Notes
in company with (人と)一緒に;
stuck (stickの過去形) 〔…の中に〕止まって動かない; はまり込む
mud ぬかるみ;
squeal 悲鳴をあげる;
comical こっけいな，おどけた;
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One day as Abraham Lincoln was riding along a country road on horseback, in company with some friends, he saw a pig stuck fast in a deep place filled with mud, struggling to keep from going in deeper. The poor pig was squealing in terror, and the comical sight filled the friends with laughter and delight. After Lincoln had ridden on a little distance, he turned back his horse, saying, “Gentlemen, excuse me a few moments,” and rode back as fast as he could to the place where the poor creature was, got down from his horse, and drew the pig out of the mud. When he rejoined his companions they asked, “Why did you go back?” He told them what he had done, adding, “I couldn’t sleep well to-night, if I hadn’t done that thing.” (by William James Sly)
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