"How can you run a race with me, Mr. Crayfish?"
said the Fox. '"You"don't know how to run like a real animal."
"Well,
don't talk about it," said the Crayfish. "Let's try and see. Let's
run as far as that tree over there, and see who gets there the first."
"Very well, let's run and see," said the Fox. As
the Fox turns his back to the Crayfish, the Crayfish ratches_hold of the
Fox's tail with his claws.
The Fox ran as fast as he could. He ran so fast that his feet
hardly touched the ground. And he said to himself: " How silly that
Crayfish is! He thinks that he can win in a race with me."
All the time
the Crayfish was hanging on the end of the Fox's tail. When they got to the
tree, the Fox stopped and looked around for the Crayfish. Then the Crayfish
let go the Fox's tail and said: "Well, Mr. Fox, I am already here. I'm
waiting for you." The Fox was so tired that he did not say a word.
The Vain Crow
A crow who thought that she was very beautiful —- though
really she looked just like any other crow — sat on the branch of a tree. She
had a piece of cheese in her beak which she had stolen from a farmer's house.
At the foot
of the tree there sat a fox who saw the piece of cheese in the Crow's beak and
he wanted to get it.
The Fox stood up and cried to the Crow: "I am very glad
to see you, my friend. You look very beautiful today."
The Crow sat quietly and did not say anything, though she was
very pleased.
"You are so beautiful that I think you must be our
queen. Can you talk? I am sure that your voice is very beautiful too."
The Crow
still did not say anything, because she had the cheese in her beak.
The Fox was silent for a moment. Then he said: "Oh, I
see. You can't talk. And of course we can't make you our queen, if you can't
talk."
Now the vain Crow wanted to show that she could talk, and she
opened her beak. The piece of cheese fell to the ground. The sly Fox rushed to
it and began to eat it. The silly Crow looked sadly at him from the tree. And
the Fox laughed.
"My
dear friend," he said, "now I see that you have a voice, but it is a
pity that you have not got something more important. You have not got
brains."
The Tiger and the Fox
One day a fox met a tiger in the forest. The Tiger rushed at
the Fox ready to tear him to pieces. But the Fox was not frightened. He said to
the Tiger: "Don't think you are the strongest animal in the forest. It is
true that I am smaller than you, but people are less afraid of you than they
are of me. 1 can prove it to you right now. Come with me to the road where the
people pass by. I shall walk in front of you and you will see that they run
away as soon as they see me, After that you can tear me to pieces."
The Tiger agreed
and they went to the road.
Not long afterwards a group of travelers came along the road.
As soon as they saw the Tiger walking behind the Fox they ran away terrified.
"Do you believe me now?" asked the Fox. The silly
Tiger was so frightened that he did not reply. He ran back into the forest. He
really believed that the Fox was a terrible and dangerous animal.
The Rabbit and the Fox
One day the
Rabbit took the road to the Fox's house. Suddenly he saw a doll on the ground.
The doll was quite black. The Rabbit came nearer. "What a funny doll! Some
children left it here, I suppose."
The Rabbit came
quite near.
"Oh, how funny it is! I must touch it!" And the
Rabbit touched it. The moment he touched the doll, it stuck to his paws. The
doll was made of tar. The sly Fox made it to catch the Rabbit. The poor Rabbit
tried to free himself but he could not.
The Fox came. He
had been hiding behind a bush.
"Good morning! What are you doing here?" he said.
"This is the end of me," thought the poor Rabbit,
but he answered bravely: "I am playing with a doll. Don't you see?"
"Very strange at your age," said the Fox, coming
quite near.
"Now I
shall eat you up," said the Fox and seized the poor Rabbit.
The Rabbit
was terribly frightened. "I know you will kill me," he said,
"but I ask you only one thing. Don't throw me into a thorn-bush. I don't
want to die there."
"Well, let me see what I can do for
you," said the Fox. "I wanted to roast you but there is no fire to
hand. Perhaps I shall drown you in the river."
"Do
anything what you like but don't throw me into a thorn-bush," said the
Rabbit again.
"I
wanted to do what you wish but the river is too far," said the Fox and
threw the Rabbit into a thorn-bush.
That was just what the Rabbit wanted. He rolled and rolled
among the branches, and the thorns took off all the tar from his fur. But he
did not forget to shout.
When his shouts died away, the Fox came up to the thorn-bush.
He thought the Rabbit was dead. But he heard a laugh. The Rabbit was sitting in
the hill. He was laughing at the Fox. The Fox rushed at the Rabbit, but it was
too late.
The Lazy Ass
Once a
tradesman had an ass who was very strong animal but very lazy. The Tradesman
was a kind man and fed the Ass well, but the animal was always displeased and
grumbled that he had to carry heavy sacks.
The Tradesman travelled from town to town with all kinds of
goods and came home only late in the evening.
When the Ass was in the stable at night with the other
animals, he always grumbled that he was very tired, and that his master made
him carry very heavy loads.
And the
other animals shook their heads in sympathy, and they believed the Ass.
One day the Tradesman bought two sacks of salt which he
wanted to sell in another town. So he loaded the sacks on the Ass's back and
they started off.
On their way
they came to a bridge across a river. Right in the middle of the bridge the Ass
slipped and fell into the river. The master ran around to the bank and went
into the water to help the animal back to dry ground.
Now the Ass noticed that his load was much lighter as the
water had washed away part of the salt.
"Ah, that's good!" thought the lazy animal.
"Why did not I think of that before?"
As the salt
was no good at all now the Tradesman returned to town and brought some other
goods with which he loaded the Ass. Then they started again and when they came
to the bridge the second time the Ass jumped into the water. As the sacks did
not contain salt this time but cloth instead, they became very heavy. The master
helped the silly Ass back to the road. Now the load was twice heavy because it
was wet. But as nobody wanted to buy the wet cloth, the Tradesman could not
sell it that day and the Ass had to carry the heavy-sacks home again on his
back.
The Rats and Their Daughter
Once upon
a time there were two rats who had many fine children but the one they loved
most was their youngest daughter. She was a nice little rat. She had the most
beautiful grey coat and the brightest little eyes and such dear little ears.
And her parents thought that she was the most beautiful rat in the world.
When she was old enough to marry they began to think of her
future husband.
"She
must have a very mighty husband," they said. "No one but the
mightiest in the world shall marry our beautiful daughter."
But where was the mightiest? It was not easy to tell and they
did not know.
So they went to a very old and clever rat and asked him. He
answered: "Go to the Sun and ask him to be your daughter's husband. 1 am
sure no one is mightier than the Sun."
So Mr. and Mrs. Rat went to the Sun and asked him to marry
their daughter. The Sun answered: "It is very nice of you to ask me to
marry your daughter, but please, tell me, why did you choose me?" "We
wish to give our daughter to the mightiest in the world, and of course no one
can be mightier than you." "I see," said the Sun, "but I'm
afraid it is not true, there is one mightier than I am. and you must give your
daughter to him." "Who can be mightier than you?" asked Mr. Rat
and the Sun answered: "When I wish to shine on the earth, a cloud often comes
along, and my light cannot pass through it or drive it away. You must go to the
Cloud."
So Mr. and Mrs. Rat went to the Cloud and told him their
wish. "1 am not the mightiest," said the Cloud. "The Wind is
mightier than I. When the Wind blows, he drives me along and I can do nothing
against him."
So Mr. and Mrs. Rat went to the Wind. But the Wind said:
"Yes, I am mightier than the Cloud. But I am not the mightiest in the
world. The Wall is sometimes in my path and I blow and blow, but the Wall is
still there and I cannot pass through it."
Again Mr. and Mrs. Rat went on till they came to the Wall.
But the Wall said: "You are right. I am mightier than the Wind. But there
is the Rat who makes holes in me — thenI can do nothing against him. The best
thing for you is to choose a rat for your daughter's husband."
Then Mr. and Mrs. Rat came back home and their beautiful
daughter married a rat, and they lived happily for many, many years.
The Clever Poor Man
One day a poor man was travelling on horseback. In the
afternoon when he was tired and hungry he tied his horse to a tree and sat down
to have his dinner. A rich man came to that place and began to tie his horse to
the same tree.
"Do not
tie your horse to that tree," said the poor man, "my horse is wild, it
will kill your horse. Tie it to another tree." But the rich man answered:
"I shall tie my horse where I like." So he tied up his horse and also
sat down to eat his dinner. But a few minutes later they heard a terrible noise
and saw that the two horses were fighting. They ran up to them, but it was too
late — the rich man's horse was dead.
"See what your horse has done!" cried the rich num.
"You will have to pay for it." And he brought the poor man before the
judge.
The judge asked the poor man: "Is it true that your
horse killed his horse?" But the poor man answered nothing. Then the judge
asked the poor man many other questions, but he did not say anything.
At last the
judge cried: "What can I do? This man is dumb. He cannot speak!"
"Oh," said the rich man, "he can speak as well as you or I. He
spoke to me when I met him,"
"Are
you sure?" asked the judge. "What did he say?"
"Of course I am sure," answered the rich man.
"He told me not to tie my horse to the same tree where his horse was tied.
He said that his horse was wild and would kill my horse."
"Oh," said the judge, "now I see that you are
not right. He warned you before. So he shall not pay for your horse now.'
Then he turned to the poor man and asked him why he had not
answered all his questions.
The poor man said: "I did not answer you as I knew that
you would believe a rich man more than a poor man. So I wanted him to tell you
everything and now you see who was right and who was wrong,"
How
Fifty Crocodiles Wanted to Eat up One Little Rabbit
One day a rabbit went to eat some grass near the river. He
ate some grass, drank some water and then went to sleep under a tree.
That night
it rained, and in the morning the ground on which the Rabbit had slept was like
an island. There was water all round it. The poor little Rabbit did not know
what to do. He could not jump to the other bank of the river because at that
place the river was very wide after the rain. And he was afraid to swim,
because there were many crocodiles in the river.
One of the crocodiles put his head out of the water and said:
" I am happy to see you, Rabbit! Come nearer, my dear. We shall eat you
up, my
friends and I. Your meat must be very good."
The Rabbit
was frightened. But he did not show that he was frightened. And he answered:
"My meat is very good only if crocodiles eat very little of it. How many
of you are here?"
"We are
thirty." answered an old crocodile.
"That's very bad," said the Rabbit. "You must
be fifty at least. My meat is poisonous and you must eat very little of it. You
may eat me up now, but you will all die tomorrow."
"If you
say so," said the old Crocodile, "then three crocodiles will go and
ask twenty other crocodiles to come here and help us to eat you up. And
twenty-seven crocodiles will stay here and see that you don't run away."
Soon three
crocodiles came back and with them were twenty other crocodiles. The old
Crocodile said: " Now we are fifty, Rabbit, and we shall eat you up."
"If you are fifty, not more and not less, you may eat me
up," answered the Rabbit. "But did you count well? Are you
fifty?"
"Yes, we are
fifty."
"If you did not count well, you will all die," said
the Rabbit.
The crocodiles were frightened. They thought: "What if
we are forty-nine or fifty-one?" And they said to the Rabbit:
"Please, little Rabbit, count us again! You are so clever!"
"No, I don't
want to do it," answered the Rabbit.
"Dear
little Rabbit, count us, please! You will do it better than we!"
"Well,
if you want, I shall count you! But you must lie down side by side in the
water, from this island to the bank of the river. Then I shall see all of you
and count you well."
The crocodiles did as the Rabbit told them. Then the Rabbit
said to the Old Crocodile: "May I walk over the backs of your friends? I
must see them all and count them well."
The Old
Crocodile answered: "Do as you like, dear Rabbit, only count us
well."
The Rabbit began to count. As he counted, he jumped over the
backs of the crocodiles: "One, two, three, four... ten... fifteen...
twenty-five... fifty!"
When he counted fifty, he jumped to the bank of the river and
ran away into the forest.
The Tortoise Who Talked
There was once a tortoise who talked too much.
He lived in a pond. He talked to the
birds, and he talked to the fishes, and to the monkeys all day long. At last
they did not want to see or hear him any more. "He does a lot of harm to
everybody, this Talking Tortoise," said the fishes to each other, as they
lay under the bank. "He tells the cranes where we hide, and then the
cranes fish us out, and eat us. And he told the king of the parrots thai the
monkeys spoke ill about his tail, and so there was a quarrel between the
monkeys and the parrots."
"He is
a very bad tortoise!" said the birds. "But he says that he will go
and stay with somebody in summer. How nice that will be! We shall have a real
holiday."
"He, will not go away from here," said the fishes.
"Where will he go? Who will ask him? No one! He will stay herg.atl his
life!"
Summer came, and indeed the Tortoise stayed in the garden.
Nobody asked him to come and stay for the summer.
One morning the Tortoise lay in the sun on the bank of the
river. Two white ducks alighted on the ground near him.
"Where
are you going?" the Tortoise asked them. "We are going to a beautiful
place. Its name is the Beautiful Mountain."
"I like
the name," said the Tortoise. "Have you a pond there?"
"No, but we have lakes and rivers, which are much
better. Come with us and you will see."
"I
cannot fly," the Tortoise said. "But I want to go with you."
"Oh, we
shall take you!" said the ducks. "We shall take the two ends of a
stick in our beaks, and you will hold on to the middle by your mouth. You must
only keep your mouth shut all the time." "I can do that very
well," said the Tortoise.
The ducks flew up into the air, with the Tortoise between
them.
"Don't come back again, Talking Tortoise," cried
the little fishes.
The Tortoise
wanted to say, "I shall not!" but he tried to keep his mouth shut. He
did not want to fall back into the pond.
They flew over fields, and forests, and towns, And when they
stopped, the ducks told the Tortoise to keep his mouth shut.
The next day, when they were in the air, a woman in the field
looked up and said, "Two wild ducks are carrying a tortoise," The
Tortoise wanted very much to say, "And what is that to you, you silly
woman?" but he thought about it in time and kept his mouth shut.
Soon they
flew over the king's summer palace, and in the town near it some boys threw
stones at the wild ducks. " Drop the fat old Tortoise!" they cried.
"We shall make soup ot him!"
It was too much tor the Tortoise. "Soup!" he cried.
"You will be made into soup yourself!" But the moment he opened his
mouth, he fell down, and this was the end of the Talking Tortoise.
The
Hare and the Elephant
Once upon a time a hare lived in the jungle.
She was very timid, and so she was thinking that something was going to happen.
One day she heard a great noise that frightened her very much. She thought the
world must be breaking up, and she started to run away.
She met a deer, who was also easily frightened.
"Where are you going?" asked the Deer. "The
world is breaking up, and 1 am running away," answered the Hare. "I
think I shall go with you," said the Deer. And away they ran.
Soon they
met a fox who was hunting for something to eat. "Where are you going this
fine morning?" asked the Fox. "The world is breaking up, and we are
running away," answered the Deer. "I think I shall go with you,"
said the Fox. "I can run as fast as you can."
Soon they met a lion, who was always ready to hear the news.
"Where are you going?" asked the Lion. "The world is breaking
up, and we are running awa " said the Fox. "Then I shall go with
you," said the Lion, for he wanted to see what would happen.
On the way they met a tiger, who was much surprised to see
the Hare, the Deer, the Fox, and the Lion running together through the tall
grass, "Where are you going?" asked the Tiger, "The world is
breaking up, and we are running away," said the Lion. "I shall go
with you," said the Tiger. "It is a good morning for a run, and
perhaps I'll get something for my dinner,"
Away they all ran, up the hill and down the hill, and through
the jungle. After a while they came upon an elephant, who was rocking from side
to side. He chewed the long jungle grass. "Where are you going?"
asked the Elephant. "The world is breaking up, and we are running
away," said the Tiger.
"Who told you?" asked the Elephant. "The Lion
told me," said the Tiger, "The Fox (old me," said the Lion.
"The Deer told me," said the Fox. "The Hare told me," said
the Deer. They all looked at the Hare. "How did you find out about
it?" the Elephant asked the Hare.
"I
heard a loud noise," said the Hare, "and thought the world was
breaking up."
"Was this the noise you heard?" asked the Elephant,
He lifted his trunk and made a loud noise.
"Yes, that was the noise," said the Hare. "It
sounded as if the world was breaking up."
"Nonsense,"
said the Elephant. "1 was only saying 'Good morning' to the jungle."
"What do you think of it?" said the Tiger and he
looked at the Hare, but the Hare turned and ran through the jungle as fast as
she could.
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