"Who told ME?" roared the Lion. "Why, everyone acknowledges it--don't I
tell you that everyone is afraid of me?"

"Indeed!" cried the Gnat disdainfully. "Pray don't say _all_, for I'm not
afraid of you. And further, I deny your right to be King."

This was too much for the Lion. He now worked himself into a perfect fury.

"You--you--YOU deny my right as King?"

"I _do_, and, what is more, you shall never be King until you have fought
and conquered me."

The Lion laughed a great lion laugh, and a lion laugh cannot be laughed at
like a cat laugh, as everyone ought to know.

"Fight--did you say fight?" he asked. "Who ever heard of a lion fighting a
gnat? Here, out of my way, you atom of nothing! I'll blow you to the other
end of the world."

But though the Lion puffed his cheeks until they were like great bellows,
and then blew with all his might, he could not disturb the little Gnat's
hold on the swaying grass-blade.

"You'll blow all your whiskers away if you are not careful," he said, with
a laugh--"but you won't move me. And if you dare leave this spot without
fighting me, I'll tell all the beasts of the forest that you are afraid of
me, and they'll make _me_ King."