The Alan and the Hunters

 Two men once went to hunt wild pig in the mountains, and after some time they speared and killed one, but they had no fire over which to singe¹ it.

 

One man climbed a tree to see if there was a fire near by, and discovering smoke at some distance, he started toward it. When he reached the place, he found that the fire was in the house of an Alan,82 and he was very much afraid; but creeping up into the house, he found that the Alan and her baby were fast asleep.

 

He stepped on tip-toe, but nevertheless the Alan was awakened² and called out:

 

“Epogow,83 what do you want?”

 

“I should like to get some fire,” said the man, “for we have killed a wild pig.”

 

The Alan gave him the fire, and then taking her basket she went with him to the place where the pig was.

 

After they had singed³ the animal, the Alan cut it up with her long nails and handed the liver to the [75]man, telling him to take it to her house to feed the baby.

 

The man started, and on the way he ate the liver. When he reached the Alan’s house he did not know what to do. For some time he looked around, and then seeing a large caldron of hot water on the fire, he threw the baby into it and went back.

 

“Did the baby eat well?” asked the Alan.

 

“Very well,” said the man.

 

Then she put most of the meat into her basket and started home. As soon as she had gone, the man told his companion what he had done, and they were so frightened that they ran to hide.

 

When the Alan reached home and found the baby dead in the hot water, she was very angry and started back immediately to find the men, who, in the meantime, had climbed a high tree that stood near the water.

 

The Alan looked down into the water, and seeing the reflection of the men, she reached in her long hand with the fingers that pointed⁴ backward, but when she could not touch them, she looked up and saw them in the tall tree.

 

“How did you get up there?” she cried angrily.

 

“We climbed up feet first,” called down the men.

 

The Alan, determined⁵ to get them, caught hold of a vine and started up the tree feet first, but before she quite reached them, they cut the vine and she fell to the ground and was killed.84 [76]

 

Then the men came down and went to the Alan’s house, where they found a jar full of beads⁶ and another of gold, and these they brought with them when they returned home. 

1 singe   

v.(轻微地)烧焦；烫焦；烤焦

参考例句：

• If the iron is too hot you'll singe that nightdress.如果熨斗过热，你会把睡衣烫焦。
• It is also important to singe knitted cloth to obtain a smooth surface.对针织物进行烧毛处理以获得光洁的表面也是很重要的。

2 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 singed   

v.浅表烧焦( singe的过去式和过去分词 )；（毛发）燎，烧焦尖端[边儿]

参考例句：

• He singed his hair as he tried to light his cigarette. 他点烟时把头发给燎了。
• The cook singed the chicken to remove the fine hairs. 厨师把鸡燎一下，以便去掉细毛。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 beads   

n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链

参考例句：

• a necklace of wooden beads 一条木珠项链
• Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead. 他的前额上挂着汗珠。