The Lion and the Mouse

The Lion and the Mouse

Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up

and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge

paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. "Pardon, O

King," cried the little Mouse: "forgive me this time, I shall

never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn

some of these days?" The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the

Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let

him go. Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the

hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a

tree while they went in search of a waggon to carry him on. Just

then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad

plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away

the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?"

said the little Mouse.

Little friends may prove great friends.

The Swallow and the Other Birds

It happened that a Countryman was sowing some hemp seeds in a

field where a Swallow and some other birds were hopping about

picking up their food. "Beware of that man," quoth the Swallow.

"Why, what is he doing?" said the others. "That is hemp seed he

is sowing; be careful to pick up every one of the seeds, or else

you will repent it." The birds paid no heed to the Swallow's

words, and by and by the hemp grew up and was made into cord, and

of the cords nets were made, and many a bird that had despised the

Swallow's advice was caught in nets made out of that very hemp.

"What did I tell you?" said the Swallow.

Destroy the seed of evil, or it will grow up to your ruin.

The Frogs Desiring a King

The Frogs were living as happy as could be in a marshy swamp

that just suited them; they went splashing about caring for nobody

and nobody troubling with them. But some of them thought that

this was not right, that they should have a king and a proper

constitution, so they determined to send up a petition to Jove to

give them what they wanted. "Mighty Jove," they cried, "send unto

us a king that will rule over us and keep us in order." Jove

laughed at their croaking, and threw down into the swamp a huge

Log, which came downrplashto the swamp. The Frogs

were frightened out of their lives by the commotion made in their

midst, and all rushed to the bank to look at the horrible monster;

but after a time, seeing that it did not move, one or two of the

boldest of them ventured out towards the Log, and even dared to

touch it; still it did not move. Then the greatest hero of the

Frogs jumped upon the Log and commenced dancing up and down upon

it, thereupon all the Frogs came and did the same; and for some

time the Frogs went about their business every day without taking

the slightest notice of their new King Log lying in their midst.

But this did not suit them, so they sent another petition to Jove,

and said to him, "We want a real king; one that will really rule

over us." Now this made Jove angry, so he sent among them a big

Stork that soon set to work gobbling them all up. Then the Frogs

repented when too late.

Better no rule than cruel rule.

The Mountains in Labour

One day the Countrymen noticed that the Mountains were in

labour; smoke came out of their summits, the earth was quaking at

their feet, trees were crashing, and huge rocks were tumbling.

They felt sure that something horrible was going to happen. They

all gathered together in one place to see what terrible thing this

could be. They waited and they waited, but nothing came. At last

there was a still more violent earthquake, and a huge gap appeared

in the side of the Mountains. They all fell down upon their knees

and waited. At last, and at last, a teeny, tiny mouse poked its

little head and bristles out of the gap and came running down

towards them, and ever after they used to say:

"Much outcry, little outcome."

The Hares and the Frogs

The Hares were so persecuted by the other beasts, they did not

know where to go. As soon as they saw a single animal approach

them, off they used to run. One day they saw a troop of wild

Horses stampeding about, and in quite a panic all the Hares

scuttled off to a lake hard by, determined to drown themselves

rather than live in such a continual state of fear. But just as

they got near the bank of the lake, a troop of Frogs, frightened

in their turn by the approach of the Hares scuttled off, and

jumped into the water. "Truly," said one of the Hares, "things

are not so bad as they seem:

"There is always someone worse off than yourself."