Bagaimana Unta Mendapatkan Punuknya

Nah, ini kisah berikutnya, dan kisah ini menceritakan bagaimana Unta mendapatkan punuk besarnya.

Now this is the next tale, and it tells how the Camel got his big hump.

Pada permulaan zaman, ketika dunia masih sangat baru dan semuanya baru dimulai, dan Hewan-Hewan baru saja mulai bekerja untuk Manusia, hiduplah seekor Unta, dan dia tinggal di tengah Gurun Melolong karena dia tidak mau bekerja; lagipula, dia sendiri suka melolong.

In the beginning of years, when the world was so new and all, and the Animals were just beginning to work for Man, there was a Camel, and he lived in the middle of a Howling Desert because he did not want to work; and besides, he was a Howler himself.

Maka dia memakan ranting, duri, tamariska, tanaman getah susu, dan tumbuhan berduri, benar-benar sangat malas; dan ketika ada yang berbicara dengannya dia berkata, “Humph!” Hanya “Humph!” dan tidak lebih.

So he ate sticks and thorns and tamarisks and milkweed and prickles, most ‘scruciating idle; and when anybody spoke to him he said ‘Humph!’ Just ‘Humph!’ and no more.

Tak lama kemudian Kuda mendatanginya pada Senin pagi, dengan pelana di punggungnya dan kekang di mulutnya, lalu berkata, “Unta, wahai Unta, keluarlah dan berlari-larilah seperti kami semua.”

Presently the Horse came to him on Monday morning, with a saddle on his back and a bit in his mouth, and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come out and trot like the rest of us.’

“Humph!” kata sang Unta; lalu Kuda pergi dan memberitahu Manusia.

‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Horse went away and told the Man.

Tak lama kemudian Anjing mendatanginya, dengan sebatang kayu di mulutnya, lalu berkata, “Unta, wahai Unta, datanglah dan jemput serta bawalah barang seperti kami semua.”

Presently the Dog came to him, with a stick in his mouth, and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come and fetch and carry like the rest of us.’

“Humph!” kata sang Unta; lalu Anjing pergi dan memberitahu Manusia.

‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Dog went away and told the Man.

Tak lama kemudian Lembu mendatanginya, dengan kuk di lehernya dan berkata, “Unta, wahai Unta, datang dan membajaklah seperti kami semua.”

Presently the Ox came to him, with the yoke on his neck and said, ‘Camel, O Camel, come and plough like the rest of us.’

“Humph!” kata sang Unta; lalu Lembu pergi dan memberitahu Manusia.

‘Humph!’ said the Camel; and the Ox went away and told the Man.

Pada akhir hari, Manusia memanggil Kuda, Anjing, dan Lembu bersama-sama, lalu berkata, “Kalian Bertiga, wahai Bertiga, aku sangat kasihan kepada kalian (dengan dunia yang serbabaru ini); tetapi makhluk-Humph di Gurun itu tidak bisa bekerja, atau dia pasti sudah ada di sini sekarang, jadi aku akan membiarkannya saja, dan kalian harus bekerja dua kali lipat untuk menggantikannya.”

At the end of the day the Man called the Horse and the Dog and the Ox together, and said, ‘Three, O Three, I’m very sorry for you (with the world so new-and-all); but that Humph-thing in the Desert can’t work, or he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and you must work double-time to make up for it.’

Hal itu membuat Mereka Bertiga sangat marah (dengan dunia yang serbabaru ini), dan mereka mengadakan perundingan, musyawarah, rapat desa, dan pertemuan di tepi Gurun; lalu Unta datang sambil mengunyah tanaman getah susu dengan sangat malas, dan menertawakan mereka.

That made the Three very angry (with the world so new-and-all), and they held a palaver, and an indaba, and a punchayet, and a pow-wow on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing on milkweed most ‘scruciating idle, and laughed at them.

Kemudian dia berkata “Humph!” dan pergi lagi.

Then he said ‘Humph!’ and went away again.

Tak lama kemudian datanglah Jin Penguasa Semua Gurun, berguling dalam gumpalan debu (para Jin selalu bepergian dengan cara itu karena itu Sihir), dan dia berhenti untuk berunding dan bermusyawarah dengan Mereka Bertiga.

Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic), and he stopped to palaver and pow-pow with the Three.

“Jin Penguasa Semua Gurun,” kata Kuda, “apakah benar seseorang bermalas-malasan, dengan dunia yang serbabaru ini?”

‘Djinn of All Deserts,’ said the Horse, ‘is it right for any one to be idle, with the world so new-and-all?’