There was a man who in time of war took great pains with his horse, and fed him on as much corn and hay as he could eat. But when the war was at an end all he gave him was chaff, and he put him to draw great loads of wood; in short, made a slave and a drudge of him. When the war broke out once more, and there was a call to arms, the man, clad in his coat of mail, sprang on the back of his steed, and went off to join the fight. But soon the horse fell down with all his weight of steel. “You must now go to the war on foot,” said he; “for if you turn me from a horse to an ass, how can you think that I can all at once turn from an ass to a horse?” [Illustration] THE WOLF IN A SHEEP’S SKIN. Once on a time a wolf put on a sheep’s skin, by which means he got shut in the fold at night. By and by the man of the farm came in to kill one of his flock for food, and as luck would have it, he chose out the wolf. But when he saw how it was, he put a rope round his neck, and hung him to the branch of a tree. Some folks who came by said, “What! do you hang sheep?” “No,” said the man, “but I hang a wolf when I can catch him, though in the garb of a sheep.” You may find more than one face in a hood. THE DOG WHO WENT OUT TO SUP. A man made a great feast, and his dog Tray said to Gyp, who was a great friend of his, “Come and sup with us to-night. Eight o’clock is the time; but if you are there an hour too soon, you will find there is much to be done.” Gyp lay in the sun a while, to wink and wait. He thought of fish, flesh, and fowl, tripe and toast, and made a feast in his heart that might grace a bill of fare for a king. At length the time came, and he set off to the cook’s room, where he found all hands hard at work. Gyp went with a skulk, now here, now there; gave a peep at this dish, and smelt at that, and with a wag of his tail, as much as to say, “O rare! What a feast have I in store!” This wag of the tail brought the eyes of the cook on him, and he said, “How now? what’s this I spy? A cur! who let him in? A nice sort of guest, to be sure. I shall soon pack you off.” The cook then brought poor Gyp to view, and threw him out at the back door. There’s oft a slip ’twixt cup and lip. THE WIND AND THE SUN. The wind and the sun once came to high words as to which had the most strength. Just then by chance a man came by, so they let the point rest on this, that he who got this man’s cloak off first, should win the day. The wind was the first to try, and he blew with all his might and main a fierce blast; but the man wrapt his cloak all the more close round him. Next came the sun, who broke out with his warm beams, and cast his bright rays on the man, till at length he grew faint with the heat, and was glad to part with his cloak, which he flung to the ground. Kind means are best. [Illustration] THE MAN, THE HORSE, AND THE ASS.