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One day the Mullah, an important man in the village, found his donkey was gone when he wanted to go visit a friend. He was very angry and ran around to look for his donkey.
一天，村里的头面人物毛拉，发现他的驴子丢失了。他本想骑驴去拜访朋友。他很生气，到处奔着寻找那头驴。
The Mullah ran about looking until he was too tired. He sat down to rest at his gate. A few friends came to join him.
毛拉四面八方寻找了一通，直到太累才歇息。他坐在门口休息。几位朋友也过来和他坐在一起。
"That no-good lazy donkey!" said he. "If I ever see her again, I'll sell her for a dollar!" Selling a donkey for a dollar was just a joke.
“那头不中用的懒驴！”他说。“要是我重新见到她，愿一块钱将她卖掉！”一块钱卖掉他的驴，仅是说来玩的。
Just then the Mullah heard the sound of his donkey's feet. He looked around. There was his donkey. On her back rode a boy.
就在那时，毛拉听到驴子的蹄声。他的驴子出现了，由一个男孩骑着过来。
"Where did you find her?" asked the Mullah. "We couldn't find her anywhere."
“你在哪里找到她的？”毛拉问。“我们到处都没有找到。”
"I knew where I would go if I were a donkey," said the boy. "I found her eating grass with the sheep and goats."
“要是我是驴，我晓得应该上哪儿去，”男孩说。“我看见她时，他正在跟山羊、绵羊一起吃草呢。”
Suddenly, the Mullah looked to one side and saw one of his friends holding up a dollar. On the other side he saw another with a dollar.
突然，毛拉侧过脸，看见他的一位朋友伸出握着一块钱的手；朝另一侧一看，又有一人递过来一块钱。
"I'll buy your donkey, " said the two.
“我想要买你的驴子，”两人异口同声说。
"I was joking!" said the Mullah.
“我刚才是说着玩的！”毛拉说。
"You didn't sound as if you were joking, " said the two.
“你听上去不像是说着玩的，”两人说。
The Mullah couldn't break his word. That would be wrong for an important person in the village. He certainly didn't want to sell his donkey for a dollar. So he said, "Meet me at the donkey fair on Saturday. I shall sell her at that time. I shall sell my donkey to the one who will treat her most kindly."
毛拉不能食言。村里的要人不能这样做。但他当然不愿一块钱出售驴子。于是他说，“我们星期六在驴市场会面。那时候我将驴子卖给你们。我将把她卖给待她最仁慈的人。”
Everybody was kind to animals in the village. So the Mullah thought out a plan. He wanted to keep his word and also to keep his donkey.
村子里人人对动物都很仁慈。因此毛拉想出一个计谋，他既要守信，又要守住自己的驴子。
On the night before the donkey fair, the Mullah bought a piece of rope. No one had any idea why the Mullah should want a piece of rope.
在驴市场举行前夕，毛拉买了一根绳子。没人知道毛拉要绳子干什么。
On Saturday, man and boy in the village came to the donkey fair.
星期六，村里的男人和男孩都来到驴市场。
They found a cat tied with a piece of rope to the tail of the Mullah's donkey! Beside them stood the Mullah, who looked happy.
人们发现，有一只猫被用绳子拴在毛拉的驴子的尾巴上！边上站着乐哈哈的毛拉。
"It is true, I'll sell my donkey for a dollar," said the Mullah. "Just one thing, though. My donkey and my cat are very good friends. They must not be parted. The kind man who buys my donkey must buy my cat also."
“的确，我将以一块钱出售驴子，”毛拉说。“然而得有一椿条件。我的驴和我的猫是好朋友，他们不得分离。哪位仁慈心肠的人要买我的驴，也必须买我的猫。”
"How much is your cat?" asked many voices.
“你的猫要卖多少钱？”七嘴八舌在问。
"Oh, my cat is a very important animal," said the Mullah. "Her father caught a mouse for a king. Her mother caght a mouse for the Queen. She is one of the finest of cats. For such a great cat I want one hundred dollars."
“哦，我的猫可是头非常显赫的动物，”毛拉说。“她父亲曾经替国王逮住一只老鼠。她母亲替王后逮过一只老鼠。她是猫中最姣好的。这只猫我要价一百块。”
The men laughed, and gave up the idea of owning the donkey.
人们都笑了，也放弃了得到那头驴的想法。
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