第 3 节
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  each other。
  The mouse with the cropped ears found a lamp full of
  oil and a bottle full of pepper。 So she dipped her tail first
  in the oil and then in the pepper; and held it to the
  sorcerer's nose。
  〃Atisha! atisha!〃 sneezed the old man; but he did not
  wake; and the shock made the bronze ring jump out of his
  mouth。 Quick as thought the lame mouse snatched up the
  precious talisman and carried it off to the boat。
  Imagine the despair of the magician when he awoke and
  the bronze ring was nowhere to be found!
  But by that time our three mice had set sail with their
  prize。 A favoring breeze was carrying them toward the
  island where the queen of the mice was awaiting them。
  Naturally they began to talk about the bronze ring。
  〃Which of us deserves the most credit?〃 they cried all
  at once。
  〃I do;〃 said the blind mouse; 〃for without my
  watchfulness our boat would have drifted away to the open sea。〃
  〃No; indeed;〃 cried the mouse with the cropped ears;
  〃the credit is mine。 Did I not cause the ring to jump out
  of the man's mouth?〃
  〃No; it is mine;〃 cried the lame one; 〃for I ran off with
  the ring。〃
  And from high words they soon came to blows; and;
  alas! when the quarrel was fiercest the bronze ring fell into
  the sea。
  〃How are we to face our queen;〃 said the three mice
  〃when by our folly we have lost the talisman and condemned
  our people to be utterly exterminated? We cannot
  go back to our country; let us land on this desert
  island and there end our miserable lives。〃 No sooner said
  than done。 The boat reached the island; and the mice
  landed。
  The blind mouse was speedily deserted by her two
  sisters; who went off to hunt flies; but as she wandered
  sadly along the shore she found a dead fish; and was eating
  it; when she felt something very hard。 At her cries the
  other two mice ran up。
  〃It is the bronze ring! It is the talisman!〃 they cried
  joyfully; and; getting into their boat again; they soon
  reached the mouse island。 It was time they did; for the
  captain was just going to land his cargo of cats; when a
  deputation of mice brought him the precious bronze ring。
  〃Bronze ring;〃 commanded the young man; 〃obey thy
  master。 Let my ship appear as it was before。〃
  Immediately the genii of the ring set to work; and the
  old black vessel became once more the wonderful golden
  ship with sails of brocade; the handsome sailors ran to the
  silver masts and the silken ropes; and very soon they set
  sail for the capital。
  Ah! how merrily the sailors sang as they flew over the
  glassy sea!
  At last the port was reached。
  The captain landed and ran to the palace; where he
  found the wicked old man asleep。 The Princess clasped
  her husband in a long embrace。 The magician tried to
  escape; but he was seized and bound with strong cords。
  The next day the sorcerer; tied to the tail of a savage
  mule loaded with nuts; was broken into as many pieces as
  there were nuts upon the mule's back。'1'
  '1' Traditions Populaires de l'Asie Mineure。 Carnoy et
  Nicolaides。 Paris: Maisonneuve; 1889。