XVI The Major's Trouble

 After Major Monkey fled from Johnnie Green and his friends in the picnic grove¹, his generals declared that they wanted no leader that ran away from the enemy. And since they couldn't agree on anyone else to take the Major's place, they disbanded.

 

So Major Monkey lost his army. But the loss did not seem to trouble him greatly. He was almost too cheerful. And his neighbors even claimed that his spirits rose higher each day.

 

There is no doubt that the Major felt very gay. He was fast losing the lean and hungry look he had had when he first appeared in Pleasant Valley. And he became freer than ever as to manners.

 

Nobody else could go about the woods with any comfort, because one never knew when he would have to dodge² a stone. For Major Monkey liked nothing better than making a body jump—unless it was bowling³ someone over when he failed to jump soon enough.

 

In time the forest-folk grew quite weary⁴ of that sport. And they began to tell one another that something would have to be done to put an end to Major Monkey's stone-throwing.

 

But nobody could suggest any way to cure Major Monkey of his unpleasant habit. And at last Mr. Crow went to Aunt Polly Woodchuck and asked her if she couldn't give the Major an herb of some sort to eat, which would make him stop wanting to pelt⁵ every head he saw.

 

But Aunt Polly replied that it wasn't possible.

 

"The trouble with Major Monkey," she said, "is that he eats too much as it is. And if I gave him still more food he would only throw more stones at you."

 

Mr. Crow exclaimed that he didn't want that to happen.

 

"Then you'll have to make the Major eat less," said Aunt Polly Woodchuck. "On what sort of fare is he living at present?" she inquired.

 

Mr. Crow answered that he wasn't quite sure, but he thought Major Monkey fed for the most part on cowbirds' eggs.

 

Aunt Polly Woodchuck shook her head.

 

"That's not possible," she cried. "There aren't enough Cowbirds' eggs in Pleasant Valley to make anybody so fat as the Major is getting. Unless I'm mistaken, he's taking the eggs of a good many others besides Cowbirds."

 

Mr. Crow became greatly excited.

 

"Then he's a thief!" he squawked. "Major Monkey is an egg thief!" And he flapped⁶ away across the pasture⁷ in a fine rage, to tell everybody what Aunt Polly Woodchuck had said.

 

A little later in the day Major Monkey began to notice that a good many of his neighbors looked at him very coldly. The birds, especially, glared⁸ at him as if they were actually angry. And wherever he went they set up a loud twittering. Some of them even flew at his head and tried to peck⁹ him as they darted¹⁰ past.

 

At first he couldn't imagine what was the matter. But before the day was done Jasper Jay let him know what made the bird people angry.

 

"You're a sneak-thief!" Jasper told the Major bluntly¹¹. "We've found at last what makes you so fat. You've been stealing eggs from every nest in the woods!"

 

"Tut! Tut!" said Major Monkey. "When a lazy Cowbird lays an egg in somebody else's nest, the owner ought to be grateful to me for taking the egg out and eating it."

 

"It's not that," Jasper Jay replied. "The trouble is, you've taken all kinds of eggs."

 

"Well, well!" said Major Monkey. "To be sure, I may have made a mistake now and then. But what's an egg or two, more or less, when one has a half-dozen of them?"

 

1 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

2 dodge   

v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计

参考例句：

• A dodge behind a tree kept her from being run over.她向树后一闪，才没被车从身上辗过。
• The dodge was coopered by the police.诡计被警察粉碎了。

3 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

4 weary   

adj.疲劳的，使人疲劳的；vi.厌烦，不耐烦

参考例句：

• He has laid out all his strength and is weary.他使出了全部气力，非常疲倦。
• I am weary of his constant complaints.我对他不断发牢骚感到厌烦。

5 pelt   

v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火

参考例句：

• The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
• Crowds started to pelt police cars with stones.人群开始向警车扔石块。

6 flapped   

（使）上下左右移动( flap的过去式和过去分词 )； 轻拍； 焦急，焦虑； 振（翅）

参考例句：

• The swan flapped its wings noisily. 天鹅大声地拍打着翅膀。
• He flapped the flies away with a fan. 他用扇子把苍蝇拍走。

7 pasture   

n.牧场，牲畜饲养

参考例句：

• This is the place where they used to pasture.这就是他们过去经常放牧的地方。
• The boy got up very early every morning to pasture cattle.这男孩每天起得很早去放牛。

8 glared   

怒目而视( glare的过去式和过去分词 )； 发强光

参考例句：

• Two fierce eyes glared at them. 一双凶狠的眼睛对着他们怒目而视。
• He didn't shout, he just glared at me silently. 他没有喊叫，只是默默地怒视着我。

9 peck   

v.啄，啄食；n.啄痕，啄食，（口）轻吻；配克，（口）大量

参考例句：

• The cock gave me a peck.那只公鸡啄了我一下。
• She gave him a light peck of farewell.她给了他一个匆匆的吻道别。

10 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 bluntly   

adv.钝地；率直地；迟钝地

参考例句：

• To put it bluntly , I want a divorce. 坦白地说，我要离婚。
• She told me bluntly it was my own fault. 她坦率地说那是我个人的错。 来自《简明英汉词典》