Two friends were traveling on the same road together when they met with a bear. The one in great fear, without a thought of his companion, climbed up into a tree and hid himself. The other friend, seeing that he had no chance, single-handed, against the bear, had nothing left but to throw himself on the ground and feign to be dead, for he had heard that the bear will never touch a dead body.
As he thus laid, the bear came up to his head, nuzzling and snuffing at his nose, and ears, and heart, but the man immovably held his breath, and the beast supposing him to be dead, walked away.
When the bear was fairly out of sight, his companion came down out of the tree, and asked what it was that the Bear whispered to him; “for,” says he, “I observed he put his mouth very close to your ear.”
“Why,” replied the other, “it was no great secret. He only bade me have a care how I kept company with those who, when they get into a difficulty, leave their friends in the lurch.”
A young Mouse in search of adventure was running along the bank of a pond where lived a Frog. When the Frog saw the Mouse, he swam to the bank and croaked:
“Won’t you pay me a visit? I can promise you a good time if you do.”
The Mouse did not need much coaxing, for he was very anxious to see the world and everything in it. But though he could swim a little, he did not dare risk going into the pond without some help.
The Frog had a plan. He tied the Mouse’s leg to his own with a tough reed. Then into the pond he jumped, dragging his foolish companion with him.
The Mouse soon had enough of it and wanted to return to shore; but the treacherous Frog had other plans. He pulled the Mouse down under the water and drowned him. But before he could untie the reed that bound him to the dead Mouse, a Hawk came sailing over the pond. Seeing the body of the Mouse floating on the water, the Hawk swooped down, seized the Mouse and carried it off, with the Frog dangling from its leg. Thus at one swoop he had caught both meat and fish for his dinner.
Once upon a time the mice, being sadly distressed by the persecution of the cat, resolved to call a meeting to decide upon the best means of getting rid of their continual annoyance.
Many plans were discussed and rejected. At last a young mouse got up and proposed that a bell should be hung round the cat’s neck, that they might for the future always have notice of her coming, and so be able to escape.
This proposition was hailed with the greatest applause, and was agreed to at once unanimously. Upon which an old mouse, who had sat silent all the while, got up and said that he considered the contrivance most ingenious and that it would, no doubt, be quite successful. But he had only one short question, namely, which of them would bell the cat?
Long long ago, there was a shepherd boy who grazed sheep on a hill everyday.
One day the boy felt a little lonely and wanted to make fun of the farmers laboring at the foot of the hill. So he climbed up a big stone, and shouted: “wolves have come! wolves have come!”
In a minute, the farmers came only to find there were no wolves at all. Seeing the farmers were taken in, the boy laughed and said, ‘I am just joking, Don’t take it seriously.’ Then the farmers shook their head and left.
A few days later, the farmers heard the boy shout again. So they ran up the hill and found that they were cheated again.
Another day, several wolves really came. The boy was frightened and cried out: ‘ help! Wolves have come!”
A wolf had got a bone stuck in his throat and in the greatest agony ran up and down, beseeching every animal he met to relieve him, at the same time hinting at a very handsome reward to the successful operator.
A crane, moved by his entreaties and promises, ventured her long neck down the wolf’s throat, and drew out the bone. She then modestly asked for the promised reward.
To which the wolf, grinning and showing his teeth, replied with seeming indignation; “Ungrateful creature! To ask for any other reward than that you have put your head in a wolf’s jaws, and brought it safe out again!”
A country maid was walking along with a can of milk upon her head, when she fell into the following train of reflections. “The money for which I shall sell this milk will enable me to increase my stock of eggs to three hundred. These eggs, allowing for what may prove addle and what may be destroyed by vermin, will produce at least two hundred and fifty chickens.
“The chickens will be fit to carry to market just at the time when poultry is always dear; so that by the New Year I cannot fail of having money enough to purchase a new gown. Green let me consider yes, green becomes my complexion best, and green it shall be. In this dress I will go to the fair, where all the young fellows will strive to have me for a partner, but no I shall refuse every one of them, and with a disdainful toss turn from them.”
Transported with this idea, she could not forbear acting with her head the thought that thus passed in her mind, when down came the can of milk! And all her imaginary happiness vanished in a moment.
An eagle made her nest at the top of a lofty oak; a Cat, having found a convenient hole, moved into the middle of the trunk; and a Wild Sow, with her young, took shelter in a hollow at its foot.
The Cat cunningly resolved to destroy this chance-made colony. To carry out her design, she climbed to the nest of the Eagle, and said, “Destruction is preparing for you, and for me too, unfortunately. The Wild Sow, whom you see daily digging up the earth, wishes to uproot the oak, so she may on its fall seize our families as food for her young.” Having thus frightened the Eagle out of her senses, she crept down to the cave of the Sow, and said, “Your children are in great danger; for as soon as you go out with your litter to find food, the Eagle is prepared to pounce upon one of your little pigs.” Having instilled these fears into the Sow, she went and pretended to hide herself in the hollow of the tree. When night came she went forth with silent foot and obtained food for herself and her kittens, but feigning to be afraid, she kept a lookout all through the day.
Meanwhile, the Eagle, full of fear of the Sow, sat still on the branches, and the Sow, terrified by the Eagle, did not dare to go out from her cave. And thus they both, along with their families, perished from hunger, and afforded ample provision for the Cat and her kittens.
A hare jeered at a tortoise for the slowness of his pace. But he laughed and said that he would run against her and beat her any day she would name. “Come on,” said the hare, “you shall soon see what my feet are made of.”
So it was agreed that they should start at once. The tortoise went off jogging along, without a moment’s stopping, at his usual steady pace. The hare, treating the whole matter very lightly, said she would first take a little nap, and that she should soon overtake the tortoise. Meanwhile the tortoise plodded on and the hare, oversleeping herself, arrived at the goal, only to see that the tortoise had got in before her.
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