“This is the tree we are to chop down!” Snythergen heard one of them say, and already the woodchopper was swinging his axe1. Snythergen did not wait for the blow to land, but leaped into the air and was off as fast as his roots would carry him. To be sure, he was hampered2 by his leaves and his branches and his[66] sheath bark skirt. Brushing none too gently against bushes and trees he trod on the toes of innumerable growing things. Apologizing with his bows to right and left, he did not pause even to see what damage he had done, nor did he know he had stepped heavily on the roots of an oak, or rubbed the shins of a birch. He knew only that two woodsmen were after him, threatening to chop him into kindling3 wood.
“Did you ever see such a rude tree?” cried a graceful4 elm suffering from a broken limb. “And it’s so untreelike to run away like that! Suppose the rest of us did likewise—what would become of the forest!”
“If he is restless, I don’t object to his walking about in a gentlemanly manner,” said the birch whose shins had been rubbed, “as long as he picks his steps carefully; but to go slamming through regardless of the rest of us is most inconsiderate!”
There was much bobbing of tree-tops and angry shaking of limbs in the direction the runaway5 tree had taken. But Snythergen might have saved himself running so far and so fast, had he taken the trouble to look around. For the hunters were not following but standing6 still, astonished at the spectacle of a tree racing7 through the forest at break-limb speed. In all[67] the years they had lived in the woods never had they seen a runaway tree before.
“Is the forest going crazy?” cried one. “What if all the trees were to run after us like a herd8 of buffalo9! What chance would we have of escape?”
The mere10 thought of it was so terrifying they turned and ran, leaving coats, rifle, and axes where they lay, and they did not stop until they were well out of the woods and safe in their own home, behind locked doors and windows. And they did not stir abroad for two days.
When Sancho Wing saw the hunters and Snythergen running away from each other in opposite directions, it was too much for him. He laughed and laughed, and shook so that he fell from the limb he was perched on, and only saved himself from a bad fall by using his wings.
“Surely I have paid Snythergen now for all of his tricks,” he cried merrily.
During all this time Squeaky actually had remained asleep in Snythergen’s top branches, though his rest had been somewhat uneven11.
“Where am I?” he cried, rubbing his eyes and waking up to find himself violently tossed about, and bumped against the branches of trees as Snythergen crashed through the forest.
With a breathless word here and there as he[68] ran, Snythergen gave the pig an idea of what had happened, and when Squeaky realized all the dangers he had slept through, he lost his grip and would have fallen had Snythergen not tightened12 his hold. On and on ran the tree, stumbling and reeling, and with every lurch13 Squeaky’s little heart quivered; for tree-riding was as terrifying as hanging to the top of a mast in a storm at sea. What a relief when Snythergen slowed up and stopped at the shore of a lake, panting like a porpoise14!
“I think you had better get down now,” said Snythergen, “for I am going to wade15 across that lake and plant myself in the farmer’s yard on the other side. I shall remain there until the woodchoppers get tired of looking for me. I believe my leg is cut. Will you look on the ground and see if I am bleeding?”
“I guess your leg isn’t bleeding,” said Squeaky after looking around, “for I don’t see any sawdust.”
“Would you mind running home now, Squeaky, just to see that Sancho Wing is all right? I am a little worried about him. But if you will come back to this spot twice a day I will signal across the lake to let you know how I am getting on.”
Very much shaken Squeaky limped home[69] following the broad trail Snythergen had made through the woods, and found Sancho Wing still chuckling16. After talking over their adventure for a little while they settled themselves for a nap.
As soon as Squeaky left him, Snythergen waded17 into the lake. He found the cool water refreshing18 to his overheated roots and tattered19 branches, but when he bent20 over to drink he came near losing his balance and floating away.
Only while he stood erect21 and kept in shallow water did his roots find a firm footing on the bottom of the lake. With much splashing of water and stirring of mud, and by wading22 around the deep places he managed to cross. When no one was looking, he crept into the farmer’s yard, where he hoped to find an end to his troubles. After looking the place over, he decided23 to plant himself where he would shade the dining-room window and could see what the family had for dinner. It occurred to him that if he became very hungry, he might reach through the window and help himself to a morsel24 of food. “Turn about is fair play,” he reasoned. “If I provide shade for them, they should not begrudge25 me a bite to eat now and then!”
Luckily the farmer and his wife were away[70] at camp meeting when Snythergen arrived, and when they returned, it was dark. A crescent moon and the stars revealed but a dusky outline of the place.
“Somehow things don’t look natural around here,” said the farmer when he reached home. “The place seems changed, swelled26 out! Why, I believe the house has got the mumps27!”
“Silas, you don’t think baby has the mumps, do you?” cried his wife, thinking he must be referring to their child.
“No, no, it’s the house that’s got the mumps,” said the farmer.
“Nonsense, Silas, you must be out of your mind!” she said. She saw nothing out of the way, for her eyes sought only the windows of a room on the other side of the house where her small son had been left, and nothing more was said about the matter that night.
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1
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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hampered
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| 妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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kindling
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| n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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runaway
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| n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的 | |
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6
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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buffalo
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| n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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lurch
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| n.突然向前或旁边倒；v.蹒跚而行 | |
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porpoise
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| n.鼠海豚 | |
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wade
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| v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉 | |
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chuckling
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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waded
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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begrudge
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| vt.吝啬，羡慕 | |
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swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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mumps
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| n.腮腺炎 | |
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