43　HALF CHICK
小小鸡

I

Once there was a hen which had ten chickens. Nine of them were fine little follows.

But the youngest was not like his brothers and sisters. He was only half as large as a chicken should be; so his mother called him Half Chick. She was very sad when she looked at him. She said, “My youngest child can never grow up to be tall and fine looking like his brothers. They will go out and make their way in the world, but this poor little thing will always have to stay at home with me. ”

But Half Chick’s mother soon found that he was not willing to stay at home under her wing.

He was as unlike his brothers and sisters in his ways as he was in his looks. They were good chickens. When their mother called them, they chirped and ran to her side.

But Half Chick would hop far away. When his mother called him home, he would pretend that he could not hear.

II

As he grew older, he became worse. He was often very rude to his mother and to the other chickens.

One day he went up to his mother with the queer little hop and kick which was his way of walking.

He cocked his eye at her and said, “Mother, I am tired of this dull life. I am off to the palace to see the king.”

“To the palace, Half Chick!” said his mother. “Why, my dear, that would be a long way even for me to go. A poor little thing like you would be tired before you went half the way. Stay at home with me. Some day when you are bigger, we will take a nice long walk together.”

But Half Chick had made up his mind to go, and he would not listen to his mother. So with a hop and a kick away he went.

“Be sure that you are kind and polite to everyone you meet,” his mother called after him. But he was in such haste to be off that he did not stop to answer.

III

As he went through a field, he passed a stream. The stream was filled up with weeds and water-plants, so that its water could not flow freely.

“O Half Chick,” it cried, as Half Chick hopped along its banks, “do come and help me! Please take away these weeds that are so much in my way.”

“Help you, indeed!” said Half Chick with a toss of his head. “Do you think I have nothing to do but to waste my time with you? Help yourself, and don’t trouble me. I am off to the palace to see the king.”

And with a hop and a kick on he went.

A little later he came to a fire, which some men had left in a wood. It was burning very low and would soon be out.

“O Half Chick,” cried the fire as he came near, “in a little while I shall die if some one does not help me. Do give me some dry leaves and sticks.”

“Help you, indeed!” said Half Chick. “I have other things to do. Get dry leaves and sticks for yourself, and don’t trouble me. I am off to the palace to see the king.” And with a hop and a kick on went Half Chick.

The next morning, as he was getting near the palace, he passed a big oak tree. The wind was caught in its branches.

“O Half Chick,” cried the wind, “do hop up here and help me to get free from these branches. I cannot get away.”

“Then you ought not to have gone there,” said Half Chick. “I can’t waste all my morning in helping you. Get yourself free the best way you can, and don’t trouble me. I am off to the palace to see the king.”

With a hop and a kick off went Half Chick faster than ever.

The king’s palace was now in sight. Half Chick thought he would go to the door and wait there till the king came out.

But as he was hopping by one of the back windows, the king’s cook saw him.

“Here is the very thing I want to make the king’s broth,” cried the cook. And he caught Half Chick by the leg and threw him into the broth pot.

IV

Half Chick did not like this at all, and he cried, “Water, water! Have pity upon me. Do not wet me like this.”

“Ah! Half Chick,” said the water, “you would not help me when I was a little stream away in the field. Now I cannot help you.”

Then the fire began to burn. Half Chick hopped from one side of the pot to the other, trying to get away from the heat.

“Fire, fire!” he cried. “Do not burn me like this. You don’t know how it hurts.”

“Half Chick,” answered the fi re, “you would not help me when I was dying in the wood. Now I cannot help you.”

At last the cook came to see if the broth was ready for the king’s dinner.

“Look here!” he cried. “This chicken is burnt up. It is not fi t to eat.” So he threw Half Chick out of the window.

The wind caught him and dashed him through the air so fast that he could hardly breathe.

“Oh! wind,” he cried, “if you take me along so fast you will kill me. Do let me rest a little while.”

“Ah! Half Chick,” said the wind, “when I was caught in the oak tree, you would not help me. Now I cannot help you.”

And he carried Half Chick over the roofs of the houses till they came to the highest church in town.

Then he left him on the top of the steeple. And there stands Half Chick to this day.

(A SPANISH LEGEND)

一

从前，有只母鸡有十个孩子，其中九个都是非常可爱的小家伙。

但最小的那只和兄弟姐妹们不一样，个头只有他们的一半大，所以妈妈把他叫做小小鸡。

每次看到他，妈妈就很难过，她说：“我最小的孩子永远也没法和兄弟姐妹们长得一样高、一样漂亮。他们都会到外面的世界去闯荡，但这可怜的小东西只能在家里陪我。”

不过，妈妈很快发现他并不愿意躲在她的羽翼下，整天待在家里。

他不仅仅是外表上和别人不一样。别的孩子都很乖，妈妈一叫，他们就叽叽喳喳地飞奔回她的身边。

可小小鸡喜欢跑得老远，妈妈喊他回家时，就装作没听见。

二

他渐渐长大，这坏习惯也愈演愈烈，而且他常常对妈妈和兄弟姐妹出言不逊。

一天他迈着奇怪的步子大摇大摆地来到妈妈身边。

他斜眼望着她说：“妈妈，这里的生活太无聊了。我要到王宫里去见国王。”

“到王宫里去！小小鸡！”妈妈说，“亲爱的，就算是对我来说，这也是相当远的一段路程。你的身量这么小，走不到半路就累死了。还是待在家里吧，等到将来你长大一点，我们可以一起去做长途旅行。”

但小小鸡已下定了决心，根本听不进妈妈的话，所以他还是甩开步子大摇大摆地上路了。

“不管在路上遇到什么人，都要有礼貌啊。”妈妈在他身后喊道。可他走得这么急，连头都没再回一下。

三

穿过田野时，他路过一条溪流，水里长满了水草和其他水生植物，所以水流得很慢。

“小小鸡，请过来帮帮我吧！”小溪对岸边的小小鸡喊道，“请帮我把这些杂草清理一下吧，我都没法往前流了。”

“帮你？”小小鸡把头一甩，“你以为我闲着没事干，只好到这里来浪费时间吗？你自己想办法吧，别烦我。我要到王宫里去见国王。”

然后他就大摇大摆地走了。

不久他遇到了一团火，那是有人之前点燃的，现在火苗已经很微弱，就要熄灭了。

“小小鸡！”他靠近的时候火苗大喊，“如果没人帮我，我很快就会死。请为我加些干叶子和树枝吧。”

“帮你？”小小鸡说，“我有别的事情要做。你自己去找干叶子和树枝吧，别烦我。我要去王宫见国王。”然后他就大摇大摆地走了。

第二天早上，他在王宫附近遇到了一棵大橡树，风被树枝挂住了，怎么也飞不走。

“小小鸡！”风大声说，“请到这边来帮我挣脱这些树枝吧。我动不了了。”

“你一开始就不该来。”小小鸡说，“我没那么多时间帮你。你自己想办法吧，别烦我。我要去王宫见国王。”

然后小小鸡大摇大摆地走了，这次走得比以前都快。

国王的宫殿近在眼前，小小鸡想在门边等着，等国王出门的时候就能见到他了。

可他刚跳到一扇窗户旁就被国王的厨子发现了。

“用他来给国王熬鸡汤简直再合适不过了。”厨子说完，一把抓住小小鸡的腿，把他扔进了锅里。

四

小小鸡当然不想要这样的结局，他大喊：“水啊，水啊！请可怜可怜我，别把我弄湿。”

“啊！小小鸡！”水说，“我在田野上的小溪里流不动时你不肯帮我，现在我也帮不了你。”

火燃起来了。小小鸡在锅里蹦来跳去，想要躲开。

“火啊，火啊！”他大喊，“请别烧了，你不知道这有多疼啊。”

“小小鸡！”火回答，“我在林子里快熄灭时你不肯帮我，现在我也帮不了你。”

后来厨子过来查看为国王晚餐准备的鸡汤准备好没。

“看看！”他大叫，“这只鸡都烧焦了，不能吃了。”于是就把小小鸡扔到了窗外。

风抓住了他，带着他飞得又快又急，他都喘不上气了。

“噢，风啊！”他大喊，“如果你飞得太快，我会死的。我们能慢一点飞吗？”

“啊！小小鸡！”风说，“我被困在橡树上时你不肯帮我，现在我也帮不了你。”

他带着小小鸡飞过许许多多的屋顶，最后来到了镇上最高的教堂上空。

风把他留在了教堂的尖塔上，直到今天小小鸡还在那里站着。

（西班牙传说）