Fables for Children, Stories for Children, Natural Science Stories, Popular Education, Decembrists, Moral TalesTolstoy, Leo, graf
General
Fables for Children, Stories for Children, Natural Science Stories, Popular Education, Decembrists, Moral Tales
Tolstoy, Leo, graf
Russian literature -- Translations into English
Once I went with Milton to hunt pheasants. Suddenly Búlka ran after me
to the forest. I wanted to drive him back, but could not do so; and it
was too far for me to take him home. I thought he would not be in my
way, and so walked on; but the moment Milton scented a pheasant in the
grass and began to search for it, Búlka rushed forward and tossed from
side to side. He tried to scare up the pheasant before Milton. He heard
something in the grass, and jumped and whirled around; but he had a poor
scent and could not find the track himself, but watched Milton, to see
where he was running. The moment Milton started on the trail, Búlka ran
ahead of him. I called Búlka back and beat him, but could not do a thing
with him. The moment Milton began to search, he darted forward and
interfered with him.
I was already on the point of going home, because I thought that the
chase was spoiled; but Milton found a better way of cheating Búlka. This
is what he did: the moment Búlka rushed ahead of him, he gave up the
trail and turned in another direction, pretending that he was searching
there. Búlka rushed there where Milton was, and Milton looked at me and
wagged his tail and went back to the right trail. Búlka again ran up to
Milton and rushed past him, and again Milton took some ten steps to one
side and cheated Búlka, and again led me straight; and so he cheated
Búlka all the way and did not let him spoil the chase.
THE TURTLE
Once I went with Milton to the chase. Near the forest he began to
search. He straightened out his tail, pricked his ears, and began to
sniff. I fixed the gun and followed him. I thought that he was looking
for a partridge, hare, or pheasant. But Milton did not make for the
forest, but for the field. I followed him and looked ahead of me.
Suddenly I saw what he was searching for. In front of him was running a
small turtle, of the size of a cap. Its bare, dark gray head on a long
neck was stretched out like a pestle; the turtle in walking stretched
its bare legs far out, and its back was all covered with bark.
When it saw the dog, it hid its legs and head and let itself down on the
grass so that only its shell could be seen. Milton grabbed it and began
to bite at it, but could not bite through it, because the turtle has
just such a shell on its belly as it has on its back, and has only
openings in front, at the back, and at the sides, where it puts forth
its head, its legs, and its tail.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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