more faintly, for he was sinking deeper, and the mud was nearly at the level of his mouth. “Pull me out! Pull me out!”
“Ah, but how?” asked the first monkey, looking at him gravely.
“Wait a minute,” cried the second, “I have an idea!” and he pulled out of his pocket one of those leather suckers on a string which boys use to lift stones. Moistening the disc, he clapped it on to Little James’s head, and began to tug on the cord with all his might.
“Hey!” cried the other monkey, running to help. “Pull, brother, pull, and we’ll soon have him out!”
