The Story of a Seal　海豹的故事

Some years ago a German Artist was traveling in Norway,on foot,with his knapsack on his back and his stick in his hand.He lodged most of time in the cottages that he fell in with on his road.In one of them there was a seal,which the fisherman had found on the sand,after harpooning the mother of the poor animal.No sooner was it admitted into the cottage than the seal became the friend of the family and the playmate of the children.It played from morning till night with them,would lick their hands,and call them with a gentle little cry,which is not unlike the human voice,and it would look at them tenderly with its large blue eyes,shaded by long black lashes.It almost always followed its master to fish,swimming around the boat and taking a great many fish,which it delivered to the fisherman without even giving them a bite.A dog could not have been more devoted,faithful,teachable,or even more intelligent.

几年前，一位德国艺术家背着背包，拿着手杖在挪威徒步旅行。多数时候他就在路边随便找个村舍投宿。其中有一家村舍里养着一头海豹，那头海豹是渔夫在沙滩上捡到的，当时，这个小可怜的妈妈已经丧命在他的鱼叉之下了。小海豹一进村舍就成了这家人的朋友和孩子们的玩伴。它和孩子们从早玩到晚，舔他们的手，细声细气地呼唤他们，声音和人没什么两样。黑黑的睫毛，蓝蓝的大眼睛，看着孩子们时总是那么温和。每次主人去捕鱼，小海豹几乎都跟着。它在船的四周游来游去，捉很多的鱼。它把这些鱼全都如数交给渔夫，连咬都不咬一口。即便是猎狗，也没有它敬业，没有它忠诚，没有它可教，甚至也没有它聪明。