The Owl and the Ass

A blind ass, which had undertaken a long journey, wandered from the road into a forest. As the night came on, our foolish fellow went so far into the thicket（灌木丛） that it couldn't move either backward or forward; and even one who had eyes would have been unable to get out of that difficulty. But an owl, by good luck, happened to be in the neighbourhood, and offered to act as a guide to the ass.

We all know how well owls see at night. Hills, hillocks, ditches, precipices（悬崖） - all these our owl distinguished as if it had been daylight, and, by daybreak, it had made its way with the ass to the level road. Now, how could any one part with such a guide? So the ass entreated（恳求） the owl not to desert it, and de termined to visit the whole world in the owl's company.  

Our owl seated itself like a lord on the back of the ass, and the two friends began to continue their journey, But did it prosper? No. The sun had scarcely begun to glow in the morning sky, when a greater than nocturnal（夜的） darkness did everything from the owl's eyes, But our owl is obstinate（顽固的）, it directs the ass at random.

"Take care!" it cries, "We shall tumble into a pool, if we go to the right."

There was really no pool on the right, but on the left there was even worse.

"Keep more to the left-another pace to the left!"

And, the owl and the ass fell into the ravine（山涧，峡谷） together.