Chapter 44
The Fairy, seeing him run and jump around the room gay as a bird onwing, said to him:
"Mymedicine was good for you, after all, wasn't it?""Good indeed! It hasgiven me new life.""Why, then, did I have to beg you so hard tomakeyou drink it?""I'm a boy, you see, and all boys hate medicinemorethan they do sickness.""What a shame! Boys ought to know, afterall, thatmedicine, taken in time, can save them from much painand even from death.""Nexttime I won't have to be begged so hard. I'llremember those black Rabbits withthe black coffin ontheir shoulders and I'll take the glass and pouf!--downitwill go!"
"Comehere now and tell me how it came about thatyou found yourself in the hands ofthe Assassins.""It happened that Fire Eater gave me five goldpiecesto give to my Father, but on the way, I met a Fox and aCat, who asked me,`Do you want the five pieces to becometwo thousand?' And I said, `Yes.' Andthey said,`Come with us to the Field of Wonders.' And I said,`Let's go.' Thenthey said, `Let us stop at the Inn of theRed Lobster for dinner and aftermidnight we'll set outagain.' We ate and went to sleep. When I awoke theyweregone and I started out in the darkness all alone. On the road I met twoAssassins dressed in black coal sacks,who said to me, `Your money or yourlife!' and I said,`I haven't any money'; for, you see, I had put the moneyundermy tongue. One of them tried to put his hand inmy mouth and I bit it off andspat it out; but it wasn't ahand, it was a cat's paw. And they ran after me andIran and ran, till at last they caught me and tied my neckwith a rope andhanged me to a tree, saying, `Tomorrowwe'll come back for you and you'll bedead and yourmouth will be open, and then we'll take the gold piecesthat youhave hidden under your tongue.'""Where are the gold pieces now?"the Fairy asked.
仙女看见他满屋子又跑又跳，又利落又高兴，活像一只刚会啼的小公鸡，就对他说：
“瞧，我的药水可不是真把你治好了？”
“还有说的！它让我活下来了！……”
“可为什么刚才让你喝药水，要那么左求右求呢，”
“我们孩子都这样！我们比怕生病更怕喝药水。”
“真不害臊！……孩子们应该知道，及时吃进良药可以治好大病，甚至可以不死……”
“噢！下回我就不要那么左求右求了！我要记住那些抬棺材的黑兔……那我就马上抓过杯子喝下去！……”
“现在你过来，告诉我你是怎么落到那些杀人强盗手里的。”
“是这么回事。木偶戏班班主吃火人给了我几个金币，对我说：‘来，把它们带回去给你爸爸！’可我在路上碰到一只狐狸和一只猫，它们两个很好，对我说：‘你想让这几个金币变成一两千个吗，跟我们来，我们带你上“奇迹宝地”去’。我说：‘咱们走吧。’他们说：‘咱们在红虾旅馆歇会儿，过了半夜再走。’等我醒来，他们已经不在了，他们走了。于是我一个人走。夜黑得要命。路上我碰到两个杀人强盗，身上套着装炭的口袋。他们对我说：‘把钱拿出来。’我说：‘我没钱。’因为我把那四个金币藏在嘴里。一个杀人强盗想把手伸进我的嘴巴。我一口咬下他的手，把它吐出来。可吐出来的不是手，是一只猫爪子。两个杀人强盗就追我。我拼命地逃。最后它们把我捉住，套着脖子给吊在这林子里的一棵树上，说：‘我们明天再来，到那时你就死了，嘴巴张开了，我们就把你藏在舌头底下的金币拿出来。’”
“你这四个金币，现在搁哪儿啦？”仙女问他。
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