The Junior Classics Volume I Part 16

"How so?" said the men.

"Why, you were complaining you could not get at the Tiger that has been devouring your cattle; I got into this net to-day that you may have him. As I expected, he came to eat me up, and is in yonder thicket, "

said the Fox, and gave a hint that if they would take him out of the trap he would point out the Tiger.

"May we depend upon your word?" said the men.

"Certainly," said the Fox, while the men went with him in a circle to see that he did not escape.

Then the Fox said to the Tiger and the men, "Sir Tiger, here are the men; gentlemen, here is the Tiger."

The men left the Fox and turned to the Tiger. The former beat a hasty retreat to the wood, saying, "I have kept my promise to both; now you may settle it between yourselves."

The Tiger exclaimed, when it was too late, "Alas! what art for a double part!"

THE SEA, THE FOX, AND THE WOLF

By Ramaswami Raju

A FOX that lived by the seash.o.r.e once met a 'Wolf that had never seen the Sea. The Wolf said, "What is the Sea?"

"It is a great piece of water by my dwelling," said the Fox.

"Is it under your control?" said the Wolf.

"Certainly," said the Fox.

"Will you show me the Sea, then?" said the Wolf.

"With pleasure," said the Fox. So the Fox led the Wolf to the Sea and said to the waves, "Now go back"-they went back! "Now come up"- and they came up! Then the Fox said to the waves, "My friend, the Wolf, has come to see you, so you will come up and go back till I bid you stop; and the Wolf saw with wonder the waves coming up and going back.

He said to the Fox, "May I go into the Sea?"

"As far as you like. Don't be afraid, for at a word, the Sea would go or come as I bid, and as you have already seen."

The Wolf believed the Fox, and followed the waves rather far from the sh.o.r.e. A great wave soon upset him, and threw his carca.s.s on the sh.o.r.e. The Fox made a hearty breakfast on it.

THE FOX IN THE WELL

By Ramaswami Raju

A FOX fell into a well and was holding hard to some roots at the side of it, just above the water. A Wolf, who was pa.s.sing by, saw him, and said, "h.e.l.lo, Reynard, after all you have fallen into a well!"

"But not without a purpose, and not without the means of getting out of it," said the Fox.

"What do you mean?" said the Wolf.

"Why," said the Fox, "there is a drought all over the country now, and the water in this well is the only means of appeasing the thirst of the thousands that live in this neighborhood. They held a meeting, and requested me to keep the water from going down lower; so I am holding it up for the public good."

"What will be your reward?" said the 'Wolf.

"They will give me a pension, and save me the trouble of going about every day in quest of food, not to speak of innumerable other privileges that will be granted me. Further, I am not to stay here all day. I have asked a kinsman of mine, to whom I have communicated the secret of holding up the water, to relieve me from time to time. Of course he will also get a pension, and have other privileges. I expect him here shortly."

"Ah, Reynard, may I relieve you, then? May I hope to get a pension and other privileges? You know what a sad lot is mine, especially in winter."

"Certainly," said the Fox; "but you must get a long rope, that I may come up and let you in.

So the Wolf got a rope. Up came the Fox and down went the wo1f, when the former observed, with a laugh, "My dear sir, you may remain there till doomsday, or till the owner of the well throws up your carca.s.s,"

and left the place.

As.h.i.+EPATTLE AND HIS GOODLY CREW

By P. C. Asbjornsen

ONCE upon a time there was a king, and this king had heard about a s.h.i.+p which went just as fast by land as by water; and as he wished to have one like it, he promised his daughter and half the kingdom to anyone who could build one for him. And this was given out at every church all over the country. There were many who tried, as you can imagine; for they thought it would be a nice thing to have half the kingdom, and the princess wouldn't be a bad thing into the bargain. But they all fared badly.

Now there were three brothers, who lived far away on the borders of a forest; the eldest was called Peter, the second Paul, and the youngest Espen As.h.i.+epattle, because he always sat in the hearth, raking and digging in the ashes.

It so happened that As.h.i.+epattle was at church on the Sunday when the proclamation about the s.h.i.+p, which the king wanted, was read. When he came home amid told his family, Peter, the eldest, asked his mother to get some food ready for him, for now he was going away to try if he could build the s.h.i.+p and win the princess and half the kingdom. When the bag was ready lie set out. On the way he met an old man who was very crooked and decrepit.

"Where are you going?" said the man.

"I'm going into the forest to make a trough for my father. He doesn't like to eat at table in our company," said Peter.

"Trough it shall he!" said the man. "What have you got in that bag of yours?" he added.

"Stones," said Peter.

"Stones it shall be," said the man. Peter then went into the forest and began to cut and chop away at the trees and work away as hard as he could, but in spite of all his cutting and chopping he could only turn out troughs. Toward dinner time he wanted something to eat and opened his bag. But there was not a crumb of food in it. As he had nothing to live upon, and as he did not turn out anything but troughs, he became tired of the work, took his ax and bag on his shoulder, and went home to his mother.

Paul then wanted to set out to try his luck at building the s.h.i.+p and winning the princess and half the kingdom. He asked his mother for provisions, and when the bag was ready he threw it over his shoulder and went on his way to the forest. On the road he met the old man, who was very crooked and decrepit.

"Where are you going?" said the man.

"Oh, I am going into the forest to make a trough for our sucking pig,"

said Paul.

"Pig trough it shall be," said the man. "What have you got in that bag of yours?" added the man.

"Stones," said Paul.

"Stones it shall be," said the man.

Paul then began felling trees and working away as hard as he could, but no matter how he cut and how he worked he could only turn out pig troughs. He did not give in, however, but worked away till far into the afternoon before he thought of taking any food; then all at once he became hungry and opened his bag, but not a crumb could he find. Paul became so angry he turned the bag inside out and struck it against the stump of a tree; then lie took his ax, went out of the forest, and set off homeward.

As soon as Paul returned, As.h.i.+epattle wanted to set out and asked his mother for a bag of food.

"Perhaps I can manage to build the s.h.i.+p and win the princess and half the kingdom," said he.