A wolf once met a donkey on the road outside the village.

一次，一只狼在村外的路上遇见了一头驴。

 

"I'm going to eat you up," said the wolf.

“我要把你吃掉。”狼说。

 

"Certainly," replied the donkey, thinking fast. "But please don't eat me out here on the road where everyone can see. I shall be so ashamed. Take me into the forest . Don't be afraid that I shall try to escape. Here, tie this rope round your neck adn fasten it to my bridle¹. Then I will lead you to a quite spot I know."     

“当然可以，”驴边回答，边迅速地思考，“但是，别在这条路上吃，别人都能看见，我会觉得很丢人的。把我带到林子里去吧，别担心我会逃跑，这样吧，把这根绳子的一头系在你的脖子上，另一头系住我的缰绳。然后我带你去一个我知道的安静之地。”

 

The wolf thought this was a good idea so he fastened the rope round his neck and knotted it firmly to the donkey's bridle.

狼觉得这是个好主意。所以，就用绳子绕住自己的脖子，用绳子的另一端牢牢地系住驴子的缰绳。

 

"Now I will go wherever you say," said the Donkey.

“现在你说去哪里，我就去哪里。”驴子说。

 

"Show me the way to your quite spot," ordered the Wolf.

“把我带到你说的那个安静之地好了。”狼吩咐道。

 

"Very well," said the Donkey, setting off down the road towards the village. As they came to the first houses the Wolf began to suspect that he had been tricked.

“好吧。”驴子说这向通往村子的路走去。当他们路经第一片房子时，狼开始怀疑自己是否上当了。

 

"This is not the way to the forest ,"he said, tugging² at his end of the rope. "This road goes to the village."

“这不是通往森林的路。”说着，他使劲拉绳子的一端。“这是通往村子的路。”

 

"Don't worry, "said the donkey cheerfully. "This is a short cut."

 “别急，”驴子高兴地说，“这是一条捷径。”

 

The donkey began to trot³ faster, then to gallop⁴. The rope round the wolf's neck drew tight; in a very short time he was dragged right up to the donkey's door.

驴子开始小跑起来，后来，变成疾跑。狼博脖子上的绳子越拉越紧，不一会儿他就被拽到驴子家的门前。

 

The master, his wife and their three sons all came running out to rescue the donkey. They were so angry that they would have killed the wolf there and then. Fortunately for the wolf, however, one of the sons threw a knife at him. The knife missed, but it cut the rope round his neck. The next moment all the family could see a cloud of dust in the road as the Wolf fled to safety in the dark forest. 

主人和妻子还有三个儿子都跑出来救驴子。他们很气愤，恨不得马上杀死狼。然而，算狼走运，其中有一个儿子把刀子掷向他，匆忙中刀子错了位，把狼脖子上的绳子砍断了。不一会儿，这家人看见，路上尘土飞扬，狼飞快地逃往森林深处。

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