Part 4

“Oh, good sir, please help me now, or I shall drown!” cried the Boy. “You can scold me when I am safe on shore again.”

THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE

A HARE one day made himself merry over the slow pace of the Tortoise, vainly boasting of his own great speed in running.

The Tortoise took the laughing and boasting in good part. “Let us try a race,” she said; “I will run with you five miles for five dollars, and the Fox out yonder shall be the judge.”

The Hare agreed, a course was arranged, and away they started together. True to his boasting the Hare was out of sight in a moment.

The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but jogged along with a slow, steady pace, straight to the end of the course. Full of sport, the Hare first outran the Tortoise, then fell behind. Having come midway to the goal, he began to nibble at the young herbage, and to amuse himself in many ways. After a while, the day being warm, he lay down for a nap, saying: “She is behind me now. If she should go by, I can easily enough catch up.”

When the Hare awoke, the Tortoise was not in sight; and running as fast as he could, he found her comfortably dozing at their goal.

Those who are very quick are apt to be too sure. Slow and steady often wins the race.

THE ARAB AND HIS CAMEL

AS AN Arab sat in his tent one cold night, he saw the curtain gently lifted, and the face of his Camel looking in.

“What is it?” he asked kindly.

“It is cold, master,” said the Camel; “suffer me, I pray thee, to hold my head within the tent.”

“By all means,” replied the hospitable Arab; and the Camel stood with his head inside the tent.

“Might I also warm my neck a little?” he entreated after a moment.

The Arab readily consented, and the Camel’s neck was thrust within the tent.

He stood, moving his head from side to side uneasily, and presently said: “It is awkward standing thus. It would take but little more room if I were to place my forelegs inside the tent.”

“You may place your forelegs within the tent,” said the Arab. And now he had to move a little to make room, for the tent was small.

The Camel spoke again: “I keep the tent open by standing thus, and make it cold for us both. May I not stand wholly within?”

“Yes,” said the Arab, whose compassion included his beast as well as himself; “come in wholly if you wish.” But now the tent proved to be too small to hold both.

“I think, after all,” said the Camel, as he crowded himself in, “that there will not be room here for us both. You are the smaller; it will be best for you to stand outside. There will be room then for me.” So he pushed a little, and the Arab with all haste went outside the tent.

THE FOX WHO HAD LOST HIS TAIL

A FOX was once caught in a trap by his tail. He succeeded in getting away, but was forced to leave his “brush” behind. He soon realized that his life would be a burden, from the shame and ridicule to which his tailless condition would expose him.

“I must not own that it is a misfortune not to have a bushy tail,” he said to himself.

So he set about to induce all the other Foxes to part with theirs. At the next assembly he boldly made a speech, in which he set forth the advantages of his present state.

“The tail,” he said, “is no real part of our persons, and besides being very ugly to see, it exposes us to danger from the dogs. I have never moved about with such ease as since I gave up my own.”

When he had ended his speech, a sly old Fox arose, and giving his own brush a graceful wave, said, with the kind of sneer which all Foxes know so well how to give, that if he had lost by accident his own tail, he should, without doubt, agree with his friend; but that, as the brush was a fox’s chief ornament and distinction, until such a mishap should occur as had befallen his friend, he should retain his own and should advise the others to do the same. And the vote to retain the tails was given by a wave of the brush. Yet many fashions have been set by Foxes who have met with some such accident.

THE BOYS AND THE FROGS

SOME Boys, playing near a pond, saw a number of Frogs sporting in the water.

“Let us see if we can hit them; it is great fun to make them dive,” said one; and they all began to pelt them with stones.

At last, after several Frogs had been hit, one of them put his head up out of the water, and said: “Pray stop, Boys. Throwing stones at us may be great sport for you, but it is death to us. We have done you no harm, and alas! you have already killed or wounded three of our family.”

THE SWALLOW AND THE OTHER BIRDS

A WISE Swallow, seeing a man sow seed in a field, went behind him and picked up one of the seeds to see what it was.

She found that it was flax. “When this flax has grown,” she said to herself, “the man will make it into linen thread and use it to make nets for catching us Birds.”

So she went to all the Birds and told them what she had discovered, begging them to come and help her eat up the flaxseed before it should sprout. “This field,” she said, “is as much ours as it is his. And while one of us can do but little, all working together can quickly remove our danger.”

But the Birds would not listen to her. Not one of them could she persuade to help her pick up the seeds which the farmer had sown.

By and by the flax sprang up, and the Swallow tried again to persuade the Birds to pull the young flax before it grew large. But they all made fun of her caution and let the flax keep growing.

When she saw how heedless all the Birds were, the Swallow would have nothing more to do with them, but left the woods where they lived and came among men, building her nests in barns and along the eaves of houses.

THE FARMER AND THE SNAKE

ONE wintry day a Farmer found a Snake lying on the frozen ground, quite stiff and nearly dead with cold.

In a fit of compassion the Farmer brought him carefully to his house, and laid him near the fire. But as soon as the Snake began to feel the pleasant warmth, he raised his head and tried to bite his kind friend.

“Oh!” said the Farmer, “is that the way you repay me for my trouble? You are a venomous creature, I am sure, and the sooner you die the better.” And he killed him with one blow of his stick.

THE RAVEN AND THE SWAN

A RAVEN saw a snowy Swan floating on the lake.

“No wonder the Swan is so white,” thought the Raven, as he looked at his own black feathers. “I dare say _I_ should be, if I were all the time washing myself. I believe I’ll try it.”

Then he left his home, where he always found plenty to eat, and came and lived by the lake. He washed himself from morning till night, but he grew no whiter; and, as he found nothing to eat, he came near dying for want of food.

THE BIRDS, THE BEASTS, AND THE BAT

THERE was once a big battle between the Birds and the Beasts. Hesitating as to which to join, the Bat kept away from the contest and looked on till he thought the Beasts would win the day.

Then he went among them. When they saw him, they said, “But you are a Bird.”

“No, indeed,” said the Bat. “Look at my body covered with hair and at my mouth with its sharp teeth.”

After a while, as the fight went on, the Birds began to have the best of it, and then away flew the Bat to their side. “What Beast comes here?” said the Birds.

“I am not a Beast,” said the Bat; “I am a Bird. Look at my wings. This is my battle as truly as it is yours.”

But the Birds would have nothing to do with him. And to this day the Bat seems ashamed to show himself in the daytime but hides in lonely places, away from all other creatures, and only flits about noiselessly in the dark, when both Birds and Beasts are asleep.

THE MAN, HIS SON, AND HIS DONKEY

A MAN and his Son were once driving their Donkey along a country road, to sell him at the fair. They soon passed some girls, who were drawing water at a well.

“Look,” said one of the girls; “see those silly people trudging along in the dust, while their Donkey walks at his ease.”

The Man heard what they said, and put his boy on the Donkey’s back. They had not gone far before they came to some old men.

“See here, now,” said one of them to the others, “this shows that what I said is true. Nowadays the young take no care of the old. See this boy riding while his poor old father has to walk by his side.”

Hearing this, the Man told his Son to get down, and he mounted the Donkey himself. In a little while they met three women with children in their arms.

“For shame!” said the women. “How can you let that poor boy walk when he looks so tired, and you ride like a king?”

The Man then took the boy up behind him on the saddle, and they rode on to the town. Just before they got there, some young men stopped them and said:

“Is that Donkey yours?”

“Yes,” said the Man.

“One would not think so,” said they, “by the way you load him. You look more fit to carry him than he to carry you.”

So the Man and the boy got off, tied the Donkey’s legs with a rope, fastened him to a pole, and, each taking one end of the pole, carried him along, while every one they met laughed outright.

By and by they came to a bridge. Then the Donkey began to kick, and breaking the rope, fell into the water and was drowned.

The old Man and his Son made their way home as best they could, thinking to themselves, “When we try to please everybody, we please nobody.”

THE COUNTRY MOUSE AND THE CITY MOUSE

A MOUSE from the city went on a visit to a friend in the country.

The Country Mouse, with many apologies, brought out the best that he had and waited on his guest.

There was plenty of oatmeal and peas, a nice scrap of bacon, and even a paring of cheese for dessert. While the guest was dining, the Country Mouse, out of politeness, would eat none of these dainties, for fear there should not be enough for both, but nibbled a piece of straw to keep his guest company.

When the dinner was over, the City Mouse said: “Old friend, I thank you for your courtesy, but I must have a plain talk with you. I do not see how you can bear to live so poor a life in this little hole. Why not come with me to the city, where you will have all sorts of good things to eat and a gay time? You are wasting your life. When you have once seen the city you will never be willing to return to this quiet place.”

[Illustration]

After being urged a long time, the Country Mouse at last agreed to go to the city that very night. So they started off together, and about midnight came to the great house where the City Mouse lived. In the dining room was spread a rich feast; and the City Mouse, with many airs and graces, ran about the table, and, picking out the nicest bits, waited upon his country friend, who, amazed at the good things, ate to his heart’s content.

All at once the doors of the dining room were flung open, and in came a crowd of people, followed by a big dog, who barked loudly and ran about the room.

The Mice rushed for the hole, to escape, and the little field Mouse almost died of fright. As soon as he was able to speak, he said:

“Well! if this is city life, I have seen enough of it. Stay in this fine place if you like. I shall be only too glad to get home to my quiet, safer, country house and my plain oatmeal and peas.”

THE COCK AND THE JEWEL

“COME, my dears,” said a Cock to his hens one morning; “I am hungry, and so are you. Let us go out. I will scratch up some nice worms and beetles for our breakfast.”

The hens stood waiting while he scratched.

But the first thing that he found was neither a beetle nor a worm but a precious stone. It may have been a ruby or an emerald.

“Dear me!” said the Cock; “what is this? a Jewel! How glad anybody else might be to have found such a prize; but I have no need of it. I would rather have a few kernels of good corn than all the Jewels in the world.”

“And so would we,” said the hens. “Nothing can do us good if it is not a thing that we ourselves want.”

THE OLD HOUND

ONCE there was a beautiful Hound. He had long, silky ears and a smooth, bright skin; and he was not only beautiful but strong and swift, and a faithful servant. Whenever his master went hunting, the Hound went with him and chased the deer. After many years the Hound grew old and feeble, but still he followed his master, with the other dogs.

One day a stag had been chased till it was almost tired out, and the old Hound came up with it and seized it; but his teeth were old and broken and could not hold fast, so that the stag gave a sudden bound and got away. Just then the master rode up, and seeing what had happened, was very angry. He took his whip to strike his faithful old Hound.

“Hold! hold! O dear Master,” said he, “do not strike me. I meant to do well. It is not my fault that I am old. Remember what I have been, if you do not like me as I am now.”

THE VAIN JACKDAW

JUPITER having determined, it is said, to appoint a sovereign over the birds, proclamation was made that on a certain day the candidates should present themselves before him, and he would choose the most beautiful to be king.

The Jackdaw, knowing his own ugliness, yet wishing to rule over the birds, searched through woods and fields for feathers which had fallen from the wings of his companions, and stuck them all over his body.

When the appointed day arrived, and the birds had assembled, the Jackdaw made his appearance in his many-feathered finery, and Jupiter proposed to make him king.

Upon seeing this, the other birds were indignant, and each plucking from the Jackdaw his own kind of feathers, they left the proposed king a plain Jackdaw with no claim to superior beauty.

THE DONKEY AND THE LAP DOG

THERE was once a man who had a Donkey and a little pet Dog. The Donkey worked all day in the fields and slept in the barn at night.

But the Lap Dog frisked about and played, jumping in his master’s lap whenever he pleased, feeding from his hand, and sleeping by his bed at night.

The Donkey grumbled a great deal at this. “How hard I work!” said he, “and I never get any pay but blows and hard words. Why should I not be petted like that wretched little Dog? It may be partly my own fault. Perhaps if I played with my master as he does, I too might be treated like him.”

So the Donkey pushed his way into the house, and jumped up on his master’s knee, putting his forefeet on his shoulders and giving a loud bray.

The master, almost deafened by the noise and in danger from the great clumsy creature, called out, “Help! help!” and the servants, running in, drove the Donkey out of doors with sticks and stones.

THE ONE-EYED DOE

A DOE, blind in one eye, used to graze as near as she could to the edge of a cliff, so that she might keep her blind eye to the water, while with the other she kept watch against the approach of hunters or hounds on the shore.

[Illustration]

Some boatmen sailing by saw her standing thus on the edge of a cliff, and finding that she did not perceive their approach, they came very close, and taking aim, shot her.

Finding herself wounded, she said, “O unhappy creature that I am, to take such care as I did against the dangers of the land, and then, after all, to find this seashore, to which I had come for safety, so much more perilous!”

THE CAMEL

WHEN man first beheld the Camel, he was so awed by his vast size that he fled away from him in terror.

But after a time, perceiving the meekness and gentleness of the animal’s temper, he summoned courage to approach him. The Camel so readily obeyed the commands that were given him, and seemed so wanting in spirit, that at last the man put a bridle in his mouth and set a child to guide him.

Since then Camels are valued for the service they render.

THE WOLF AND THE HOUSE DOG

A WOLF met a Dog, and seeing that he looked fat and sleek, said to him, “How does it happen, my friend, that you are so plump, while I, although I run after game day and night, am half starved?”

“Why,” said the Dog, “I do not have to run after my food. I only guard the house at night, and all the family pet me and feed me with scraps from their own plates. Come and live with me, and you shall be as well off as I am.”

“That I should like,” said the Wolf. “I will at least go with you and try the life.”

As they trotted along the road together, the Wolf saw a mark on the Dog’s neck, and asked him what it was.

“Oh, that is nothing,” said the Dog; “only a little mark made by the fretting of my chain.”

“Do you wear a chain?” asked the Wolf; “and do you mean to say that you are tied up?”

“Why, yes,” said the Dog; “they tie me in the daytime, but at night I can go where I please. It is a bit annoying at first, but one soon gets used to it.”

“Good-by,” said the Wolf; “that is enough for me. Though I may not be fat, I will at least be free.”

THE OAK AND THE REED

ON THE bank of a river grew a tall Oak Tree. It stood with its roots firm in the ground, and its head high in the air, and said to itself: “How strong I am! Nothing shall make me bow. I look down upon all the other trees.”

But one day there was a storm. The terrible unseen wind came and struck the proud Oak. Crash! went the trunk, down came all the beautiful branches, and the Tree fell into the river. As the water carried it away, it passed a Reed that grew on the bank. The little Reed stood up tall and slender, and looked at the poor broken Tree.

“O Reed,” said the Tree, “how did it happen that you were not broken down and spoiled when the wind came? You are so little and weak, and I was so strong and proud.”

“Ah, poor Tree!” said the Reed, “that is just the reason that the wind did not hurt me. I bent low until it had gone by, but you stood stiff and tried to stop it on its way. No one can stop the wind. It must go where it is sent, but it will not hurt those who are not proud and stubborn.”

THE DOG AND THE HARE

A DOG once gave chase to a Hare. Having not long since made a good meal, the Dog was not hungry, and so was not in haste to end the sport by killing the Hare.

[Illustration]

At times he would snap at his prey, and at times play with him and lick him with his tongue, till at last the bewildered Hare cried:

“Pray tell me, are you an enemy or a friend? If a friend, why do you bite me so? and if an enemy, why do you caress me?”

No one can trust a person who is neither the one thing nor the other.

THE HAWK, KITE, AND PIGEONS

THE Pigeons, terrified by the frequent appearance of a Kite, asked the Hawk to help them.

“You are the only bird of our acquaintance,” they said, “that can protect us from our enemy. If you will take care of us, we shall feel safe.”

The Hawk at once consented, and took up his abode in the dovecote. But when the Pigeons had let him come in, they found that he slew more of them in a single day than the Kite could possibly pounce upon in a whole year.

The oldest, wisest pigeon among them said: “When we are in trouble, we must not forget that there are other dangers than the ones we are suffering from. There is a proverb among men that tells them to avoid a remedy that is worse than the disease.”

THE WAR HORSE AND THE MULE

A WAR Horse, ready for battle, with his splendid saddle and jingling bridle, came galloping swiftly along the highroad, his hoofs sounding like thunder on the hard ground.

A poor old Mule, with a heavy load on his back, was going slowly down the same road.

“Out of my way,” said the War Horse, “or I will trample you in the dust!”

The poor Mule made room for him as fast as he could, and the Horse went proudly on his way.

Not long after this the Horse was shot in the eye; and, as he was no longer fit for the army, his fine saddle and bridle were taken off, and he was sold to a farmer, who made him drag heavy loads.

Since he had not been trained to the work, it came hard to him, and he complained bitterly.

The Mule, meeting him soon after, knew him and called out: “Aha! is it you? I thought pride would have a fall some day.”

THE WIND AND THE SUN

THE North Wind and the Sun once fell into a dispute as to which was the stronger of the two. They related their most famous exploits, and each ended as he began, by thinking he had the greater power.