The giant tortoise
Horacio Quiroga was once a man who lived in Buenos Aires and was very happy because it was a healthy man and worker. But one day he fell ill, and doctors told him that only by going to the field could be cured. He did not want to go because boys who had brothers fed, and was sick every day. Until a friend of his who was director of the zoo, he said one day:
"You are my friend, and is a good man and hard working. So I want to go to live in the mountains, to do much outdoor exercise to heal. Y as you have lots of aim with a shotgun, hunt bugs hill to bring me the bottles, and I will give money advanced for their siblings to eat well.
The sick man agreed, and went to live in the mountains, far, far more missions yet. It was very hot there, and that made him well.
lived alone in the woods, and he was cooking. Eating birds and bugs from the mountain, he hunted with a shotgun, and then ate fruit. He slept under the trees, and built in bad weather in five minutes a ramadal with palm leaves, and there spent sitting and smoking, very happy in the woods that the wind howled and rain.
He had made a bundle with the skins of animals, and her shoulder. There were also caught, live, many poisonous snakes, and was inside a big mate, because there are mates as big as a can of kerosene.
He again had good color, was strong and had no appetite. Just a day that was very hungry, because just two days that did not hunt anything, he saw the edge of a large lake a huge tiger wanted to eat a turtle, and put stop singing to put in a leg and remove meat with nails. Upon seeing the man the tiger roared and threw terrible jump on it. But the hunter who had a great aim he said between the two eyes, and broke his head. Then he took the leather, so large that it alone could serve as a carpet to a room.
"Now," said the man was going to eat turtle meat is very rich.
But when he approached the turtle, saw that he was already injured, and his head was almost severed in the neck, and head hung almost two or three threads of flesh. Despite hunger
felt, the man took pity on the poor tortoise, and carried out by a rope dragging ramada and bound his head with strips of genre took off his shirt because he had only one shirt , and had no cloths. Had taken dragging because the turtle was huge, as tall as a chair, and weighed like a man.
The turtle was leaning against a corner, where he lived for days without moving.
The man healed every day, and then patted her hand on his back.
The turtle finally healed. But then was the man who became ill. He had a fever and ached all over.
then could not get up again. Increased fever ever, and her throat burned from thirst. The man realized he was seriously ill, and spoke aloud, although it was only because he had high fever.
"I will die," said the man. I am alone no longer I can get up again, and I have who give me water, even. I will die here of hunger and thirst. And after a while
fever rose even more, and lost consciousness.
But the turtle had heard and understood what the hunter said. And she thought then:
-Man ate me again, but was very hungry, and cured me. I'm going to heal him now.
He went to the lake, found a tiny turtle shell, and after cleaning it with sand and ash filled it with water and gave drink to the man, who was lying on his blanket and was dying of thirst. Began looking at once rich and yuyito tender roots, which It took the man to eat, the man ate without realizing who she was eating, because I was delirious with fever and did not know anyone.
Every morning, the turtle walked the hill looking increasingly rich roots to give the man and was unable to climb trees to bear fruit.
The hunter ate for days without knowing who gave him food, and one day she regained consciousness, looked around and saw that it was only because there was only him and the turtle was an animal. And again he said aloud: "I'm
alone in the woods, the fever will come back again, and I will die here, because only in Buenos Aires there are remedies for healing. But I can never go, and I will die here.
And as he had said, that evening the fever returned, stronger than before, and again lost consciousness.
But this time the turtle had heard, and said: "If you stay here
in the bush will die, because there are no remedies, and I have to take him to Buenos Aires.
said, cut thin and heavy vines, which are like ropes, carefully lay the man on his back, and fastened it with the vines so they do not fall. He did many tests to accommodate either the shotgun, hides and mate with snakes, and finally got what he wanted, without disturbing the hunter, and so the journey began.
The tortoise, full well, walked, walked and walked day and night. He crossed mountains, fields, rivers swam across a mile wide, and crossed marshes that was almost buried, always above the dying man. After eight or ten hours of walking we stopped and undid the knots and the man slept very carefully in a place where grass would dry.
He was then to get water and tender roots, and gave the sick man. She ate well, though she was so tired that she preferred to sleep.
sometimes had to walk in the sun, and as it was summer, the hunter fever was so delirious and dying of thirst. Shouted water!, Water! every time. And each time the turtle had to give him a drink. So
walked for days, week after week. Each time they were closer to Buenos Aires, but also every day the turtle grew weaker each day had less strength, though she did not complain. Sometimes he lay completely powerless, and the man regained half knowledge. And he said, aloud: "I'm going to die
, I am increasingly sick, and only in Buenos Aires, I could heal. But I will die here, alone in the forest.
He thought he was always in the ramada, it was not notice anything. The turtle is lifted then, and again undertook the road.
But there came a day, a sunset, that the turtle could no longer poor. Had reached the limit of his strength, and could not go. He had not eaten for a week to arrive sooner. Had no power to anything.
When night fell completely, he saw a distant light on the horizon, a glow that illuminated the entire sky, and did not know what it was. He was getting weaker, and then closed his eyes to die along with the hunter, thinking with sorrow that he could not save the man who had been good to her.
And yet, was already in Buenos Aires, and she did not know. That light that I saw in the sky was the glow of the city, and would die when he was already at their heroic journey's end.
But a city mouse, possibly the tooth fairy, found the two traveler dying.
- What a turtle! "Said the mouse. I've never seen a turtle that big. And that's on your back, what is? Is it wood?
"No," the tortoise replied sadly. He is a man.
- "Where you going with that man? "Added the odd mouse.
-I ... I ... I wanted to go to Buenos Aires, "said the poor turtle on a voice so low that it barely audible. But we're going to die here because they never get ...
- Ah, eejit, eejit! "Laughed the little mouse. I never saw a tortoise eejit! If you've come to Buenos Aires! That light you see there is Buenos Aires.
Upon hearing this, the turtle was felt with great force because he still had time to save the hunter, and rode off.
And when it was still early, the director of the Zoological Gardens saw a turtle get muddy and extremely skinny, which brought lying on his back and tied with vines, to keep it from falling, a man who was dying. The director recognized his friend, and he it ran for remedies, which the hunter was cured immediately.
When the hunter knew how he had saved the turtle, how she had been traveling three hundred miles to take medicine would not spread more of it. And he could not have it at home, I was very young, the director of the Zoo is committed to having it in the garden, and take care as his own daughter.
And so it went. The turtle, happy and satisfied with the care that we have, stroll through the garden, and is the same great turtle that we see every day eating the grass around the cages of the monkeys.
The hunter is going to see every afternoon and she knows from afar his friend, by the steps. Spend a couple of hours together, and she never wants him to go without to give him a loving pat on the back. End
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