The dolphins quarrelled with the whales, and before very long they began fighting with one another. The battle was very fierce1, and had lasted some time without any sign of coming to an end, when a sprat thought that perhaps he could stop it; so he stepped in and tried to persuade them to give up fighting and make friends. But one of the dolphins said to him contemptuously, "We would rather go on fighting till we're all killed than be reconciled2 by a sprat like you!"
海豚与鲸争吵起来，他们之间已经争斗了很久，战争一步步升级，并且越打越猛烈，根本没有一点要停的迹象，有一条西鲱鱼认为自己或许能够调停他们的战争，便过去准备劝他们停止斗争，成为朋友。但是，海豚轻蔑地对他说：“我们宁可争斗到同归于尽，也不会让一条像你这样的西鲱鱼来调解”。
