THE TALE OF SQUIRREL NUTKIN（3）

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 crooked¹ chestnut² tree on Owl³ 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 wilderness⁴ 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 riddles⁶ — not even when the answer was provided for him.
On the fourth day the squirrels brought a present of six fat beetles⁸, which were as good as plums in plum-puddingfor Old Brown. Each beetle⁷ was wrapped up carefully in a dock-leaf, fastened with a pine-needle pin.
But Nutkin sang as rudely as ever —
“Old Mr. B! riddle⁵-me-reeFlour 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 pincushions 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-tineI met a flock of bonny swine;Some yellow-nacked, some yellow backed!They were the very bonniest swineThat 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 crab⁹ apple and green fir-cones.

第三天，松鼠们很早就起床去钓鱼。他们钓了七条胖胖的鲦鱼，作为送给老布朗的礼
物。他们划着木筏，来到猫头鹰岛的岸边，在一棵弯了腰的栗子树下上了岸。
闪光贝里和其他六只松鼠的手里都提着一条肥鲦鱼。但是，没礼貌的坚果金却没带任
何礼物。他跑在最前面，边跑边唱：
荒野中有人问我：
“多少草莓海里长？”
我知道怎么回答他：
“就像多少鱼儿林中藏。”
这次坚果金说出了答案，但是老布朗还是对猜谜没兴趣。
第四天，松鼠们又带来六只胖甲虫给老布朗做礼物。他们把每只甲虫都用阔叶草小心
包好，用松针扎起来。这些甲虫就像李子布丁里的李子一样好吃。
坚果金仍然像以前那样粗鲁地唱着歌：
老布快快来猜谜！
英国的面，西班牙的果，
大雨把它们全掺和，
装进口袋绳紧系。
猜出戒指送给你！
坚果金可真是荒唐，因为他并没有什么戒指可以送给老布朗。
其他松鼠在坚果丛中来回搜寻坚果。但是，坚果金却跑到石楠丛里采集绒毛球果，还
在上面插满松针来玩儿。
第五天，松鼠们带来野生蜂蜜作为礼物。蜂蜜又甜又黏，他们把它放在门口的石阶
上，然后舔干净手指。蜂蜜是他们从山顶的蜂巢里偷偷采来的。
坚果金依然在蹦蹦跳跳地唱着歌：
嗡嗡嗡，嗡嗡嗡！
我一下翻过小山顶，
遇到一群小精灵，
有的脖儿黄，有的脊背黄。
这些小精灵真漂亮，
就在那高高的山顶上。
老布朗睁开眼睛，对坚果金的无礼投以厌恶的目光。
但是，他吃光了那些蜂蜜。
松鼠们忙着把自己的小口袋塞满坚果。
坚果金却坐在一块平坦的大岩石上，用野生酸苹果和杉木球果玩起了保龄球。