orange fairy book

Chapter 45 The Musician's Story
Long, long ago, there lived a great musician.

One day, he was walking in the woods, thinking about this for a while, thinking about that for a while, and finally had nothing to think about.

He said to himself, "I am alone in the woods, and the time is passing so hard, I must find myself a pleasant companion."

He took out the violin, and kept playing, and kept playing, until the echo came.After a while, a wolf came to the musician through the thick woods.

"Oh, it's a wolf, isn't it?" he said. "I don't want to have anything to do with it."

But the wolf came and said, "My dear musician, how well you play! I wish you could teach me."

"It's easy to learn," said the musician, "just do as I tell you."

"I will," said the wolf. "You will know that I am the brightest student."

So they walked together and kept each other company.After walking for a while, I came to an old oak tree, which was hollow and had a crack in the trunk.

"If you want to learn to play the violin, here's your chance. Put your front paws on the crack."

The wolf complied.The musician quickly grabbed a stone and nailed the wolf's front paws firmly to the crack.

"Wait here for my return," said the musician, and left.

After a while, he said to himself again: "I am alone in the forest, and the time is so heavy, I must find myself a pleasant companion."

So, he took out his violin and played a tune vigorously, and a fox slipped over from between the trees.

"Aha, what is it this time?" said the musician. "Fox. I'm not interested in keeping him company."

The fox walked up to him and said, "My dear friend, you play the qin very well. I want to learn from you."

"Nothing is easier," said the musician, "you just have to listen to me."

"Of course." said the fox, "I will listen to what you say."

"Okay. Come with me," said the musician.

They walked some distance and came to a path lined with trees on both sides.The musician stopped, bent down a hazel branch, put his foot on it, then bent down the branch on the other side of the road, and said: "If you want to learn, stick out your left front paw, little fox."

The fox complied.The musician tied its left front paw with a branch.

"Now stick out the right front paw," he said.

He bound the fox's right front paw with another branch, which he checked again, was indeed secure, and he let go, and the branch sprang up, and hung the poor fox in mid-air.

"Wait here for my return," said the musician, and left.

He said to himself again, "I am alone in the woods, and the time is passing so hard, I must find myself a companion."

He took out the violin again and played a cheerful tune.This time, a hare came running.

"Oh, here comes a hare," said the musician, "I don't want it to accompany me."

"You play very well, Mr. Violinist," said Little Hare. "I wish I could learn."

"It's easy to learn," said the musician, "just do as I tell you."

"I can do that," said the hare. "You will think me the most attentive student."

They went on a little way, and came to a thin grove, where there was a poplar tree, and the musician tied a long rope around the hare's neck, and tied the other end to the tree.

"Now, happy little boy, run twenty laps around the tree," said the musician.

After hearing what he said, the little rabbit ran around the tree twenty times.Twenty turns of the rope were made round the tree, and the poor little creature was fastened so tightly that it was useless to kick and bite, but to strangle his neck still more tightly.

"Wait for me to come back." The musician said and left.

At this moment, the wolf pulled and tugged and bit and scratched on the stone, and finally ran out.It went after the musician in a rage, determined to tear him to pieces.

Seeing it pass by, the fox yelled hoarsely: "Brother wolf, come and save me, the musician has tricked me!"

The wolf tore the branches down, and bit two in pieces, and set the fox free, and they set off together, vowing to take revenge on the musician.On the way, they saw the poor little hare again, rescued it too, and set off together to find their common enemy.

At this time, the musician played the violin again, this time he was much luckier, the sound attracted the woodcutter, he left his work, and came to listen to the music with his axe.

"Finally someone to keep me company," said the musician.

The music was so beautiful that the woodcutter was fascinated by it, and his heart beat with the rhythm of the music.

As he stood there, wolves, foxes, and hares came, and the woodcutter knew that they were up to no good. He raised his ax to block the musician, and said, "If you dare to touch a hair of his hair, I will let you eat it." suffer."

The animals were terrified, and ran back together into the woods.The musician thanked the woodcutter by playing one of his best pieces, and left.

(End of this chapter)