A man crossing the great river of Egypt, heard a voice, which seemed
to come from beneath his boat, requesting him to stop. Thinking it
must proceed from some river-deity, he laid down his paddle and said:

"Whoever you are that ask me to stop, I beg you will let me go on. I
have been asked by a friend to dine with him, and I am late."

"Should your friend pass this way," said the voice, "I will show him
the cause of your detention. Meantime you must come to dinner with
_me_."

"Willingly," replied the man, devoutly, very well pleased with so
extraordinary an honour; "pray show me the way."

"In here," said the crocodile, elevating his distending jaws above the
water and beckoning with his tongue--"this way, please."

This fable shows that being asked to dinner is not always the same
thing as being asked to dine.




XXXIII.


An old monkey, designing to teach his sons the advantage of unity,
brought them a number of sticks, and desired them to see how easily
they might be broken, one at a time. So each young monkey took a stick