Just So Stories for Little Children / Просто сказки. Книга для чтения на английском языке

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So they sat down on them hard till bright morning-time, and then Leopard said, �What have you at your end of the table, Brother?’

The Ethiopian scratched his head[83 - to scratch one’s head – почесать затылок] and said, �It ought to be ’sclusively a rich fulvous orange-tawny from head to heel[84 - It ought to be ’sclusively a rich fulvous orange-tawny from head to heel… – Это должно быть совер-шенно бурым смугло-рыжим с головы до ног…], and it ought to be Giraffe; but it is covered all over with chestnut blotches.

What have you at your end of the table, Brother?’

And the Leopard scratched his head and said, �It ought to be ’sclusively a delicate grayish-fawn, and it ought to be Zebra; but it is covered all over with black and purple stripes. What in the world have you been doing to yourself, Zebra? Don’t you know that if you were on the High Veldt I could see you ten miles off? You haven’t any form.

’

�Yes,’ said the Zebra, �but this isn’t the High Veldt. Can’t you see?’

�I can now,’ said the Leopard. �But I couldn’t all yesterday. How is it done?’

�Let us up,’ said the Zebra, �and we will show you.’

They let the Zebra and the Giraffe get up; and Zebra moved away to some little thorn-bushes where the sunlight fell all stripy, and Giraffe moved off to some tallish trees where the shadows fell all blotchy.

�Now watch,’ said the Zebra and the Giraffe.

�This is the way it’s done. One – two – three! And where’s your breakfast?’

Leopard stared, and Ethiopian stared, but all they could see were stripy shadows and blotched shadows in the forest, but never a sign of Zebra and Giraffe. They had just walked off and hidden themselves in the shadowy forest.

�Hi! Hi!’ said the Ethiopian. �That’s a trick worth learning[85 - That’s a trick worth learning. – Это трюк, которо-му стоит научиться.

This film is worth seeing. – Этот фильм стоит посмотреть.]. Take a lesson by it, Leopard. You show up in this dark place like a bar of soap in a coal scuttle.’

�Ho! Ho!’ said the Leopard. �Would it surprise you very much to know that you show up in this dark place like a mustard-plaster on a sack of coals?

�Well, calling names won’t catch dinner,’ said the Ethiopian.