"I am very ill," answered the Lion. "Won't you come inside a little
while? It does me a great deal of good to see my kind friends."

"Thank you," said the Fox; "but I notice that all the tracks point
toward your den and none point away from it," and so saying, he trotted
merrily away.



The Travellers and the Bear

Two Men, about to journey through a forest, agreed to stand by each
other in any dangers that might befall. They had not gone far before a
savage Bear rushed out from a thicket and stood in their path.

One of the Travellers, a light, nimble fellow, climbed up into a tree.
The other fell flat on his face and held his breath.

The Bear came up and smelled at him, and, taking him for dead, went off
again into the wood. The man in the tree then came down, and,
rejoining his companion, asked him, with a mischievous smile, what was
the wonderful secret that the Bear had whispered into his ear,

"Why," replied the other sulkily, "he told me to take care for the
future and not to put any confidence in such cowardly rascals as you
are!"



The Fox Without a Tail