Why Dogs Wag their Tails

 A rich man in a certain town once owned a dog and a cat, both of which were very useful to him. The dog had served his master for many years and had become so old that he had lost his teeth and was unable to fight any more, but he was a good guide and companion to the cat who was strong and cunning¹.

 

The master had a daughter who was attending school at a convent some distance from home, and very often he sent the dog and the cat with presents to the girl.

 

One day he called the faithful² animals and bade³ them carry a magic ring to his daughter.

 

“You are strong and brave,” he said to the cat “You may carry the ring, but you must be careful not to drop it”

 

And to the dog he said: “You must accompany the cat to guide her and keep her from harm.”

 

They promised to do their best, and started out. All went well until they came to a river. As there was neither bridge nor boat, there was no way to cross but to swim.

 

“Let me take the magic ring,” said the dog as they were about to plunge⁴ into the water.

 

“Oh, no,” replied the cat, “the master gave it to me to carry.” [211]

 

“But you cannot swim well,” argued the dog. “I am strong and can take good care of it.”

 

But the cat refused to give up the ring until finally the dog threatened to kill her, and then she reluctantly⁵ gave it to him.

 

The river was wide and the water so swift⁶ that they grew very tired, and just before they reached the opposite bank the dog dropped the ring. They searched carefully, but could not find it anywhere, and after a while they turned back to tell their master of the sad loss⁷. Just before reaching the house, however, the dog was so overcome with fear that he turned and ran away and never was seen again.

 

The cat went on alone, and when the master saw her coming he called out to know why she had returned so soon and what had become of her companion. The poor cat was frightened, but as well as she could she explained how the ring had been lost and how the dog had run away.

 

On hearing her story the master was very angry, and commanded that all his people should search for the dog, and that it should be punished by having its tail cut off.

 

He also ordered that all the dogs in the world should join in the search, and ever since when one dog meets another he says: “Are you the old dog that lost the magic ring? If so, your tail must be cut off.” Then immediately each shows his teeth and wags⁸ his tail to prove that he is not the guilty⁹ one.

 

Since then, too, cats have been afraid of water and will not swim across a river if they can avoid it.

1 cunning   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；n.狡猾，奸诈

参考例句：

• A spy used cunning means to find out secrets.间谍使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• The fox is known for its cleverness and cunning.狐狸的机敏和狡猾是人所共知的。

2 faithful   

adj.守信的，忠实的，如实的，可靠的

参考例句：

• They promised to be faithful to their ideal for ever.他们保证永远忠于自己的理想。
• We must be honest and faithful to the people.我们对人民必须忠诚老实。

3 bade   

v.出价，投标( bid的过去式 )；恳求；命令；说（问候话）

参考例句：

• I bade farewell to all the friends I had made in Paris. 我告别了我在巴黎结交的所有朋友。
• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

5 reluctantly   

ad.不情愿地，勉强地

参考例句：

• He finally agreed, albeit reluctantly, to help us. 尽管勉强，他最后还是同意帮助我们。
• She reluctantly communicated the facts. 她不愿把真实情况讲出来。

6 swift   

n.雨燕，大滚筒；adj.迅速的，快的，敏捷的，立刻的；adv.迅速地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He is swift to hear,but slow to speak.他听力敏锐，但不善言辞。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery.他康复得相当快。

7 loss   

n.损失，遗失，失败，输，浪费，错过，[军]伤亡，降低

参考例句：

• His death was a great loss to the country.他的逝世对这个国家是一大损失。
• Because of the continued loss,the factory closed down.由于连续亏损，工厂关闭了。

8 wags   

abbr.weighted agreement scores 加权的协议分数v.（使）摇动，摇摆( wag的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The tail wags the dog. 上下颠倒；小人物掌权。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• How wags the world with you? 你情形怎么样？ 来自辞典例句

9 guilty   

adj.犯罪的；有罪的；内疚的

参考例句：

• There wasn't enough evidence to prove him guilty.没有充分的证据证明他有罪。
• Really honest people are ofter made to feel guilty.真正老实的人常被弄得感到犯了罪似的。