陽(yáng)谷縣示：為景陽(yáng)岡上新有一只大蟲傷害人命，見今杖限各鄉(xiāng)里正并獵戶人等行捕未獲。如有過往客商人等，可於巳午未三個(gè)時(shí)辰結(jié)伴過岡；其馀時(shí)分，及單身客人，不許過岡，恐被傷害性命。各宜知悉。

 

    武松讀了印信榜文，方知端的有虎；欲待轉(zhuǎn)身再回酒店里來，尋思道：“我回去時(shí)須吃他恥笑不是好漢，難以轉(zhuǎn)去。”存想了一回，說道：“怕甚麼鳥！且只顧上去看怎地！”

 

    武松正走，看看酒涌上來，便把氈笠兒掀在脊梁上，將哨棒綰在肋下，一步步上那岡子來；回頭看這日色時(shí)，漸漸地墜下去了。此時(shí)正是十月間天氣，日短夜長(zhǎng)，容易得晚。武松自言自說道：“那得甚麼大蟲！人自怕了，不敢上山。”

 

    武松走了一直，酒力發(fā)作，焦熱起來，一只手提哨棒，一只手把胸膛前袒開，踉踉蹌蹌，直奔過亂樹林來；見一塊光撻撻大青石，把那哨棒倚在一邊，放翻身體，卻待要睡，只見發(fā)起一陣狂風(fēng)。那一陣風(fēng)過了，只聽得亂樹背後撲地一聲響，跳出一只吊睛白額大蟲來。武松見了，叫聲“阿呀”，從青石上翻將下來，便拿那條哨棒在手里，閃在青石邊。那大蟲又餓，又渴，把兩只爪在地上略按一按，和身望上一撲，從半空里攛將下來。武松被那一驚，酒都作冷汗出了。

 

    說時(shí)遲，那時(shí)快；武松見大蟲撲來，只一閃，閃在大蟲背後。那大蟲背後看人最難，便把前爪搭在地下，把腰胯一掀，掀將起來。武松只一閃，閃在一邊。大蟲見掀他不著，吼一聲，卻似半天里起個(gè)霹靂，振得那山岡也動(dòng)，把這鐵棒也似虎尾倒豎起來只一剪。武松卻又閃在一邊。原來那大蟲拿人只是一撲，一掀，一剪；三般捉不著時(shí)，氣性先自沒了一半。那大蟲又剪不著，再吼了一聲，一兜兜將回來。

 

    武松見那大蟲復(fù)翻身回來，雙手輪起哨棒，盡平生氣力，只一棒，從半空劈將下來。只聽得一聲響，簌簌地，將那樹連枝帶葉劈臉打?qū)⑾聛?。定睛看時(shí)，一棒劈不著大蟲，原來打急了，正打在枯樹上，把那條哨棒折做兩截，只拿得一半在手里。那大蟲咆哮，性發(fā)起來，翻身又只一撲撲將來。武松又只一跳，卻退了十步遠(yuǎn)。那大蟲恰好把兩只前爪搭在武松面前。武松將半截棒丟在一邊，兩只手就勢(shì)把大蟲頂花皮胳嗒地揪住，一按按將下來。那只大蟲急要掙扎，被武松盡力氣捺定，那里肯放半點(diǎn)兒松寬。

 

    武松把只腳望大蟲面門上、眼睛里只顧亂踢。那大蟲咆哮起來，把身底下爬起兩堆黃泥做了一個(gè)土坑。武松把大蟲嘴直按下黃泥坑里去。那大蟲吃武松奈何得沒了些氣力。武松把左手緊緊地揪住頂花皮，偷出右手來，提起鐵錘般大小拳頭，盡平生之力只顧打。打到五七十拳，那大蟲眼里，口里，鼻子里，耳朵里，都迸出鮮血來，更動(dòng)彈不得，只剩口里兀自氣喘。

 

    武松放了手來，松樹邊尋那打折的哨棒，拿在手里；只怕大蟲不死，把棒橛又打了一回。眼見氣都沒了，方才丟了棒，尋思道：“我就地拖得這死大蟲下岡子去？……”就血泊里雙手來提時(shí)，那里提得動(dòng)。原來使盡了氣力，手腳都蘇軟了。

 

    武松再來青石上坐了半歇，尋思道：“天色看看黑了，儻或又跳出一只大蟲來時(shí)，卻怎地斗得他過？且掙扎下岡子去，明早卻來理會(huì)。”就石頭邊尋了氈笠兒，轉(zhuǎn)過亂樹林邊，一步步捱下岡子來。走不到半里多路，只見枯草中又鉆出兩只大蟲來。武松道：“阿呀！我今番罷了！”只見那兩只大蟲在黑影里直立起來。

 

It was late afternoon by then, and the red sun was pressing on the mountains in the west. Still primed by all the wine he had consumed, Wu Song continued climbing the ridge. Before he had gone another half li he came upon a dilapidated Mountain Spirit Temple. A notice was posted on the door. It read:

 

Yanggu County Notice: Lately, a big tiger has been killing people on Jingyang Ridge. Although all township leaders, village chiefs and hunters have been ordered to capture the beast or be beaten, they have so far failed. Travelers are permitted to cross the ridge only between late morning and early afternoon, and only in bands. At other times, and to single travelers at any time, the ridge is closed, lest the tiger take their lives. Let this be known to all.

 

So there really was a tiger! The notice with its official seal confirmed that. Wu Song considered returning to the tavern. But then he said to himself: "If I do that, the host will laugh at me for a coward. I can't go back." He thought a moment. "What's there to be afraid of," he exclaimed. "Just keep climbing and see what happens."

 

He walked on. The warmth of the wine rose in him, and he pushed back the felt hat till it was hanging by the string on his shoulders. Clapping the staff under one arm, he plodded up the slope. When he looked back at the sun, it was almost gone. The days are short in late autumn, and the nights are long. It gets dark early. "There isn't any tiger," he said to himself. "People just scare themselves and don't dare come up the mountain."

 

The wine was burning inside him as he walked. With his staff in one hand, he unbuttoned his tunic with the other. His gait was unsteady now, and he staggered into a thicket. Before him was a large smooth rock. He rested his staff against it, clambered onto its flat surface, and prepared to sleep. Suddenly a wild gale blew, and when it passed a roar come from behind the thicket and out bounded a huge tiger. Its malevolent upward-slanting eyes gleamed beneath a broad white forehead. "Aiya'." cried Wu Song. He jumped down, seized his staff, and supped behind the rock. Both hungry and thirsty, the big animal clawed the ground with its front paws a couple of times, sprang high and came hurtling forward. The wine poured out of Wu Song in a cold sweat.

 

Quicker than it takes to say, he dodged, and the huge beast landed beyond him. Tigers can't see behind them, so as its front paws touched the ground it tried to side-swipe Wu Song with its body. Again he dodged, and the tiger missed. With a thunderous roar that shook the ridge, the animal slashed at Wu Song with its iron tail. Once more he swiveled out of the way. Now this tiger had three methods for getting its victim — spring, swipe and slash. But none of them had worked, and the beast's spirit diminished by half. Again it roared, and whirled around.

 

Wu Song raised his staff high in a two-handed grip and swung with all his might. There was a loud crackling, and a large branch, leaves and all, tumbled past his face. In his haste, he had struck an old tree instead of the tiger, snapping the staff in two and leaving him holding only the remaining half. Lashing itself into a roaring fury, the beast charged. Wu Song leaped back ten paces, and the tiger landed in front of him. He threw away the stump of his staff, seized the animal by the ruff and bore down. The tiger struggled frantically, but Wu Song was exerting all his strength, and wouldn't give an inch.

 

He kicked the beast in the face and eyes, again and again. The tiger roared, its wildly scrabbling claws pushing back two piles of yellow earth and digging a pit before it. Wu Song pressed the animal's muzzle into the pit, weakening it further. Still relentlessly clutching the beast by the ruff with his left hand, Wu Song freed his right, big as an iron mallet, and with all his might began to pound. After sixty or seventy blows the tiger, blood streaming from eyes, mouth, nose and ears, lay motionless, panting weakly.

 

Wu Song got up and searched around under the pine tree until he found the stump of his broken staff. With this he beat the animal till it breathed no more. Then he tossed the staff aside. "I'd better drag this dead tiger down the mountain," he thought. He tried to lift the beast, lying in a pool of blood, but couldn't move it. He was exhausted, the strength gone out of his hands and feet.

 

Wu Song sat down on the rock and rested. "It's nearly dark," he thought. "If another tiger comes I won't be able to fight it. I'd better get off this ridge first, somehow. Then, tomorrow morning, I can decide what to do." He collected his broad-brimmed felt hat from beside the rock, skirted the thicket, and slowly descended the ridge. Wu Song had traveled less than half a li when two tigers leaped out of the tall dry grass. "Ai'yo!" he exclaimed. "I'm a goner!" But there in the shadows the two tigers suddenly stood upright.

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