The Monkeys and the Dragon-Flies.

 Narrated by Pedro D. L. Sorreta, a Bicol from Albay, who says that the story is very common in the island of Catanduanes.

 

One day, when the sun was at the zenith and the air was very hot, a poor dragon-fly, fatigued¹ with her long journey, alighted to rest on a branch of a tree in which a great many monkeys lived. While she was fanning herself with her wings, a monkey approached her, and said, “Aha! What are you doing here, wretched² creature?”

 

[380]“O sir! I wish you would permit me to rest on this branch while the sun is so hot,” said the dragon-fly softly. “I have been flying all morning, and I am so hot and tired that I can go no farther,” she added.

 

“Indeed!” exclaimed the monkey in a mocking³ tone⁴. “We don’t allow any weak creature such as you are to stay under our shelter. Go away!” he said angrily, and, taking a dry twig⁵, he threw it at the poor creature.

 

The dragon-fly, being very quick, had flown away before the cruel monkey could hit her. She hurried to her brother the king, and told him what had happened. The king became very angry, and resolved to make war on the monkeys. So he despatched three of his soldiers to the king of the monkeys with this challenge:—

 

“The King of the Monkeys.

 

“Sir,—As one of your subjects has treated my sister cruelly, I am resolved to kill you and your subjects with all speed.

 

“DRAGON.”

 

The monkey-king laughed at the challenge. He said to the messengers, “Let your king and his soldiers come to the battle-field, and they will see how well my troops fight.”

 

“You don’t mean what you say, cruel king,” answered the messengers. “You should not judge before the fight is over.”

 

“What fools, what fools!” exclaimed the king of the monkeys. “Go to your ruler and tell him my answer,” and he drove the poor little creatures away.

 

When the king of the dragon-flies received the reply, he immediately ordered his soldiers to go to the battle-field, but without anything to fight with. Meanwhile the monkeys came, each armed with a heavy stick. Then the monkey-king shouted, “Strike the flying creatures with your clubs!” When King Dragon heard this order, he commanded his soldiers to alight on the foreheads of their enemies. Then the monkeys began to strike at the dragon-flies, which were on the foreheads of their companions. The dragon-flies were very quick, and were not hurt at all: but the monkeys were all killed. Thus the light, quick-witted dragon-flies won the victory over the strong but foolish monkeys.

 

1 fatigued   

adj. 疲乏的

参考例句：

• The exercises fatigued her. 操练使她感到很疲乏。
• The President smiled, with fatigued tolerance for a minor person's naivety. 总统笑了笑，疲惫地表现出对一个下级人员的天真想法的宽容。

2 wretched   

adj.可怜的，不幸的，卑鄙的，质量差的，恶劣的

参考例句：

• What a wretched life they lived in the workhouse!他们在济贫院里过的生活真悲惨！
• He was wretched when he failed the examination.由于考试不及格，他很痛苦。

3 mocking   

挖苦； 为消遣而模仿

参考例句：

• He's always mocking my French accent. 他总是嘲笑我的法国口音。
• Her voice was faintly mocking. 她的声音略带一丝嘲弄。

4 tone   

n.语气，音调，气度，色调；vt.（up）增强

参考例句：

• There was a tone of mockery in his voice.他说话的语气含有嘲笑的意味。
• Holmes used an informal,chatty tone in his essays.霍姆斯在文章中语气轻松随便。

5 twig   

n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解

参考例句：

• He heard the sharp crack of a twig.他听到树枝清脆的断裂声。
• The sharp sound of a twig snapping scared the badger away.细枝突然折断的刺耳声把獾惊跑了。