When a wolf was eating an animal, a small bone from the meat got stuck in his throat. He could not swallow it, so he felt a terrible pain.

狼吃东西的时候，肉里的一小块骨头卡在喉咙里，吞不下去，很疼。

He ran up and down, and tried to find something to relieve the pain.

他四处奔走，想找到什么办法减轻痛苦。

He tried to convince anyone to remove the bone. "I would give anything," he said, "if you would take it out."

他为了让人相信说道：“如果能取出这块骨头，我付出什么都可以。”

At last the crane agreed to try. It told the wolf to open his mouth, and then put its long neck down the wolf’s throat. The crane loosened the bone with its beak¹, and finally got it out.

最后，鹭鸶同意试试看，他让狼张大嘴，然后将长长的脖子伸进狼的喉咙，用尖嘴叼出骨头。

"Will you kindly² give me the reward?" asked the crane. The wolf showed his teeth, and said, "Be content,you have put your head into a wolf’s mouth and taken it out again in safety. That is a great reward for you."

鹭鸶问：“你给我什么报酬？”狼露出他的牙齿，说：“喂，朋友，你能从狼嘴里平安无事地收回头来，这就是报酬。”