Prevod
Smrdljivci sploh niso zahajali v družbo. Bili so zelo nepriljubljeni in toliko prebivalcev gozda se jih je balo ali jih ni maralo, da jih nihče ni povabil na zabavo. Če bi jih kdo res povabil in bi prišli, bi drugi gostje takoj odšli. Drobni gozdni prebivalci so se jih bali, ker so jedli meso, večji pa jih niso marali zaradi njihovih neprijetnih navad. Smrdljivci so bili lepi in tihi, vendar nagle jeze, in brž ko se je kateri razjezil, je tistega, ki mu je šel na živce, poškropil s strašno smrdljivo tekočino. Ta ni le grozno smrdela, temveč je tistim, ki so jo morali dalj časa vohati, povzročila hudo slabost in bi jih celo ubila, če ne bi ostali na svežem zraku. Če je komu na kožuh kanila ena sama kapljica te tekočine, so se ga morali še žena in otroci dolgo izogibati.
Pa kako nerazumni so bili Smrdljivci! Niso se ustavili, da bi ugotovili, kaj je pravzaprav narobe. Če se je kdo v temi po nesreči zaletel vanje, se je kaj lahko zgodilo, da so ga nemudoma poškropili. Med seboj pa so bili, kot je kazalo, povsem srečni. V vsaki družini se je naenkrat rodilo od šest do deset otrok. Ti so živeli v brlogu z očetom in materjo do naslednje pomladi, najhladnejše zimske dni nepretrgoma prespali in se prebujali le, kadar je bilo dovolj toplo, da so lahko uživali v življenju. Ko je prišla pomlad, so bili že odrasli in so odšli živet po svoje v nove brloge, njihove matere pa so skrbele za šest ali sedem ali osem ali devet ali deset novih mladičkov.
V gozdu je živela zelo zanimiva družina Smrdljivcev: oče, mati in osem otrok, vsi v enem brlogu. Niti dva nista imela povsem enakih lis, čeprav so bili vsi čokati, imeli so majhne glave, drobna okrogla ušesa in lepe dolge repe, porasle z mehko, povešeno dlako. Njihov kožuh je bil precej dolg in lep, skoraj po vsem telesu pa temno rjav ali črn. Večina jih je imela belo progo na čelu, belo liso na vratu, nekaj bele dlake na repu in dve beli progi po hrbtu. Zaradi bele dlake jih je bilo tudi v soju zvezd dokaj lahko opaziti.
Smrdljivci so bili na svoje bele proge in lise resnično zelo ponosni. »Ni toliko pomembno, da imamo belo dlako,« so nekoč slišali reči gospo Smrdljivko, »ampak to, da jo imamo tam, kjer jo lahko vsi vidijo. Večina živali ima temen kožuh na hrbtu in svetlega na trebuhu, da so varnejše pred sovražniki. Mi pa si ga upamo nositi na očeh vsem. Nikoli nas ni strah.«
In kar je rekla, je bilo res, čeprav se je komajda zdelo skromno, da je o tem tako govorila. Vljudneje bi bilo, če bi pustila drugim pripovedovati, kako pogumna je njena družina. Vendar bi morda kdo drug dejal, da je del njihovega poguma pravzaprav nevljudnost.
Oče Smrdljivec je svojim otrokom vedno govoril tako, kot je njegov oče govoril njemu, in najbrž tako, kot je govoril tudi njegov ded, ko je vzgajal svojo družino. »Nikomur se ne umikajte s poti,« jim je dejal. »Naj se umakne drugi. Zapomnite si to, ne glede na to, koga srečate in kako velik je. Če vas vidi, se vam bo umaknil, če se ne more, pa to ni vaša krivda. Ne ogovarjajte ga in ne hitite. Vedno si vzemite čas.«
Oče Smrdljivec je bil počasen in dostojanstven. Prav vredno ga je bilo videti, ko se je odpravil na nočno potepanje: stopal je počasi in enakomerno, svoj lepi rep pa nosil visoko nad hrbtom. Vedno je hodil sam. »Eden je družba, dva sta že gneča,« je govoril, ko je odhajal. Ko so bili mladi Smrdljivci dovolj stari, so se tudi sami začeli odpravljati na pot takoj po mraku. Tudi mati Smrdljivka je hodila sama in morda je prav ona najbolj uživala, saj si je lahko pošteno oddahnila, ko se ji osem mladičkov ni več prekopicavalo po hrbtu, se ji motovililo pod nogami in se je oprijemalo z dvaintridesetimi tačkami, včasih pa jo celo praskalo s sto šestdesetimi krempeljci. Čez dan so še vedno spali v starem brlogu, tako da so bili veliko časa skupaj, niso pa lovili v skupinah kakor Rakuni in Podlasice.
Eden od bratov na repu ni imel niti ene bele dlake, zato so mu pravili Črnorepi Smrdljivec. Nekako je izvedel, da je na tleh ob pobočju, poraslem s praprotjo, gnezdo Zlatoglave pevke, in sklenil je, da ga bo že naslednjo noč poiskal ter pojedel jajca v njem.
Drugemu bratu so pravili Lisasti Smrdljivec, ker je imel na vratu tako veliko liso. Gnezdo Zlatoglave pevke je našel sam, ko se je zgodaj zjutraj vračal domov. Rad bi ga bil izropal že tedaj, vendar je tisto noč toliko pojedel, da se mu je zdelo bolje počakati.
Tako se je zgodilo, da sta imela dva od otrok, ko se je družina naslednjo noč prebudila, vsak svoje pomembne načrte. Nobeden jih ne bi izdal za nič na svetu, a med pripravami na odhod si nista mogla kaj, da ne bi nekoliko namigovala nanje.
»Aha!« je rekel Črnorepi Smrdljivec. »Jaz vem nekaj, česar vi ne veste.« »O, povej nam!« je vzkliknilo štiri ali pet drugih otrok, Lisasti Smrdljivec pa je obrnil glavo in rekel: »Pa ne veš!«
»Pa vem!« je odvrnil Črnorepi Smrdljivec. »Otroci! Otroci!« je vzkliknila gospa Smrdljivka, oče pa je dejal, da res ne ve, po kom so njegovi otroci podedovali prepirljivost, saj v njegovem rodu nihče nikoli ni ugovarjal ali se prerekal. Žena mu je rekla, da se ji zdijo prav pridni in da se gotovo vedejo veliko lepše kot večina Smrdljivcev njihove starosti. Nato je oče odkorakal nadvse dostojanstveno, stopal skoraj s celimi podplati na tla in nosil rep nekoliko više kot navadno.
»Pa vem nekaj, česar ti ne veš,« je ponovil Črnorepi Smrdljivec, »in to nekaj lepega.« »Ah!« je rekel Lisasti Smrdljivec. »Ne verjamem ti, pa tudi mar mi ni.«
»Vem, da ne veš, in vem, da bi hotel vedeti, če bi vedel, kaj vem jaz,« je rekel Črnorepi Smrdljivec, ki je bil zdaj že tako razburjen, da je komaj še spravil besede iz sebe.
»Otroci!« je vzkliknila mati. »Niti besedice več o tem. Ko bi se le prebujali dobre volje!« »On je začel,« je rekel Lisasti Smrdljivec, »pa saj se sploh ne prepirava. Ampak stavim, da bi marsikaj dal, če bi vedel, kam grem.«
»Otroci!« je ponovila mati. »Takoj pojdita. Ne dovolim, da tako govorita pred svojimi brati in sestrami. Ne postavajta in ne klepetajta, kar pojdita!«
Tako sta se brata odpravila v noč in vsak je sklenil ubrati ovinek, da bi prelisičil drugega. Črnorepi Smrdljivec je šel na desno, Lisasti Smrdljivec pa na levo, toda oba sta se, kot veste, v resnici namenila izropat gnezdo Zlatoglave pevke. Noč je bila zelo temna. Celo zvezde so bile vse skrite za gostimi oblaki in med hojo je človek komaj videl svoje prednje tačke. Seveda pa so nočni potepuhi v gozdu tega vajeni, in štirinožni prebivalci se ne spotaknejo in padejo tako zlahka kakor dvonožni. Poleg tega si morajo mladi Smrdljivci zapomniti, kje ležijo podrta debla in stojijo štori, prav kakor si morajo drugi zapomniti svoje učne naloge.
In tako sta se gospe Zlatoglavi pevki, medtem ko je srečno spala s štirimi jajci na varnem in toplem pod prsmi, iz različnih smeri bližala dva roparja. Kako prijetno gnezdece je imela! Na pobočju med praprotjo si je izbrala drobno vdolbino in iz suhih trav ter listja spretno spletla kroglasto gnezdo, ki se je lepo prilegalo vdolbini in je imelo na eni strani vhod.
Črnorepi Smrdljivec se je gnezdu prikradel z ene strani. Lisasti Smrdljivec se mu je prikradel z druge. V nekem trenutku se je Črnorepemu Smrdljivcu zazdelo, da sliši drugo bitje, ki se mu približuje. Prav tedaj se je tudi Lisastemu Smrdljivcu zazdelo, da nekoga sliši, zato se je ustavil in prisluhnil. Nobeden ni slišal ničesar. Gospa Zlatoglava pevka je bila prepričana, da je zunaj slišala zašelesteti list, in to jo je vznemirilo, dokler se ni spomnila, da je morda z bukve nad njo padla suha vejica in zadela suho listje spodaj.
Brata sta se počasi plazila proti gnezdu in drug proti drugemu. Premikala sta se zelo tiho, ker je vsak hotel, če bi le mogel, ujeti tudi ptičjo mater. Tik ob vdolbini z gnezdom sta se pritajila in skočila z odprtima gobčkoma in ostrimi zobmi, pripravljenimi na ugriz. Nenadoma je silovito zašumelo listje in praprot. Brata sta skočila naravnost drug v drugega, oba sta bila ugriznjena, zarenčala sta in zbežala. In kako sta tekla! Saj veste, Smrdljivci se le redko premikajo hitreje kot v koraku, kadar pa se zares prestrašijo, so zelo, zelo urni.
Gospa Zlatoglava pevka je začutila, kako se je streha gnezda za hip sesedla nanjo, ko sta se zunaj dva roparja valjala in renčala. Nato ju je slišala bežati v različni smeri in vedela je, da je vsaj za nekaj časa na varnem. Zjutraj je popravila gnezdo in svojim ptičjim prijateljem povedala, kaj se je zgodilo. Svetovali so ji, naj otroke odpelje čim prej po tem, ko se izvalijo. »Če so Smrdljivci našli tvoje gnezdo,« so rekli, »te utegnejo še enkrat obiskati.«
Ko se je Črnorepi Smrdljivec v prvem medlem svitu tik pred sončnim vzhodom prikradel domov, je našel Lisastega Smrdljivca, ki je preostali družini pripovedoval, kako je v temi nanj planila neka strašna, velika, divja zver in ga ugriznila v ramo. »Tako temno je bilo,« je dejal, »da je sploh nisem videl, vendar sem prepričan, da je moral biti Medved.«
Obrnili so se, da bi Črnorepemu Smrdljivcu povedali za bratovo nesrečo, in opazili, da hudo šepa. »Je Medved zgrabil tudi tebe?« so vzkliknili.
»Da,« je odgovoril. »Gotovo je bil Medved. Tako velik in močan in divji je bil. Ampak tudi jaz sem ga ugriznil. Ne bi zbežal pred njim, če ne bi bil toliko večji od mene.«
»Pri meni je bilo čisto enako,« je rekel Lisasti Smrdljivec. »Ne bi zbežal, če ne bi bil tako velik.« »Morala bi ga poškropiti,« je rekel oče. »Potem bi bežal on.«
Brata sta povesila glavi. »Niti pomislila nisva na to,« sta vzkliknila. »Najbrž zato, ker sva bila tako presenečena in ga nisva videla prihajati.«
»No,« je strogo rekel oče, »menda je treba biti potrpežljiv z otroki, toda zaradi takega vedenja, ki se za Smrdljivca prav nič ne spodobi, me je obeh zelo sram.« Nato sta ugriznjena brata osramočena odšla spat, čeprav sta se materi smilila in ju je imela rada, kakor imajo matere rade svoje otroke tudi tedaj, ko so poredni ali strahopetni.
Neke noči, nekaj časa pozneje, sta se brata po naključju srečala spodaj ob pobočju s praprotjo. Mesec je svetlo sijal in ustavila sta se, da bi poklepetala, saj sta bila oba zelo dobre volje. Črnorepi Smrdljivec je rekel: »Pridi z mano, pa ti pokažem, kje je gnezdo Zlatoglave pevke.«
»Prav,« je odgovoril Lisasti Smrdljivec, »potem pa ti še jaz pokažem eno.« »Samo čakal sem na svetlo noč,« je rekel Črnorepi Smrdljivec, »ker sem nekoč prišel sem v temi in imel smolo.«
»Tu nekje blizu,« je rekel Lisasti Smrdljivec, »me je ugriznil Medved.« Ustavila sta se ob drobni vdolbini. »Tam je gnezdo,« je rekel Črnorepi Smrdljivec in pokazal z eno svojih dolgih prednjih tačk.
»Saj to je tisto, ki sem ga imel v mislih!« je vzkliknil Lisasti Smrdljivec. »Jaz sem ga prvi našel,« je rekel Črnorepi Smrdljivec, »in jajca bi že zdavnaj pojedel, če me ne bi ugriznil tisti Medved.«
Prav tedaj pa se je obema Smrdljivcema nekaj posvetilo. »Zdi se nama,« sta vzkliknila, »da sva ugriznila drug drugega!« »Prav gotovo sva se,« je rekel Lisasti Smrdljivec.
»Ampak tega ne bova nikoli povedala,« je rekel Črnorepi Smrdljivec. »Zdaj pa,« sta dodala oba hkrati, »pojejva vse!« A nista. Pravzaprav nista pojedla ničesar, saj so se jajca že izvalila, mlade ptice pa so zapustile gnezdo ravno prejšnji dan.
Izvirnik
The Skunks did not go into society at all. They were very unpopular, and so many people feared or disliked them that nobody would invite them to a party. Indeed, if they had been invited to a party and had gone, the other guests would have left at once. The small people of the forest feared them because they were meat-eaters, and the larger ones disliked them because of their disagreeable habits. The Skunks were handsome and quiet, but they were quick-tempered, and as soon as one of them became angry he threw a horrible smelling liquid on the people who displeased him. It was not only horrible smelling, but it made those who had to smell it steadily quite sick, and would, indeed, have killed them if they had not kept in the fresh air. If a drop of this liquid got on to a person, even his wife and children had to keep away from him for a long time.
And the Skunks were so unreasonable. They would not stop to see what was the real trouble, but if anybody ran into them by mistake in the darkness, they would just as likely as not throw the liquid at once. Among themselves they seemed to be quite happy. There were from six to ten children born at a time in each family. These children lived in the burrow with their father and mother until the next spring, sleeping steadily through the coldest weather of winter, and only awakening when it was warm enough for them to enjoy life. When spring came, the children found themselves grown-up and went off to live their own lives in new holes, while their mothers took care of the six or seven or eight or nine or ten new babies.
There was one very interesting Skunk family in the forest, with the father, mother, and eight children living in one hole. No two of them were marked in exactly the same way, although all were stoutly built, had small heads, little round ears, and beautiful long tails covered with soft, drooping hair. Their fur was rather long and handsome and they were dark brown or black nearly all over. Most of them had a streak of white on the forehead, a spot of it on the neck, some on the tail, and a couple of stripes of it on their backs. One could see them quite easily by starlight on account of the white fur.
The Skunks were really very proud of their white stripes and spots. "It is not so much having the white fur," Mrs. Skunk had been heard to say, "as it is having it where all can see it. Most animals wear the dark fur on their backs and the light on their bellies, and that is to make them safer from enemies. But we dare to wear ours in plain sight. We are never afraid."
And what she said was true, although it hardly seemed modest for her to talk about it in that way. It would have been more polite to let other people tell how brave her family were. Perhaps, however, if somebody else had been telling it, he would have said that part of their courage was rudeness.
Father Skunk always talked to his children as his father had talked to him, and probably as his grandfather had also talked when he was raising a family. "Never turn out of your way for anybody," said he. "Let the other fellow step aside. Remember that, no matter whom you meet and no matter how large the other people may be. If they see you, they will get out of your path, and if they can't it is not your fault. Don't speak to them and don't hurry. Always take your time."
Father Skunk was slow and stately. It was a sight worth seeing when he started off for a night's ramble, walking with a slow and measured gait and carrying his fine tail high over his back. He always went by himself. "One is company, two is a crowd," he would say as he walked away. When they were old enough, the young Skunks began to walk off alone as soon as it was dark. Mother Skunk also went alone, and perhaps she had the best time of all, for it was a great rest not to have eight babies tumbling over her back and getting under her feet and hanging on to her with their thirty-two paws, and sometimes even scratching her with their one hundred and sixty claws. They still slept through the days in the old hole, so they were together much of the time, but they did not hunt in parties, as Raccoons and Weasels do.
One of the brothers had no white whatever on his tail, so they called him the Black-tailed Skunk. He had heard in some way that there was an Ovenbird's nest on the ground by the fern bank, and he made up his mind to find it the very next night and eat the eggs which were inside.
Another brother was called the Spotted Skunk, because the spot on his neck was so large. He had found the Ovenbird's nest himself, while on his way home in the early morning. He would have liked to rob it then, but he had eaten so much that night that he thought it better to wait.
So it happened that when the family awakened the next night two of the children had important plans of their own. Neither of them would have told for anything, but they couldn't quite keep from hinting about it as they made themselves ready to go out.
"Aha!" said the Black-tailed Skunk. "I know something you don't know."
"Oh, tell us!" cried four or five of the other children, while the Spotted Skunk twisted his head and said, "You don't either!"
"I do too!" replied the Black-tailed Skunk.
"Children! Children!" exclaimed Mrs. Skunk, while their father said that he couldn't see where his children got their quarrelsome disposition, for none of his people had ever contradicted or disputed. His wife told him that she really thought them very good, and that she was sure they behaved much better than most Skunks of their age. Then their father walked off in his most stately manner, putting his feet down almost flat, and carrying his tail a little higher than usual.
"I do know something that you don't," repeated the Black-tailed Skunk, "and it's something nice, too."
"Aw!" said the Spotted Skunk. "I don't believe it, and I don't care anyhow."
"I know you don't know, and I know you'd want to know if you knew what I know," said the Black-tailed Skunk, who was now getting so excited that he could hardly talk straight.
"Children!" exclaimed their mother. "Not another word about that. I do wish you would wake up good-natured."
"He started it," said the Spotted Skunk, "and we're not quarrelling anyhow. But I guess he'd give a good deal to know where I'm going."
"Children!" repeated their mother. "Go at once. I will not have you talking in this way before your brothers and sisters. Do not stop to talk, but go!"
So the two brothers started out for the night and each thought he would go a roundabout way to fool the other. The Black-tailed Skunk went to the right, and the Spotted Skunk went to the left, but each of them, you know, really started to rob the Ovenbird's nest. It was a very dark night. Even the stars were all hidden behind thick clouds, and one could hardly see one's forepaws while walking. But, of course, the night-prowlers of the forest are used to this, and four-footed people are not so likely to stumble and fall as two-footed ones. Besides, young Skunks have to remember where logs and stumps of trees are, just as other people have to remember their lessons.
So it happened that, while Mrs. Ovenbird was sleeping happily with her four eggs safe and warm under her breast, two people were coming from different ways to rob her. Such a snug nest as it was! She had chosen a tiny hollow in the fern bank and had cunningly woven dry grasses and leaves into a ball-shaped nest, which fitted neatly into the hollow and had a doorway on one side.
The Black-tailed Skunk sneaked up to the nest from one side. The Spotted Skunk sneaked up from the other side. Once the Black-tailed Skunk thought he heard some other creature moving toward him. At the same minute the Spotted Skunk thought he heard somebody, so he stopped to listen. Neither heard anything. Mrs. Ovenbird was sure that she heard a leaf rustle outside, and it made her anxious until she remembered that a dead twig might have dropped from the beech-tree overhead and hit the dry leaves below.
Slowly the two brothers crept toward the nest and each other. They moved very quietly, because each wanted to catch the mother-bird if he could. Close to the nest hollow they crouched and sprang with jaws open and sharp teeth ready to bite. There was a sudden crashing of leaves and ferns. The two brothers had sprung squarely at each other, each was bitten, growled, and ran away. And how they did run! It is not often, you know, that Skunks go faster than a walk, but when they are really scared they move very, very swiftly.
Mrs. Ovenbird felt her nest roof crush down upon her for a minute as two people rolled and growled outside. Then she heard them running away in different directions and knew that she was safe, for a time at least. In the morning she repaired her nest and told her bird friends about it. They advised her to take her children away as soon as possible after they were hatched. "If the Skunks have found your nest," they said, "you may have another call from them."
When the Black-tailed Skunk came stealing home in the first faint light just before sunrise, he found the Spotted Skunk telling the rest of the family how some horrible great fierce beast had pounced upon him in the darkness and bitten him on the shoulder. "It was so dark," said he, "that I couldn't see him at all, but I am sure it must have been a Bear."
They turned to tell the Black-tailed Skunk about his brother's misfortune, and saw that he limped badly. "Did the Bear catch you, too?" they cried.
"Yes," answered he. "It must have been a Bear. It was so big and strong and fierce. But I bit him, too. I wouldn't have run away from him, only he was so much bigger than I."
"That was just the way with me," said the Spotted Skunk. "I wouldn't have run if he hadn't been so big."
"You should have thrown liquid on him," said their father. "Then he would have been the one to run."
The brothers hung their heads. "We never thought," they cried. "We think it must have been because we were so surprised and didn't see him coming."
"Well," said their father sternly, "I suppose one must be patient with children, but such unskunklike behavior makes me very much ashamed of you both." Then the two bitten brothers went to bed in disgrace, although their mother was sorry for them and loved them, as mothers will do, even when their children are naughty or cowardly.
One night, some time later, these two brothers happened to meet down by the fern bank. It was bright moonlight and they stopped to visit, for both were feeling very good-natured. The Black-tailed Skunk said: "Come with me and I'll show you where there is an Ovenbird's nest."
"All right," answered the Spotted Skunk, "and then I'll show you one."
"I've just been waiting for a bright night," said the Black-tailed Skunk, "because I came here once in the dark and had bad luck."
"It was near here," said the Spotted Skunk, "that I was bitten by the Bear."
They stopped beside a tiny hollow. "There is the nest," said the Black-tailed Skunk, pointing with one of his long forefeet.
"Why, that is the one I meant," exclaimed the Spotted Skunk.
"I found it first," said the Black-tailed Skunk, "and I'd have eaten the eggs before if that Bear hadn't bitten me."
Just at that minute the two Skunks had a new idea. "We do believe," cried they, "that we bit each other!"
"We certainly did," said the Spotted Skunk.
"But we'll never tell," said the Black-tailed Skunk.
"Now," they added together, "let's eat everything."
But they didn't. In fact, they didn't eat anything, for the eggs were hatched, and the young birds had left the nest only the day before.
