THE HOUND AND THE FOX

 


191. THE KID AND THE WOLF  A kid strayed from the flock and was chased by a wolf. When he saw he must be caught he turned round and said to the wolf, “I know, sir, that I can’t escape being eaten by you; and so, as my life is bound to be short, I pray you let it be as merry as may be. Will you not play me a tune to dance to before I die?” The wolf saw no objection to having some music before his dinner; so he took out his pipe and began to play, while the kid danced before him. Before many minutes were passed the dogs who guarded the flock heard the sound and came up to see what was going on. They no sooner clapped eyes on the wolf than they gave chase and drove him away. As he ran off, he turned and said to the kid, “It’s what I thoroughly deserve. My trade is the butcherʼs, and I had no business to turn piper to please you.”


192. THE DEBTOR AND HIS SOW  A man of Athens fell into debt and was pressed for the money by his creditor; but he had no means of paying at the time, so he begged for delay. But the creditor refused and said he must pay at once. Then the debtor fetched a sow— the only one he had—and took her to market to offer her for sale. It happened that his creditor was there too. Presently a buyer came along and asked if the sow produced good litters. “Yes,” said the debtor, “very fine ones; and the remarkable thing is that she produces females at the Mysteries and males at the Panathenea.” (Festivals these were; and the Athenians always sacrifice a sow at one, and a boar at the other; while at the Dionysia they sacrifice a kid.) At that the creditor, who was standing by, put in, “Don’t be surprised, sir. Why, still better, at the Dionysia this sow has kids!”


193. THE BALD HUNTSMAN  A man who had lost all his hair took to wearing a wig, and one day he went out hunting. It was blowing rather hard at . the time, and he hadn’t gone far before a gust of wind caught his hat and carried it off, and his wig too, much to the amusement of the hunt. But he quite entered into the joke, and said, “Ah, well! The hair that wig is made of didn’t stick to the head on which it grew, so it’s no wonder it won’t stick to mine.”


194. THE HERDSMAN AND THE LOST BULL  A herdsman was tending his cattle when he missed a young bull, one of the finest of the herd. He went at once to look for him, but, meeting with no success in his search, he made a vow, that if he should discover the thief he would sacrifice a calf to Jupiter. Continuing his search, he entered a thicket, where he presently espied a lion devouring the lost bull. Terrified with fear, he raised his hands to heaven and cried, “Great Jupiter, I vowed I would sacrifice a calf to thee if I should discover the thief; but now a full-grown bull I promise thee if only I myself escape unhurt from his clutches.”


195. THE HOUND AND THE FOX A hound, roaming in the forest, spied a lion, and being well used to lesser game, gave chase, thinking he would make a fine quarry. Presently the lion perceived that he was being pursued; so, stopping short, he rounded on his pursuer and gave a loud roar. The hound immediately turned tail and fled. A fox, seeing him running away, jeered at him and said, “Ho! Ho! There goes the coward who chased a lion and ran away the moment he roared!”

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