The night of the horse
A newspaper ran a short story competition on famous tales from history.
This is a story one of the students sent in.
The soldier came down the stairs—two at a time.‘captain,they’ve gone,’ he cried.‘They’ve disappeared—all of them.The plain is…’ But the captain of the guards was no longer listening.He was going up the stairs—three at a time.
Seconds later,the captain stood on the high wall of the city of Tory.He looked down at the empty plain and,beyond it,at the empty sea.‘they’ve gone and we’ve won,’ he said.‘The Greeks have tried for ten years to capture our city.Now they’ve sailed away.And they’ve taken every thing with them.’
‘Not everything,sir,’ the solider said.‘They’ve left their horse.’ Outside the main gates of the city stood a huge horse made of wood.
‘Ah,yes,’ the captain said,‘that wooden horse.It is so big that they couldn’t take it with them.Well,it’s ours now.Get some help and pull it into the city.That won’t be too difficult.It’s on wheels.’
‘But why is it on wheels?’ The solider asked.‘I think that maybe the Greeks want us to…’
The captain interrupted him.‘You are a soldier,’ he said.‘You don’t have to think.You have to obey orders,and I’m giving you one now.move that horse.’ And so the Trojans dragged it into the city with ropes.
That night,in the main square of the city,all the citizens of Tory celebrated.They sang and danced around the horse,and made jokes about their enemies,the stupid Greeks.Then the Trojans made sure all the gates of the city were securely locked,and they all went to sleep,including the gate guards.
By midnight,the square was empty,except for the giant horse.The six Greek soldiers waited for another hour,to be sure.Then,very quickly,they opened the secret door in the side of the horse and climbed out.
No guards stopped them as they opened the main gates.Outside stood the Greek army.It had return in the darkness when the citizens celebrate inside.
Now the army entered the city.The Greeks seized the captain and dragged him away.For ten years,they could not capture the city by fighting.In one night,they succeeded in capturing it by a trick.
翻译如下：
木马之夜
一家报纸举办了一场关于历史著名传说的短篇小说的竞赛.
这是一名学生送来的故事
士兵2级一次地跑下了楼.'队长,他们已经走了,’他叫道.'他们已经消失了,所有的东西.平原...' ,但队长已不再听.他3级一次地跑上了楼.
几秒钟后,船长站在特洛伊城的高墙上.他低头望着空旷的平原,越过它,是空旷的海洋.'他们已经走了,我们赢了,'他说.'希腊人试图用十年来攻打我们的城市.现在他们已经把船开走了.带着他们所有的东西.
'不是所有的东西,队长先生,'士兵说.'他们丢下了他们的木马.'城市大门外有着一个巨大的马木.
'啊,是啊,'队长说,'这木马.它是如此之大,以至于他们不能带走.嗯,这现在是我们的了.几个人一起把他们推入城市.这不会太困难.因为它在轮子上.
但是它为什么在轮子上?'士兵问道.'我想,是也许希腊人希望我们...'
队长打断他的话.'你是一名士兵,他说.'你不必考虑.你只须服从命令,我现在就给你一个.移动马.并用绳子把木马拖入到城里.
那天晚上,在城市的主要广场里,全体公民都在庆祝.他们围着木马载歌载舞,并开着他们的敌人,愚蠢的希腊人的玩笑.然后确保所有的大门都锁好后,他们都睡觉去了,包括大门警卫.
午夜,广场空了,除了一匹巨大的木马.六希腊士兵在里面等了一个小时,为了确定.然后,很快地,他们打开木马一侧秘密的门,爬了出来.
没有警卫拦住他们,他们打开大门.有希腊军队站在外面.他们是在公民庆祝是借着夜幕回来的.
现在军队进入了城市.希腊人抓住了队长并拖他带走.十年来,他们无法通过战斗占领城市.用了一个晚上,他们靠一个计谋成功地占领了城市.
