The Wolf and the Cat

 

 

A Wolf ran out of the forest into a village—not to pay a visit, but to save its life; for it trembled for its skin.

 

The huntsmen and a pack of hounds were after it. It would fain have rushed in through the first gateway¹; but there was this unfortunate circumstance against the scheme that all the gateways² were closed.

 

The Wolf sees a Cat on a partition fence, and says pleadingly, "Vaska, my friend, tell me quickly, which of the moujiks here is the kindest, so that I may hide myself from my evil foes³? Listen to the cry of the dogs and the terrible sound of the horns? All that noise is actually made in chase of me!"

 

"Go quickly, and ask Stefan," says Vaska, the Cat; "he is a very kind man."

 

"Quite true; only I have torn the skin off one of his sheep."

 

"Well, then, you can try Demian."

 

"I'm afraid he's angry with me, too; I carried off one of his kids."

 

"Run over there, then; Trofim lives there."

 

"Trofim! I should be afraid of even meeting him. Ever since the spring he has been threatening me about a lamb."

 

"Dear me, that's bad! But perhaps Klim will protect you."

 

"Oh, Vaska, I have killed one of his calves⁴."

 

"What do I hear, friend? You've quarrelled with all the village," cried Vaska to the Wolf. "What sort of protection can you hope for here? No, no; our moujiks are not so destitute⁵ of sense as to be willing to save you to their own hurt. And, really, you have only yourself to blame. What you have sown, that you must now reap."

1 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

2 gateways   

n.网关( gateway的名词复数 )；门径；方法；大门口

参考例句：

• Police bullets raked the gateways car. 警察的子弹对着门口的汽车扫射。 来自辞典例句
• No Internet gateways are needed for the programs operation. 该软件的操作不需要互联网网关的支持。 来自互联网

3 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

4 calves   

n.(calf的复数)笨拙的男子，腓；腿肚子( calf的名词复数 )；牛犊；腓；小腿肚v.生小牛( calve的第三人称单数 )；（冰川）崩解；生（小牛等），产（犊）；使（冰川）崩解

参考例句：

• a cow suckling her calves 给小牛吃奶的母牛
• The calves are grazed intensively during their first season. 小牛在生长的第一季里集中喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。