"Neither in the wood, nor in this neighbourhood any more," said the
Lion, and running to the forest, soon left it with his kindred.
The animals in the country, not hearing him roar any more, gathered
around the Goat, and said: "_The wisdom of one doth save a host_."
The Man and His Piece of Cloth
A Man in the East, where they do not require as much clothing as in
colder climates, gave up all worldly concerns and retired to a wood,
where he built a hut and lived in it.
His only clothing was a Piece of Cloth which he wore round his waist.
But, as ill-luck would have it, rats were plentiful in the wood, so he
had to keep a cat. The cat required milk to feed it, so a cow had to
be kept. The cow required tending, so a cowboy was employed. The boy
required a house to live in, so a house was built for him. To look
after the house, a maid had to be engaged. To provide company for the
maid, a few more houses had to be built, and people invited to live in
them. In this manner a little township sprang up.
The man said: "_The farther we seek to go from the world and its cares,
the more they multiply!_"
The Tiger, the Fox, and the Hunters
A Fox was once caught in a trap. A hungry Tiger saw him and said, "So
you are here!"
"Only on your account," said the Fox, in a whisper.
"How so?" said the Tiger.
"Why, you were complaining you could not get men to eat, so I got into
this net to-day, that you may have the men when they come to take me,"
said the Fox, and gave a hint that if the Tiger would wait a while in a
thicket close by, he would point out the men to him.
"May I depend upon your word?" said the Tiger.
"Certainly," said the Fox.
The hunters came, and, seeing the Fox in the net, said: "So you are
here!"
"Only on your account," said the Fox, in a whisper.
"How so?" said the men.
"Why, you were complaining you could not get at the Tiger that has been
devouring your cattle. I got into this net to-day that you may have
him. As I expected, he came to eat me up, and is in yonder thicket,"
said the Fox, and gave a hint that if they would take him out of the
trap he would point out the Tiger. "May we depend upon your word?"
said the men.
"Certainly," said the Fox, while the men went with him in a circle to
see that he did not escape.
Then the Fox said to the Tiger and the men: "Sir Tiger, here are the
men; gentlemen, here is the Tiger."
The men left the Fox and turned to the Tiger. The former beat a hasty
retreat to the wood, saying, "I have kept my promise to both; now you
may settle it between yourselves."
The Tiger exclaimed, when it was too late: "_Alas! what art for a
double part?_"
The Hare and the Pig
A Hare and a Pig once agreed to leap over a ditch. The Hare went a
great way, and fell into it, just short by an inch. The Pig went some
way and fell into it; but far behind the Hare. Yet they were eager to
know which of them leapt more, and was therefore the better animal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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