The Monkey, the Turtle, and the Crocodile.

 Narrated by Vicente Hilario, a Tagalog from Batangas. He heard the story from his father, who said that it is common among the country people around Batangas town.

 

There was once a monkey who used to deceive everybody whom he met. As is the case with most deceivers, he had many enemies who tried to kill him.

 

One day, while he was walking in the streets of his native town, he met in a by-lane a turtle and a crocodile. They were so tired that they could hardly breathe. “I’ll try to deceive these slow creatures of the earth,” said the monkey to himself. So said, so done. He approached the crocodile and turtle, and said to them, “My dear sirs, you are so tired that you can hardly move! Where did you come from?”

 

The two travellers were so much affected¹ by the kind words of the monkey, that they told him all about themselves with the greatest candor² imaginable. They said, “We are strangers who have just made a long journey from our native town. We don’t know where to get food or where to spend this cold night.”

 

“I’ll conduct you to a place where you can spend the night and get all you want to eat,” said the monkey.

 

“All right,” said the two travellers. “Lead on! for we are very hungry and at the same time very tired.”

 

“Follow me,” said the crafty³ monkey.

 

The turtle and the crocodile followed the monkey, and soon he brought them to a field full of ripe pumpkins⁴. “Eat all the pumpkins you want, and then rest here. Meanwhile I’ll go home and take my sleep, too.”

 

While the two hungry travellers were enjoying a hearty⁵ meal, the owner of the plantation⁶ happened to pass by. When he saw the crocodile, he called to his laborers⁷, and told them to bring long poles and their bolos. The turtle clung to the tail of the crocodile, and away they went.

 

“Don’t cling to my tail! Don’t cling to my tail!” said the crocodile. “I cannot run fast if you cling to my tail. Let go! for the men will soon overtake us.”

 

“I have to cling to your tail,” said the turtle, “or else there will be no one to push you.”

 

But their attempt to escape was unsuccessful. The men overtook them and killed them both. Such was the unhappy end of the turtle and the crocodile.

 

MORAL: Never trust a new friend or an old enemy.

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 candor   

n.坦白，率真

参考例句：

• He covered a wide range of topics with unusual candor.他极其坦率地谈了许多问题。
• He and his wife had avoided candor,and they had drained their marriage.他们夫妻间不坦率，已使婚姻奄奄一息。

3 crafty   

adj.狡猾的，诡诈的

参考例句：

• He admired the old man for his crafty plan.他敬佩老者的神机妙算。
• He was an accomplished politician and a crafty autocrat.他是个有造诣的政治家，也是个狡黠的独裁者。

4 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

5 hearty   

adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的

参考例句：

• After work they made a hearty meal in the worker's canteen.工作完了，他们在工人食堂饱餐了一顿。
• We accorded him a hearty welcome.我们给他热忱的欢迎。

6 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

7 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言