There was once a hunter, who, in passing a quarry, found a serpent under a large stone. The serpent asked the hunter to free him, but the hunter said, "I will not free you, for you will eat me."
The serpent replied,"Free me,for I will not eat you.
When the hunter had set the serpent free, the snake wanted to devour him, but the hunter said, "What are you doing? Did you not promise me that you would not eat me?"
The serpent replied that the hunger did not observe promises.
The hunter then said, "If you have no reason to eat me, will you do it?"
"No," answered the serpent.
"Let us go, then," said the hunter, "and ask three times."
They went into the woods and found a grey hound, and asked him, and he replied, "I had a master, and I went hunting and caught hares, and when I carried them home, my master had nothing good to give me to eat. Now, when I cannot overtake even a tortoise, because I am old, my master wishes to kill me. For this reason I condemn you to be eaten by the serpent, for he who does good finds evil."
"Do you hear? We have one judge," said the serpent. They continued their journey,and found a horse,and asked him, and he too replied that the serpent was right to eat the man, "for," he said, "I had a master who fed me when I could travel.Now that I can do so no longer, he would like to hang me."
The serpent said, "Behold, two judges!"
They went on and found a fox.The hunter said, "Fox, you must aid me.Listen: I was passing quarry and found this serpent dying under a large stone, and he asked aid from me, and I released him, and now he wants to eat me."
The fox answered, "I will be the judge. Let us return to the quarry to see how the serpent was."
They went there and put the stone on the serpent, and the fox asked, "Is that the way you were?"
"Yes," answered the serpent.
"Very well then, stay so always!" said the fox.
有个猎人经过一个采石场,看见大石头下压着一条蛇。蛇请求猎人把他解救出来,但猎人说:“我不会解救你的,因为你会吃掉我。”
蛇说:“解救我吧,我不会吃你的。”
猎人把蛇从石头底下救出来后,蛇就想吃掉猎人。猎人说:“你这是干什么?你不是许诺了,说不会吃我吗?”
蛇反而说是猎人没有遵守诺言。
猎人说:“如果你没理由吃掉我,你还会那样做吗?”
“不会的。”蛇回答道。
“那么,走吧,”猎人说,“让我们找三个裁判来作一番评判吧。”
他们走进树林子,遇见了一只猎狗,于是就请他评判是非。猎狗答道:“我有过这样一个主人,我狩猎打到了兔子,把兔子叼回家,主人并不因此赏我好东西吃。现在我老了,老得连一只乌龟都追不上的时候,主人还想杀了我。因此,希望蛇把你吃掉,因为做善事者得恶报。”
“你听见了吗?我们有了一个裁决。”蛇说。他们继续往前走,又遇见了一匹马。他们让这匹马来作评判,马也说蛇应该吃掉猎人,“因为,”他说,“以前我有一个主人,在我能跑得动时,他养我喂我。现在我跑不动了,他就要把我勒死。”
蛇说:“瞧,我们有了两个裁决了!”
他们继续往前走,又遇上了一只狐狸。猎人说:“狐狸,你必须帮助我。听着:我经过了一个采石场,看见这只蛇被压在一块大石头下,奄奄待毙。他乞求我的帮助,我把他从石头下解救了出来,现在他却想吃掉我。”
狐狸说:“我来为你们作判决。我们回到采石场去,看看蛇原来处于什么状况。”
他们回到了采石场,把那块大石头压到了蛇的身上,狐狸问:“你原来就是这样?”
“是的。”蛇答道。
狐狸说:“很好,你就永远这样待下去吧!”