But no matter how hungry the Crocodile may be, he will not touch the Hen, even if she should venture into his very jaws; at least, that is what the Black Men of the Congo River will tell you. And surely, as they are the nearest neighbors of the big reptile8 they ought to know if any one does. Now this is the story which they tell to explain why the Crocodile will not eat the Hen.
Once upon a time there was a Hen, a common, plump, clucky mother Hen, who used every day to go down to the river and pick up bits of food on the moist banks, where luscious9 insects were many. She did not know that this Congo River was the home of the Crocodile, the biggest, fiercest, scaliest, hungriest Crocodile in all Africa. But one day when she went down to the water as usual she hopped10 out onto what looked like a mossy log, saying to herself:—
"Aha! This is a fine old timber-house. It is full of juicy bugs11, I know. I shall have a great feast!"
Tap-tap! Pick-pick! The Hen began to scratch and peck upon the rough bark of the log, but Oh dear me! suddenly she began to feel very seasick12. The log was rolling over! The log was teetering up on end like a boat in a storm! And before she knew what was really happening the poor Hen found herself floundering in the water in the very jaws of the terrible Crocodile.
"Ha, ha!" cried the Crocodile in his harsh voice. "You took me for a log, just as the other silly creatures do. But I am no log, Mrs. Hen, as you shall soon see. I am Hungry Crocodile, and you will make the fifth dinner which I have had this evening."
The Hen was frightened almost to death, but she kept her presence of mind and gasped13 frantically14 as she saw the great jaws opening to swallow her:—
"O Brother, don't!"
Now the Crocodile was so surprised at hearing the Hen call him Brother that he kept his jaws wide open and forgot to swallow his dinner. He kept them open for some time, gaping15 foolishly, wondering what the Hen could mean, and how he could possibly be her brother. And by the time he had remembered how hungry he was, there was nothing for him to eat. For the Hen had skipped away just as fast as her feet would take her.
"Pouf!" snorted the Crocodile. "Her brother, indeed! I am not her brother, and she knows it very well. What a fool I was to be caught by such a word! Just wait till I catch her again and we will see. I will brother her!" And he swam sulkily away to hide his mortification16 in the Congo mud, with only the end of his long nose poking17 out as a ventilator for his breathing.
Now, though the Hen had had so narrow an escape, it had not sufficiently18 taught her a lesson. A few days afterwards once more she went down to the river, for she could not resist the temptation of the bug-dinner which she knew she should find there. But she kept her eyes open sharply for any greeny log which might be floating on the water, saying to herself, "Old Hungry-Mouth shall not catch me napping this time. I know his wicked tricks!"
But this time the Crocodile was not floating on the water like a greeny log. He was lying still as still, sunning himself on the river bank behind some tall reeds. Mrs. Hen came trotting19 down to the water, a plump and tempting20 sight, cocking her head knowingly on one side as she spied a real log floating out beyond, which she took to be her enemy. And as she scratched in the soft mud, chuckling21 to think how sly she was, with a rush and a rustle22 down pounced23 the Crocodile upon her, and once more, before she knew it, she found herself in the horrid24 gateway25 of his jaws, threatened by the double rows of long, white teeth.
O Brother, don't!
O Brother, don't!
"Oho!" snapped the Crocodile. "You shall not escape me this time. I am a log, am I? Look at me again, Mrs. Hen. Am I a log?" And he came at her to swallow her at once.
But again the Hen squawked, "O Brother, don't!"
Again the Crocodile paused, thunderstruck by this extraordinary word. "Oh, bother the Hen!" he cried, "what can she mean, really? How can I be her brother? She lives in a town on the land, and I live in my kingdom of mud and water. How could two creatures possibly be more unlike? How"—but while he had been thinking of these hows, once more the Hen had managed to escape, and was pelting26 back to her barnyard as fast as she could go.
Then indeed the Crocodile was angry. He determined27 to go and see Nzambi, the wise witch princess, about the matter. She would tell him what it all meant. But it was a long journey to her palace and he was awkward and slow in traveling upon land. Before he had gone very far he was tired and out of breath, and stopped to rest under a banana tree.
As he lay panting in the shade he saw his friend Mbambi, the great Lizard28, hurrying past through the jungle.
"Oh, Mbambi!" cried old Hungry-Mouth, "stop a moment. I want to speak with you. I am in great trouble."
So the Lizard drew near, wagging her head wisely, for it pleased her to be consulted by the big Crocodile. "What can it be, dear friend, that is troubling you this day?" she said amiably29. "Surely, no one would be so rude or rash as to offend the King of Congo River. But tell me your trouble and perhaps I can advise you."
"Listen to me, then," said the Crocodile. "Almost every day a nice fat Hen,—Oh, Mbambi! so delightfully30 fat and tempting!—comes to my river to feed. Well, why don't I make her my dinner? you ask. Now hearken: each time, just as I am about to catch her and carry her to my home she startles me by calling me 'Brother.' Did you ever hear of anything so maddening? Twice I have let her escape because of the word. But I can stand it no longer, and I am on the way to Princess Nzambi to hold a palaver31 about it." (By "palaver" the slangy Crocodile meant a long, serious talk.)
"Silly idiot!" cried the Mbambi, not very politely. "Do nothing of the kind. You will only get the worst of the palaver and show your ignorance before the wise Nzambi. Now listen to me. Don't you know, dear Crocodile, that the Duck lives on the water, though she is neither a fish nor a reptile? And the Duck lays eggs. The Turtle does the same, though she is no bird. The Hen lays eggs, just as I do; and I am Mbambi, the great Lizard. As for you, dear old Hungry-Mouth, you know that at this moment"—here she whispered discreetly32, looking around to see that no one was listening,—"at this moment in a snug33 nest dug out of the sand on the banks of the Congo, Mrs. Crocodile has covered with leaves to hide them from your enemies sixty smooth white eggs. And in a few weeks out of these will scamper34 sixty little wiggly Crocodiles, your dear, homely35, scaly36, hungry-mouthed children. Yes, we all lay eggs, my silly friend, and so in a sense we are all brothers, as the Hen has said."
"Sh!" whispered the Crocodile, nervously. "Don't mention those eggs of mine, I beg of you. Some one might overhear. What you say is undoubtedly37 true," he added pensively38, after thinking a few moments. "Then I suppose I must give up my tempting dinner of Hen. I cannot eat my Sister, can I?"
"Of course you cannot," said the Mbambi, as he rustled39 away through the jungle. "We can't have everything we want in this world."
"No, I see we cannot," sighed the Crocodile, as he waddled40 back towards the banks of the Congo. Now in the same old spot he found the Hen, who had been improving his absence by greedily stuffing herself on beetle-bugs, flies, and mosquitoes until she was so fat that she could not run away at the Crocodile's approach. She could only stand and squawk feebly, fluttering her ridiculous wings.
But the Crocodile only said, "Good evening, Sister," very politely, and passing her by with a wag of his enormous tail sank with a plop into the waters of the Congo.
And ever since that time the Hen has eaten her dinner in tranquil41 peace, undisturbed by the sight of floating log or basking42 shape of knobby green. For she knows that old Hungry-Mouth will not eat his Sister, the Hen.
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收听单词发音
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1
chunks
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| 厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分 | |
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smacking
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| 活泼的，发出响声的，精力充沛的 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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waddle
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| vi.摇摆地走；n.摇摆的走路(样子) | |
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lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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reptile
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| n.爬行动物；两栖动物 | |
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9
luscious
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| adj.美味的；芬芳的；肉感的，引与性欲的 | |
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10
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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11
bugs
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| adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误 | |
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12
seasick
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| adj.晕船的 | |
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13
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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14
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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15
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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17
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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18
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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20
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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21
chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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22
rustle
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| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
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23
pounced
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| v.突然袭击( pounce的过去式和过去分词 )；猛扑；一眼看出；抓住机会（进行抨击） | |
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24
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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25
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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26
pelting
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| 微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的 | |
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27
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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28
lizard
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| n.蜥蜴，壁虎 | |
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29
amiably
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| adv.和蔼可亲地，亲切地 | |
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30
delightfully
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| 大喜，欣然 | |
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31
palaver
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| adj.壮丽堂皇的；n.废话，空话 | |
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32
discreetly
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| ad.(言行)审慎地，慎重地 | |
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33
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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34
scamper
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| v.奔跑，快跑 | |
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35
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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36
scaly
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| adj.鱼鳞状的；干燥粗糙的 | |
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37
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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pensively
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| adv.沉思地，焦虑地 | |
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39
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
waddled
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| v.（像鸭子一样）摇摇摆摆地走( waddle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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42
basking
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| v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽 | |
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