The wolf had the fox with him, and whatsoever the wolf wished, that the
fox was compelled to do, for he was the weaker, and he would gladly
have been rid of his master. It chanced that once as they were going
through the forest, the wolf said, “Red-fox, get me something to eat,
or else I will eat thee thyself.” Then the fox answered, “I know a
farm-yard where there are two young lambs; if thou art inclined, we
will fetch one of them.” That suited the wolf, and they went thither,
and the fox stole the little lamb, took it to the wolf, and went away.
The wolf devoured it, but was not satisfied with one; he wanted the
other as well, and went to get it. As, however, he did it so awkwardly,
the mother of the little lamb heard him, and began to cry out terribly,
and to bleat so that the farmer came running there. They found the
wolf, and beat him so mercilessly, that he went to the fox limping and
howling. “Thou hast misled me finely,” said he; “I wanted to fetch the
other lamb, and the country folks surprised me, and have beaten me to a
jelly.” The fox replied, “Why art thou such a glutton?”
Next day they again went into the country, and the greedy wolf once
more said, “Red-fox, get me something to eat, or I will eat thee
thyself.” Then answered the fox, “I know a farm-house where the wife is
baking pancakes to-night; we will get some of them for ourselves.” They
went there, and the fox slipped round the house, and peeped and sniffed
about until he discovered where the dish was, and then drew down six
pancakes and carried them to the wolf. “There is something for thee to
eat,” said he to him, and then went his way. The wolf swallowed down
the pancakes in an instant, and said, “They make one want more,” and
went thither and tore the whole dish down so that it broke in pieces.
This made such a great noise that the woman came out, and when she saw
the wolf she called the people, who hurried there, and beat him as long
as their sticks would hold together, till with two lame legs, and
howling loudly, he got back to the fox in the forest. “How abominably
thou hast misled me!” cried he, “the peasants caught me, and tanned my
skin for me.” But the fox replied, “Why art thou such a glutton?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account