All the woods and fields were ready, too, for the fox killed a great many things besides Tommy’s chickens. Every one hoped Tommy would kill him; every one but little Mr. and Mrs. Screech2 Owl3 and Foul4 Fang5 the Rattlesnake, who was hiding that very minute in the leaves in front of the fox’s log.
Nibble7 wanted to warn Watch, but when he saw Trailer sniffing8 along beside him he didn’t dare. So off he set toward the woods. And Watch and Trailer followed him. Pretty soon Trailer said: “I thought you weren’t chasing rabbits.”
“I’m not,” growled10 Watch. “He’s showing us where the fox is hidden.” And maybe that didn’t set Trailer wondering.
Just then those Bad Little Owls11 stumbled past, bumping against the twigs13, for they fly badly in the daytime. But they never reached Foul Fang, for Chaik the Jay, who was another of Tommy’s friends, was lying in wait for them. He had his whole family to help him, and what they did to those Bad Little Owls!
Meantime, Nibble was going slowly and carefully on the lookout14 for Foul Fang. “Stop!” shrieked15 Chewee the Chickadee from a branch above him. “Foul Fang’s right in front of you. I saw him move a minute ago, but I can’t see him until he moves again.”
Nibble froze in his tracks. Foul Fang was ahead, that strange dog was behind him. But he knew he mustn’t let any one pass him. He waited until the dogs were very close, then he darted16 past them, right to Tommy’s feet, calling: “Foul Fang! Foul Fang!”
“Wait!” barked Watch to Trailer. “Something’s wrong.” And he ran and caught Tommy by the coat to stop him. And of course Trailer and Tommy’s cousin Sandy stopped, too. “What’s up?” demanded Sandy.
“I don’t know,” said Tommy, “but there’s my chickadee, and here’s my rabbit. Something’s frightening them.”
“There, there! Look!” squeaked17 Chewee, dancing about on his twig12 like a crazy bird. Foul Fang raised his ugly head to sniff9 at them. Then he wound into his striking coil.
“Bz-z-z!” began Foul Fang’s rattle6. “Bang-bang!” went Sandy’s gun. “A snake! No wonder they were frightened!” exclaimed Sandy. “Lucky that rabbit saw him!”
“Wow-wow-wow!” bayed Trailer, for Silvertip bolted out of his log and began to run.
“Bang—bang!” went the gun. And that did scare Nibble. It sent him flying through the woods, straight for Doctor Muskrat19’s Pool.
The old doctor was out on his flat stone; but he wasn’t asleep. He was sitting straight up with his round ears pricked20 and his whiskers stiffened21, listening. Ka-flick, ka-flick, came the long bounces of Nibble Rabbit. “Chick-adee-dee-dee-dee-ee!” rang out the joyful22 shout of Chewee, just a little way behind him. “We-e-e-ak!” came the far-away squeak18 of a fieldmouse. “We-e-e-aw!” echoed one nearer at paw. “R-r-r-r!” drummed a partridge, and a meadowlark who was drinking remarked: “That’s a death beat, but he isn’t muffling23 it. Sounds as though he were mighty24 glad about it.”
Ka-flick-thump! Nibble Rabbit landed beside the doctor. “I warned Tommy!” was all he had breath to gasp25. But here came Chewee, his wings whirring like a humming bird’s, his eyes popping like a crawfish’s, as though they had stalks to stand on. “Whee!” he screeched26. “You ought to see—ee—ee!”
“See what?” called Chaik, who was hurrying by to find out what all the noise meant, and he circled back to listen.
“Foul Fang!” squeaked Chewee, turning somersaults on a bulrush. “He’s in three pieces, and his tail is cut off and his wicked scales are squirming in the sun.”
“Yeah!” squawked Chaik, dancing on his wings. “And those Bad Little Owls are hiding in the Brushpile. I’m all mussed up from climbing in after them, but my relatives and I have picked them ’most as clean as the mice picked Nibble’s woodchuck. I’m going back to shout the news at them. Yeah!” And off he flew.
“Oh,” and Nibble sat up to think. “The partridge did say Man could make more noise than a summer storm. He certainly can!”
“Why, Nibble!” teased Doctor Muskrat, his shiny little eyes twinkling, “didn’t you ever hear a gun? Every other creature in all the Woods and Fields has been waiting for that noise to celebrate the death of Silvertip the Fox. That was what Tommy Peele brought out here to kill him.”
“Did it?” demanded Nibble Rabbit. He knew that it pretty nearly stunned29 one small and scary rabbit he could tell about.
“Not if it bit Foul Fang in three pieces,” answered the wise old doctor. “That takes two bites, one for each noise. Silvertip isn’t bitten yet.” “Shot” was what he meant, but the Woodsfolk don’t use that word.
“How do you know he isn’t bitten?” squealed30 Chewee the Chickadee. He was twirling and tumbling about the bulrushes because he was too happy and excited to keep still. “He jumped right out under the nose of Trailer, that hound Tommy Peele brought to help his own dog Watch. And the last I saw he was just about two steps ahead of Trailer’s jaws31.”
“Ssh!” warned Doctor Muskrat, and he cocked his ears. Far, far away they could hear Trailer calling, “Where, where?” And Watch answered: “Isn’t this fox?” and Tommy Peele’s cousin was shouting: “Hie out, Trailer! Find him!”
“You see,” said the doctor, “Silvertip’s saved his skin this time. But we’ll find him again.”
He was right. Late in the afternoon Tommy came trudging32 along with his head down, too unhappy to listen to the “Thank you” the meadowlarks were singing, and the one Chewee brought from the partridge. For every creature that lived or nested on the ground was more than grateful to be rid of Foul Fang. Tommy’s big cousin Sandy was carrying his gun, and his dog Trailer was so tired he could scarcely crawl. Watch was tired and sheepish besides. He came down for a drink and whispered: “See where Silvertip sleeps. We’ll be out again to-morrow.”
“I wonder how he got away,” said Nibble, stamping impatiently. He’d come from eating a dandelion head in the Quail’s Thicket33 to see what Watch had to say.
“I can tell you,” came the soft whisper of the whippoorwill who had skimmed a drink as he flew across the pond, leaving a wake of tiny, quiet ripples34. “There’s still deep water in the ditches. Silvertip splashed along in it to hide his trail and then sneaked35 into the culvert where it runs under the woods road. The frogs say he almost drowned. But he shivered in there with only his nose out until Trailer circled past. Then he ran back in the ditch on the other side and jumped over to a tree that was broken off by the terrible storm. He climbed up the limbs to the broken stump—it’s ten good wingbeats above the ground—and curled up in a woodduck’s nest. And he ate every egg she’d laid, too. Now he’s coming this way.”
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收听单词发音
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1
yelp
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| vi.狗吠 | |
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screech
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| n./v.尖叫；(发出)刺耳的声音 | |
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owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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fang
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| n.尖牙，犬牙 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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sniffing
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| n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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sniff
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| vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视 | |
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growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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owls
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| n.猫头鹰( owl的名词复数 ) | |
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twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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squeaked
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| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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18
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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muskrat
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| n.麝香鼠 | |
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pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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joyful
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| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
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muffling
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| v.压抑，捂住( muffle的现在分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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screeched
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| v.发出尖叫声( screech的过去式和过去分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫 | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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squealed
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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trudging
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| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的现在分词形式） | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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ripples
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| 逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 ) | |
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sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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