书城公版Robinson Crusoe
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第104章

I was surpriz'd to see the Fellow so pleas'd;You Fool you,says I,he mill eat you up:Eatee me up! Eatee me up! Says Friday,twice over again;Me eatee him up:Me make you good laugh:You all stay here,me show you good laugh;so down he sits,and gets his Boots off in a Moment,and put on a Pair of Pumps (as we call the flat Shoes they wear) and which he had in his Pocket,gives my other Servant his Horse,and with his Gun away he flew swift like the Wind.

The Bear was walking softly on,and offer'd to meddle with no Body,till Friday coming pretty near,calls to him,as if the Bear could understand him;Hark ye,hark ye,says Friday,me speakee wit your:We follow'd at a Distance;for now being come down on the Gascoign side of the Mountains,we were entred a vast great Forest,where the Country was plain,and pretty open,though many Trees in it scatter'd here and there.

Friday,who had as we say,the Heels of the Bear,came up with him quickly,and takes up a great Stone,and throws at him,and hit him just on the Head;but did him no more harm,than if he had thrown it against a Wall;but it answer'd Friday's End;for the Rogue was so void of Fear,that he did it purely to make the Bear follow him,and show us some Laugh as he call'd it.

As soon as the Bear felt the Stone,and saw him,he turns about,and comes after him,taking Devilish long Strides,and shuffling along at a strange Rate,so as would have put a Horse to a midling Gallop;away runs Friday,and takes his Course,as if he run towards us for Help;so we all resolv'd to fire at once upon the Bear,and deliver my Man;though I was angry at him heartily,for bringing the Bear back upon us,when he was going about his own Business another Way;and especially I was angry that he had turn'd the Bear upon us,and then run away;and I call'd out,You Dog,said I,is this your making us laugh? Come away,and take your Horse,that me may shoot the Creature;he hears me,and crys Out,No shoot,no shoot,stand still,you get much Laugh. And as the nimble Creature run two Foot for the Beast's one,he turn'd on a sudden,on one side of us,and seeing a great Oak-Tree,fit for his Purpose,he beckon'd to us to follow,and doubling his Pace,he gets nimbly up the Tree laying his Gun down upon the Ground,at about five or six Yards from the Bottom of the Tree.

The Bear soon came to the Tree,and we follow'd at a Distance;the first Thing he did,he stopp'd at the Gun,smelt to it,but let it lye,and up he scrambles into the Tree,climbing like a Cat,though so monstrously heavy:I was amazed at the Folly,as I thought it,of my Man,and could not for my Life see any Thing to laugh at yet,till seeing the Bear get up the Tree,we all rod nearer to him.

When we came to the Tree,there was Friday got out to the small End of a large Limb of the Tree,and the Bear got about half way to him;as soon as the Bear got out to that part where the Limb of the Tree was weaker,Ha,says he to us,now you see me teachee the Bear dance;so he falls a jumping and shaking the Bough,at which the Bear began to totter,but stood still,and begun to look behind him,to see how he should get back;then indeed we did laugh heartily:But Friday had not done with him by a great deal;when he sees him stand still,he calls out to him again,as if he had suppos'd the Bear could speak English;What you no come farther,pray you come farther;so he left jumping and shaking the Tree;and the Bear,just as if he had understood what he said,did come a little further,then he fell a jumping again,and the Bear stopp'd again.

We thought now was a good time to knock him on the Head,and I call'd to Friday to stand still,and we would shoot the Bear;but he cry'd out earnestly,O pray! O pray! No shoot,me shoot,by and then;he would have said,By and by:However,to shorten the Story,Friday danc'd so much,and the Bear Stood so ticklish,that we had laughing enough indeed,but still could not imagine what the Fellow would do;for first we thought he depended upon shaking the Bear off;and we found the Bear was too cunning for that too;for he would not go out far enough to be thrown down,but clings fast with his great broad Claws and Feet,so that we could not imagine what would be the End of it,and where the Jest would be at last.

But Friday put us out of doubt quickly;for seeing the Bear cling fast to the Bough,and that he would not be persuaded to come any farther;Well,well,says Friday,you no come farther,me go,me go;you no come to me,me go come to you;and upon this,he goes out to the smallest End of the Bough,where it would bend with his Weight,and gently lets himself down by it,sliding down the Bough,till he came near enough to jump down on his Feet,and away he run to his Gun,takes it up,and stands still.

Well,said I to him Friday,What will you do now? Why don't you shoot him? No shoot,says Friday,no yet,me shoot nom,me no kill;me stay,give you one more laugh;and indeed so he did,as you will see presently;for when the Bear see his Enemy gone,he comes back from the Bough where he stood;but did it mighty leisurely,looking behind him every Step,and coming backward till he got into the Body of the Tree;then with the same hinder End foremost,he came down the Tree,grasping it with his Claws,and moving one Foot at a Time,very leisurely;at this Juncture,and just before he could set his hind Feet upon the Ground,Friday stept up close to him,clapt the Muzzle of his Piece into his Ear,and shot him dead as a Stone.

Then the Rogue turn'd about,to see if we did not laugh,and when he saw we were pleas'd by our Looks,he falls a laughing himself very loud;so me kill Bear in my Country,says Friday;so you kill them,says I,Why you have no Guns:

No,says he,no Gun,but shoot,great much long Arrow.

This was indeed a good Diversion to us;but we were still in a wild Place,and our Guide very much hurt,and what to do we hardly knew;the Howling of Wolves run much in my Head;and indeed,except the Noise I once heard on the Shore of Africa,of which I have said something already,I never heard any thing that filled me with so much Horrour.