英文幽默故事：The Death of A Man Eater

Tigers eat flesh of other animals in the forest. Generally tigers do not kill tigers. They like only the flesh of other animals. A tiger has to be very quick in catching¹ other animals. But an old tiger or a wounded tiger can not run fast. At such times it can only catch people. People can not run as fast as animals. Therefore they became easy prey² to tigers or other animals. After eating human flesh once, a tiger will not get any other flesh. Such a tiger is called a man-eater. 

 

Once a tiger in a jungle in Uttar Pradesh in India turned a man-eater. It had killed women and men in the forest. These people had gone into the forest to collect firewood, fruits, roots and other things. After such incidents people stopped going into the forest. 

 

Then the man-eater started to visit the nearby villages quite often. It killed people or domestic³ animals. The villages became panicky. The concerned government wanted to do something. It requested Jim Corbett to help the villagers. He agreed to track down the man-eater. 

 

Jim Corbett was an expert hunter. He had developed a lot of experience with tigers and other wild animals. He was a lover of wild life. He did not like to kill wild animals for pleasure or sport. But he had not hesitated to kill man-eaters. This was only to help the people in trouble. 

 

Jim Corbett arrived at the village with his rifle. The rifle was a powerful one. It could kill big and strong animals like the lion, the tiger and elephant. He had collected all the information regarding the man-eater. He selected a place. The tiger used to come there often. Jim Corbett built a platform. This platform was fixed⁴ on a high branch. A young buffalo⁵ was tied to the nearby tree. Jim Corbett waited all night. But the tiger did not come. Perhaps it had scented⁶ the hiding man and his powerful. 

 

Jim Corbett changed his plan. He went back to the village. After that the tiger came. It killed the buffalo. Then it dragged the dead buffalo in the jungle. The villagers told Jim Corbett this news. Jim Corbett then went into the forest in search of the tiger. At last he reached the place. He climbed a tree to find out the tiger. The tiger had eaten a portion of the dead body of the buffalo. It was lying at a distance. Slowly and cautiously⁷ he followed the track. He found the tiger resting after a good meal. At first he hesitated to shoot a sleeping tiger. But then this was not a good tiger. It was a man-eater. With this thought in mind, he sent two bullets into the sleeping tiger’s head. The tiger died at once. The villagers were happy. 

 

Jim Corbett was rewarded for his bravery.  

1 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

2 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

3 domestic   

adj.家里的，国内的，本国的；n.家仆，佣人

参考例句：

• This is domestic news.这是国内新闻。
• She does the domestic affairs every day.她每天都忙家务。

4 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

5 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

6 scented   

adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词)

参考例句：

• I let my lungs fill with the scented air. 我呼吸着芬芳的空气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The police dog scented about till he found the trail. 警犬嗅来嗅去，终于找到了踪迹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 cautiously   

adv.小心地，谨慎地；小心翼翼；翼翼

参考例句：

• She walked cautiously up the drive towards the door. 她小心翼翼地沿着车道向门口走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》