骆驼怎样长出了驼峰

这是接下来的故事，讲的是骆驼怎样长出了他的大驼峰。

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

在岁月刚开始的时候，世界是那么崭新，动物们才刚刚开始为人干活。那时有一只骆驼，他住在呼啸沙漠中央，因为他不想干活；再说，他自己也是个喜欢呼啸的家伙。

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.

于是他嚼着树枝、荆棘、柽柳、马利筋和刺儿，懒到了极点；无论谁跟他说话，他都只说“哼！”仅仅一声“哼！”，多一句也没有。

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.

不久，在星期一早晨，马来找他了，背上备着鞍子，嘴里咬着嚼子。马说：“骆驼，哦，骆驼，出来像我们大家一样小跑吧。”

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.’

“哼！”骆驼说；马走开了，去告诉了人。

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

不久，狗来找他了，嘴里叼着一根木棍。狗说：“骆驼，哦，骆驼，来像我们大家一样衔东西送东西吧。”

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.’

“哼！”骆驼说；狗走开了，去告诉了人。

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

不久，牛来找他了，脖子上套着牛轭。牛说：“骆驼，哦，骆驼，来像我们大家一样耕地吧。”

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.’

“哼！”骆驼说；牛走开了，去告诉了人。

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

到了天黑，人把马、狗和牛叫到一起，说：“三位，哦，三位，我真为你们难过（在这个一切都崭新的世界上）；可是沙漠里那个哼哼怪不会干活，不然他现在早该到这儿了。所以我打算不管他了，你们必须加倍干活，把他的份儿补上。”

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.’

这让三个伙伴非常生气（在这个一切都崭新的世界上）。他们在沙漠边缘开起会来，商量来商量去；骆驼嘴里嚼着马利筋，极其懒散地走过来，嘲笑他们。

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.

接着他说了一声“哼！”，又走开了。

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

不久，掌管所有沙漠的精灵裹着一团尘土滚滚而来（精灵总是这样赶路，因为这是魔法）。他停下来，和三个伙伴商量讨论。

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.

“所有沙漠的精灵啊，”马说，“在这个一切都崭新的世界上，有人游手好闲是合理的吗？”

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