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When I was in Africa last year, a
man told me about an incredible experience. The conversation went something like
this... |
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HUNTER: |
The other day the most
extraordinary thing happened to me! |
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TOURIST: |
I suppose that you professional
hunters have interesting experiences every day. |
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HUNTER: |
I'm not a
professional hunter, quite the contrary. My sport is to shoot at
fixed
targets, a great distance away. |
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TOURIST: |
That seems like the best way to
learn to shoot well. |
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HUNTER: |
But
it
didn't turn out to be. I've decided to quit hunting animals and
go back to
my own country. |
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TOURIST: |
Oh, why? |
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HUNTER: |
I'll tell
you. The other morning I was walking through the jungle, and suddenly
the blood froze in my veins! |
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TOURIST: |
What happened? |
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HUNTER: |
Less than three
meters away, hidden in the grass, was an
enormous
lion. With a terrible
roar, he
leaped
toward me with a great bound. |
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TOURIST: |
No! |
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HUNTER: |
I
kneeled down,
aimed my
rifle, and shot... boom! But
as I had no practice in shooting at moving targets at such a short
distance, I didn't hit him. |
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TOURIST: |
And you're still alive! |
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HUNTER: |
Only by the grace
of God. You see, the lion made such a long leap that he went
flying over my head, and landed some five meters away from me. |
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TOURIST: |
What happened then? |
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HUNTER: |
Well, the other hunters came
running, and the lion quickly disappeared into the jungle. |
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TOURIST: |
And this experience
cured you of hunting? |
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HUNTER: |
No. It was what I saw later
that made me decide to
quit hunting. |
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TOURIST: |
And what was that? |
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HUNTER: |
Listen... I
returned to the
camp
and immediately began to practice shooting at moving targets
at close range in order to be able to kill a lion if another one
should attack. One of the boys
tossed tin cans into the air and I shot at
them... |
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TOURIST: |
Yes, yes, go on. |
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HUNTER: |
It was going
well, and I was beginning to get my confidence back. I believed
that I already had the advantage over the lion, and I was
anxious
to meet him again. |
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TOURIST: |
Then...
what happened that made you decide to quit hunting? |
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HUNTER: |
Well, I'll tell
you. As soon as I stopped practicing, I heard strange sounds
coming from the jungle. I heard a pum, pum, pum... |
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TOURIST: |
What was it? |
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HUNTER: |
I looked up over the fence, and
there at the edge of the jungle was the same lion. |
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TOURIST: |
And just seeing it was enough
to make you decide to go back to your own country? |
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HUNTER: |
No. It was what the lion was
doing that made me decide! |
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TOURIST: |
What was that? |
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HUNTER: |
Believe it or not, the lion was
practicing
short
jumps! |
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fixed targets:
stationary, not movable objectives or goals (objetivos fijos).
it didn't turn out to be:
it didn't have that result; it didn't prove to be so.
go back = return (regresar)
the other morning:
one morning recently, several days ago (los
otros días por la mañana).
the blood froze in my veins:
a metaphorical expression denoting great fear (se me congeló la sangre
en las venas)
enormous = huge (gigantesco, enorme)
roar: the sound made by a lion (rugido)
leaped = jumped (saltó)
bound: leap,
jump (salto)
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kneeled down: rested my weight
on my knees (me arrodillé)
aimed = directed (apunté)
cured you of hunting:
made you want to stop hunting completely (curado de cazar).
to quit: to stop, to give up (dejar de)
camp: temporary lodgings in the country for travelers or
vacationers (campamento)
at close range:
at a short distance.
tossed: threw into the air (lanzaron al aire)
anxious: nervous, uneasy (nervioso, ansioso)
short jumps:
leaps and bounds as exercising (practicando
saltos) |
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All
contents is for educational and informational use only. All lyrics
and recording excerpts remain the right of the original copyright holder, and no infringment is
here intended / Todo
el contenido es pura y exclusivamente para uso educativo e informativo. Todas las
letras y fragmentos musicales continúan permaneciendo al poseedor original de los derechos
autorales, no existiendo aquí intención alguna de infringir la ley. |
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