The Flood Story

 Once upon a time, when the world was flat and there were no mountains, there lived two brothers, sons of Lumawig, the Great Spirit. The brothers were fond of hunting, and since no mountains had formed there was no good place to catch wild pig and deer, and the older brother said:

 

“Let us cause water to flow over all the world and cover it, and then mountains will rise up.”5

 

So they caused water to flow over all the earth, and when it was covered they took the head-basket6 of the town and set it for a trap¹. The brothers were very much pleased when they went to look at their trap, for they had caught not only many wild pigs and deer but also many people.

 

Now Lumawig looked down from his place in the sky and saw that his sons had flooded the earth and that in all the world there was just one spot which was not covered. And he saw that all the people in the world had been drowned except one brother and sister who lived in Pokis. [103]

 

Then Lumawig descended², and he called to the boy and girl, saying:

 

“Oh, you are still alive.”

 

“Yes,” answered the boy, “we are still alive, but we are very cold.”

 

So Lumawig commanded his dog and deer to get fire7 for the boy and girl. The dog and the deer swam quickly away, but though Lumawig waited a long time they did not return, and all the time the boy and girl were growing colder.

 

Finally Lumawig himself went after the dog and the deer, and when he reached them he said:

 

“Why are you so long in bringing the fire to Pokis? Get ready and come quickly while I watch you, for the boy and girl are very cold.”

 

Then the dog and the deer took the fire and started to swim through the flood, but when they had gone only a little way the fire was put out.

 

Lumawig commanded them to get more fire and they did so, but they swam only a little way again when that of the deer went out, and that of the dog would have been extinguished³ also had not Lumawig gone quickly to him and taken it.

 

As soon as Lumawig reached Pokis he built a big fire which warmed the brother and sister; and the [104]water evaporated⁴ so that the world was as it was before, except that now there were mountains. The brother and sister married and had children, and thus there came to be many people on the earth.

1 trap   

vt.使陷入困境，使受限制；设陷，坑害；n.陷阱，诡计；困境；活板门，存水弯；（双轮）轻便马车；vi.设圈套，设陷阱

参考例句：

• The hunter laid a trap for the tiger.猎人设置了陷阱捕捉老虎。
• Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap.奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。

2 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

3 extinguished   

使熄灭，扑灭( extinguish的过去式和过去分词 )； 使…不复存在

参考例句：

• His discovery extinguished the achievements of his colleague. 他的发现使他同事的成就黯然失色。
• Water extinguished the fire. 水把火浇灭了。

4 evaporated   

adj. 浓缩的，脱水的，蒸发干燥的 动词evaporate的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• Heat until all the water has evaporated. 加热直至水全部蒸发。
• The water soon evaporated in the sunshine. 水在阳光下不久就蒸发了。