THE LION, THE STAG, AND THE FOX
A FOX saw a stag, and exclaimed, "What rich meat there is
in him!"
[5] A lion, that had got nothing to eat for some time, was
prowling at a distance.
The fox said to himself, "If I
should point out the stag to the lion, he will make his
breakfast off him, and leave me the remainder." So he went
up to the lion and, bowing respectfully, said, "If your
majesty will step in that way, your majesty's humble servant
will be able to point out something highly desirable."
"Very
good!" said the lion, and followed the fox.
But the stag, who had got a hint of the conspiracy, ran up
to a place of safety, and was watching their movements
unseen.
The lion, not finding the stag, said to the fox, "Knave,
you have deceived me! I am frantically hungry: you are as
good a morsel as the stag, though a trifle less in size,"
and, springing on him, ate him up in no time.
Said the stag, "The wicked are often caught in their own
toils."
|