THE TALE OF SQUIRREL NUTKIN

This is a tale about a tail—a tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin. He had a brother called Twinkleberry, and a great many cousins; they lived in a wood at the edge of a lake.

In the middle of the lake there is an island covered with trees and nut bushes; and amongst those trees stands a hollow oak-tree, which is the house of an owl who is called Old Brown.

One autumn when the nuts were ripe, and the leaves on the hazel bushes were golden and green—Nutkin and Twinkleberry and all the other little squirrels came out of the wood, and down to the edge of the lake.

They made little rafts out of twigs, and they paddled away over the water to Owl Island to gather nuts. Each squirrel had a little sack and a large oar, and spread out his tail for a sail. They also took with them an offering of three fat mice as a present for Old Brown, and put them down upon his door-step.

Then Twinkleberry and the other little squirrels each made a low bow, and said politely—

“Old Mr. Brown, will you favour us with permission to gather nuts upon your island?”

But Nutkin was excessively impertinent in his manners. He bobbed up and down like a little red cherry, singing—

“Riddle me, riddle me, rot-tot-tote!

A little wee man in a red red coat!

A staff in his hand, and a stone in his throat;

If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a groat.”

Now this riddle is as old as the hills; Mr. Brown paid no attention whatever to Nutkin. He shut his eyes obstinately and went to sleep.

The squirrels fill their little sacks with nuts, and sailed away home in the evening.

But next morning they all came back again to Owl Island; and Twinkleberry and the others brought a fine fat mole, and laid it on the stone in front of Old Brown's doorway, and said—

“Mr. Brown, will you favor us with your gracious permission to gather some more nuts?”

But Nutkin, who had no respect, began to dance up and down, tickling old Mr. Brown with a nettle and singing—

“Old Mr. B! Riddle-me-ree!

Hitty Pitty within the wall,

Hitty Pitty without the wall;

If you touch Hitty Pitty,

Hitty Pitty will bite you!”

Mr. Brown woke up suddenly and carried the mole into his house. He shut the door in Nutkin's face. Presently a little thread of blue smoke from a wood fire came up from the top of the tree, and Nutkin peeped through the key-hole and sang—

“A house full, a hole full!

And you cannot gather a bowl-full!”

The squirrels searched for nuts all over the island and filled their little sacks. But Nutkin gathered oak-apples—yellow and scarlet—and sat upon a beech-stump playing marbles, and watching the door of old Mr. Brown.

On the third day the squirrels got up very early and went fishing; they caught seven fat minnows as a present for Old Brown. They paddled over the lake and landed under a crooked chestnut tree on Owl Island.

Twinkleberry and six other little squirrels each carried a fat minnow; but Nutkin, who had no nice manners, brought no present at all. He ran in front, singing—

“The man in the wilderness said to me,

‘How many strawberries grow in the sea?’

I answered him as I thought good—

‘As many red herrings as grow in the wood.’”

But old Mr. Brown took no interest in riddles—not even when the answer was provided for him.

On the fourth day the squirrels brought a present of six fat beetles, which were as good as plums in plum-pudding for Old Brown. Each beetle was wrapped up carefully in a dock-leaf, fastened with a pine-needle pin.

But Nutkin sang as Rudely as ever—

“Old Mr. B.! Riddle-me-ree!

Flour of England, fruit of Spain,

Met together in a shower of rain;

Put in a bag tied round with a string,

If you'll tell me this riddle I'll give you a ring!”

Which was ridiculous of Nutkin, because he had not got any ring to give to Old Brown.

The other squirrels hunted up and down the nut bushes; but Nutkin gathered robin's pin-cushions off a briar bush, and stuck them full of pine-needle pins.

On the fifth day the squirrels brought a present of wild honey; it was so sweet and sticky that they licked their fingers as they put it down upon the stone. They had stolen it out of a bumble bees' nest on the tippitty top of the hill.

But Nutkin skipped up and down, singing—

“Hum-a-bum! buzz! buzz! Hum-a-bum buzz!

As I went over Tipple-tine

I met a flock of bonny swine;

Some yellow-nacked, some yellow backed!

They were the very bonniest swine

That e'er went over Tipple-tine.”

Old Mr. Brown turned up his eyes in disgust at the impertinence of Nutkin. But he ate up the honey!

The squirrels filled their little sacks with nuts.

But Nutkin sat upon a big flat rock, and played ninepins with a crab apple and green fir-cones.

On the sixth day, which was Saturday, the squirrels came again for the last time; they brought a new-laid egg in a little rush basket as a last parting present for Old Brown.

But Nutkin ran in front laughing, and shouting—

“Humpty Dumpty lies in the beck,

With a white counterpane round his neck,

Forty doctors and forty wrights,

Cannot put Humpty Dumpty to rights!”

Now old Mr. Brown took an interest in eggs; he opened one eye and shut it again. But still he did not speak.

Nutkin became more and more impertinent—

“Old Mr. B! Old Mr. B!

Hickamore, Hackamore, on the King's kitchen door;

All the King's horses, and all the King's men,

Couldn't drive Hickamore, Hackamore,

Off the King's kitchen door!”

Nutkin danced up and down like a sunbeam, but still Old Brown said nothing at all.

Nutkin began again—

“Arthur O'Bower has broken his band,

He comes roaring up the land!

The King of Scots with all his power,

Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!”

Nutkin made a whirring noise to sound like the wind, and he took a running jump right onto the head of Old Brown! ... Then all at once there was a flutterment and a scufflement and a loud “Squeak!”

The other squirrels scuttered away into the bushes. When they came back very cautiously, peeping round the tree—there was Old Brown sitting on his door-step, quite still, with his eyes closed, as if nothing had happened. But Nutkin was in his waist-coat pocket!

This looks like the end of the story; but it isn't.

Old Brown carried Nutkin into his house, and held him up by the tail, intending to skin him; but Nutkin pulled so very hard that his tail broke in two, and he dashed up the staircase, and escaped out of the attic window.

And to this day, if you meet Nutkin up a tree and ask him a riddle, he will throw sticks at you, and stamp his feet and scold, and shout—

“Cuck-cuck-cuck-cur-r-r cuck-k-k!”

THE END

松鼠坚果金的故事

这是一个关于一条尾巴的故事——这条尾巴属于一只红色的小松鼠，他的名字叫作坚果金。他有一个兄弟，名字叫闪闪莓，另外他还有许多堂兄弟和表兄弟。他们都住在湖边的一个树林里。

在湖的中央，有一个小岛，岛上长满了树和结坚果的灌木，在那些树中，有一棵空心的橡树，那是一只名叫老灰灰的猫头鹰的家。

有一年秋天，坚果都成熟了，榛树的叶子有的金灿灿的，有的绿油油的——坚果金和闪闪莓以及其他所有小松鼠都走出树林，来到湖边。

他们用小树枝做成木筏子，划向猫头鹰岛去采坚果。每只小松鼠都带了一个小口袋，手握一根大桨，将尾巴撑起并展开作为船帆。他们还带了三只肥肥的老鼠，作为送给老灰灰的礼物，他们将老鼠放在了老灰灰家门前的台阶上。

闪闪莓和其他的小松鼠都深深地鞠躬，很有礼貌地说：

“灰灰老先生，您能慷慨地允许我们在您的岛上采坚果吗？”

但是坚果金却格外鲁莽无礼。他上蹿下跳，像颗小红樱桃一样，同时还唱着：

猜谜啦，猜谜啦，啰哒哟！

一个小小人，穿着红红袄！

手里拿权杖，喉咙卡石头；

要是你猜到，给你四便士。

这个谜语像山一样古老，而灰先生却根本没有理会坚果金。他只是自顾自地闭着眼睛，睡他的觉。

松鼠们在他们的小口袋里面装满了坚果，傍晚时划着筏子回家了。

第二天一早，他们又都来到了猫头鹰岛，闪闪莓和其他松鼠带来了一只肥美的鼹鼠，将它放在老灰灰家门口的石头上，说：

“灰先生，您能好心允许我们再采些坚果吗？”

但是坚果金没有表现出一点儿敬意，他开始手舞足蹈，上下乱跳，他手里握着一根荨麻逗弄灰灰老先生，同时唱道：

灰老先生啊！来猜谜呀！

墙里长着尖尖刺，

墙外长着尖尖刺，

要是你敢碰碰刺，

尖尖刺儿咬死你！

灰先生突然间醒了过来，将鼹鼠带到了自己的房子里。他当着坚果金的面关上了门，很快，柴火点燃了，从树顶上冒出了一缕青烟。坚果金透过钥匙孔向内窥探，他又唱道：

屋也满，洞也满！

你却收不齐一碗！

松鼠们在整个岛上四处寻找坚果，填满他们的小口袋。而坚果金却收集了一些橡果——有黄色的，也有深红色的——他坐在一个山毛榉树的树桩上，将橡果当作弹珠玩，一边玩一边盯着灰灰老先生的家门口。

第三天，松鼠们很早就起床了，然后就去钓鱼，他们钓到了七条肥硕硕的米诺鱼，作为送给老灰灰的礼物。他们划着筏子过湖，在一棵长得弯曲的栗子树下登上猫头鹰岛。

闪闪莓和另外六只小松鼠各拿着一只肥肥的米诺鱼。而坚果金则表现得更没有礼貌了，根本没有带礼物。他却跑在最前面，边跑边唱：

荒野里的那人来问我：

“海里长了多少草莓果？”

我细细想过才开口说：

“和林里红鲱鱼一样多。”

但是老灰灰先生对谜语不感兴趣，即便把答案告诉他，他也不感兴趣。

第四天，松鼠们给老灰灰带了六只肥肥的甲虫作为礼物，这对老灰灰来说，就像是李子布丁里面的李子一样好。每只甲虫都被包在一片阔叶草的草叶中，还用松针封了口。

而坚果金像以往一样粗野地唱着：

老灰先生！来跟我猜个谜！

英格兰的面粉，西班牙的水果，

在一场小雨中相遇成了一国；

把它们装进口袋里，再系上绳子，

你要是能告诉我谜底，我就给你一枚戒指。

坚果金这么说实在很可笑，因为他根本没有什么戒指可以送给老灰灰。

其他的松鼠在坚果灌木中钻来钻去地采坚果，但是坚果金却从石楠丛中找到了知更鸟的插针垫，在上面插满了松针。

第五天，松鼠们带了野蜂蜜作为礼物，那蜜又甜又黏，他们把蜜放下之后，都舔起了自己的手指。这蜜是他们从山顶上一个大黄蜂的蜂巢中偷来的。

而坚果金上蹿下跳地唱着：

哼哼嘣！嗡嗡嗡！哼嘣嗡！

我翻过那三叉山，

遇到一群美丽的猪；

有的黄脖子，有的黄脊背，

他们是三叉山上面

最最美丽的小猪！

面对坚果金的粗鲁无礼，老灰灰嫌弃地转过脸不看他。不过他倒是把蜜吃光了。

松鼠们把他们的小口袋里装满了坚果。

而坚果金却坐在一块大而平的石头上，用一颗沙果和一些青青的枞树球果玩起了保龄球游戏。

第六天是一个星期六，松鼠们最后一次来到猫头鹰岛，他们用一个灯芯草笼子装了一颗新下的鸡蛋，作为送给老灰灰的最后的告别礼物。

但是坚果金跑在最前面，一边大笑，一边大叫：

矮胖子躺在河中央，

脖子上缠着白床罩，

四十个医生和四十个工匠，

也没法子把矮胖子扶起来！

老灰灰对鸡蛋很感兴趣，他睁开了一只眼睛，然后又闭上了。但他一直没有说话。

坚果金却越来越粗鲁：

老灰先生！老灰先生！

马笼头，马缰绳，

挂在国王厨房门上；

国王全部的马，

国王全部的人，

也没法子把马笼头和马缰绳，

从国王厨房的门上取走！

坚果金像一束阳光一样跳来跳去，但老灰灰还是什么都没有说。

坚果金又开始唱道：

波尔的亚瑟挣断了链，

一路咆哮着上了岸！

苏格兰国王用尽了力，

也没法把亚瑟赶回去！

坚果金发出呼呼的叫声，好像风声一样，他助跑了一段，然后一跃而起，跳上了老灰灰的头。立刻，传来一阵翅膀的扑打声，接着便是一场厮打，还传来了一声很大声的“吱”！

其他松鼠全都四散奔逃，躲进了灌木丛中。等他们蹑手蹑脚地回来时，从大树后面偷看，只看到老灰灰坐在自家门前的台阶上，眼睛闭着，仿佛什么事都没有发生过，而坚果金此时却在老灰灰的马甲口袋里。

这似乎就是故事的结局了，不过还不是。

老灰灰把坚果金带到了自己的屋子里，提住他的尾巴，要把他的皮剥下来。但坚果金奋力挣扎，以致挣断了尾巴，他猛地冲上楼梯，从阁楼的窗子跳出去逃跑了。

直到今天，你要是在树上看到坚果金，请他猜个谜语，他准会向你扔树枝，并跺着脚大喊：

咯——咯——咯——咔——啦——啦——咯——咔——咔！