我想了很多热带丛林的冒险，几经思考，我拿起彩色铅笔终究胜利地完成了我人生中的第一幅绘画。我的第一号作品，它是如许的：
但是，我画的不是一顶帽子，画里代表的是一条蟒蛇正在消化着一头大象。为了让这些大人们能够了解，我只好又画了一张画：我把大蟒蛇肚子里的环境画了出来――这些大人们老是需求解释。我的第二号作品是如许的：
每当碰到一个在我看来脑筋略微清楚的大人时，我就拿出随身带着的我那第一号作品来测试他。我想晓得他是否真的有了解才气。但是，不管我测试的人是谁，他或者她都会说：“这是顶帽子。”是以，我也就反面他们谈大蟒蛇啊、原始丛林啊，或者星星之类的事。我会把本身降落到他们的程度，和他们谈些桥牌啊、高尔夫球啊、政治啊、领带啊这些。因而大人们就非常欢畅能熟谙我如许一个通情达理的人。
Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:"That is a hat."Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.
小时候，当时我还只要6岁，看到一本描述原始丛林壮观气象的书，名叫《实在的故事》。书里有一幅很出色的插画，画的是一条大蟒蛇正在吞食一只植物，上面就是那幅插画的复成品。
Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.