童话翻译：男孩子们和巨人的故事

男孩子们和巨人的故事

从前，有三个小男孩在加拿大的树林里打猎，他们把自己打扮得像男子汉一样。正在这时候，有一个巨人正在到处寻找食物，他看见这三个男孩子穿过树林，就高兴地想，如果抓住这三个男孩子，他就可以美美地饱餐一顿了。于是，巨人飞快地拍起手掌，发出松鸡拍翅膀的声音。男孩子们听到了声音，真以为是一只松鸡呢。于是，他们朝着声音走过去。巨人一下就把他们抓住了。他提着男孩子们的脚，把他们的头往地上撞，以为这下子男孩子们应该都死了。然后，他把男孩子们装在一个用桦树皮做的大袋子里，扛在背上，就往家里走。他一边走，一边高兴地想象着要好好地享受这一顿美食。

没想到呀，巨人刚用来撞击男孩子们头的土地太软了，这三个小男孩并没有死，只是被撞晕了而已。当巨人才走了一小段路的时候，这些男孩子们就醒了，他们屏住呼吸，以免被巨人发现。其中的一个小男孩带了一些用石头做的猎刀。巨人在树下走过的时候，就有一些树枝打在桦树皮袋子上，发出“格格”的声音。每当这个时候，小男孩就用猎刀在袋子上割一个洞眼，巨人只能听见树枝打在桦树皮袋子上的声音，却听不见小男孩割洞眼的声音。等洞眼足够大了，这三个小男孩就一个接一个地从袋子的洞眼里滑出来了，然后使劲地往家里跑。

这个巨人实在是太强壮了，他根本感觉不到男孩子们的重量，他也没有察觉到男孩子们滑下去后袋子的重量变轻了。他回到家，把袋子放在门外面，自己就进了屋。他的一个兄弟正在家里等着他呢。巨人高兴地对他兄弟说：“我的袋子里装着一顿美食呢，出来看看吧。”他们打开袋子一看，袋子竟然是空的！巨人非常生气，但隔了一会儿，就和他的兄弟在炉火前贪婪地吃着家里的食物，把男孩子们不见了的事情忘得一干二净了。

男孩子们跑回家里，把他们遇到的事情一五一十地告诉村子里的人们。大家都出来寻找巨人。很快，他们就到了巨人所住的洞穴里。这时候，巨人和他兄弟吃饱后正在炉火前睡大觉呢。人们就躲在树后面朝巨人射箭。巨人哥哥中了一箭，他醒了对他弟弟说，“我感觉有点痛。”人们赶紧向巨人射箭，箭向雨一样射向巨人，不一会儿，巨人就死了。从此以后，村子里再也没有受到巨人的骚扰了。

原文：THE BOYS AND THE GIANT
THREE little boys were hunting in the Canadian woods in old times. They pretended to be big like men. A giant was prowling about looking for food. He saw the boys through the trees. He thought he would catch them and have a good meal. So he slapped his hands together rapidly and made a noise like a partridge drumming. The little boys heard the noise. They thought it was a partridge, and they went towards the sound. The giant caught them. He picked each one by the heels and struck the head of each on the ground. He thought they were all dead. Then he put them in a big birch-bark bag, put it on his back, and started home, well pleased with the thought of the nice meal he was going to have.

But the ground on which he had struck the boys' heads was soft. The boys were only stunned by the blow. And after the giant had walked a little way, the boys came to life again. But they made no sound. One of the boys had a little hunting knife made of stone. The giant walked under the trees, and the branches rattled on the birch-bark bag. When the branches rattled, the boy cut a hole in the bag, and the giant could not hear the noise of the cutting. The boys [199] slipped through the hole, one after the other. Then they ran home as fast as they could.

The giant was very strong. He had not felt the weight of the boys on his back. And he did not notice a difference in the weight when they slipped out. When he reached home, he left his load outside. One of his brothers was waiting for him. The giant said, "I have a good fat meal outside in my bag. Come out and see it." When they opened the bag, it was empty. The giant was very cross. But with his brother he sat before the fire to eat greedily what food he had in his cave.
When the boys reached home, they told their people what had happened to them. The people set out to find the giants. Soon they came to their cave. The giant and his brother were sleeping before the fire after their hearty meal. The people hid in the trees and shot at the giants. An arrow struck the old giant. He awoke and said to his brother, "I have a stitch in my side." But soon a shower of arrows struck them and they fell dead, and the place was troubled no more by giants.