| THE BALD MAN AND THE FLY There was once a bald man who sat down after work on a hot summer's day. A fly came up and kept buzzing about his bald pate, and stinging him from time to time. The man aimed a blow at his little enemy, but---whack--his palm came on his head instead, again the fly tormented him, but this time the man was wiser and said "YOU WILL ONLY INJURE YOURSELF IF YOU TAKE NOTICE OF DESPICABLE ENEMIES" THE MAN AND THE SERPENT A countryman's son by accident trod upon a serpent's tail, which turned and bit him so that he died. The father in a rage got his axe, and pursuing the serpent, cut off part of it's tail. So the serpent in revenge began stinging several of the farmer's cattle and caused him severe loss. Well, the farmer thought it best to make it up with the serpent, and brought food and honey to the mouth of it's lair, and said to it, "Let's forget and forgive, perhaps you were right to punish my son, and take vengeance on my cattle, but surely I was right in trying to revenge him, now that we are both satisfied why should not we be friends again?" "No, no" said the serpent, "take away your gifts, you can never forget the death of your son, nor I the loss of my tail." "INJURIES MAY BE FORGIVEN, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN." THE WOLF AND THE LAMB Once upon a time a wolf was lapping at a spring on hillside when, looking up, what should he see but a Lamb just beginning to drink a little lower down. "Theres my supper," thought he, "if only I can find some excuse to seize it." Then he called out to the lam "How dare you muddle the water from which I am drinking?" "Nay, master, nay," said Lambikin, "if the water be muddy up there, I cannot be the cause of it, for it runs down from you to me." "Well, then," said the Wolf, "why did you call me bad names this time last year?" "That cannot be," said the Lamb, "I am only six months old." "I don't care," snarled the Wolf, "if it was not you it was your father," and with that he rused upon the poor little Lamb and ........ WARRA WARRA WARRA WARRA..... ate her all up. But before she died she gasped out --- "ANY EXCUSE WILL SERVE A TYRANT." THE WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING A wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep owing to the vigilance of the shepherd and his dogs. But one day it found the skin of a sheep that had been flayed and thrown aside, so it put it on over it's own pelt and strolled down among the sheep. The lamb tha belonged the sheep, whose skin the wolf was wearing, began to follow the wolf in sheep's clothing, so, leading the lamb a little apart, he soon made a meal off her, and for some time he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and enjoying hearty meals. "APPEARANCES ARE DECEPTIVE" THE FOX AND THE MASK A fox had by some means got into the store-room of a theatre. Suddenly he observed a face glaring down on him and began to be very frightened, but looking more closely he found it was only a mask such as actors use to put over their face. "Ah," said the fox, "you look very fine, it is a pity you have not got any brains." "OUTSIDE SHOW IS A POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR INNER WORTH" THE JAY AND THE PEACOCK A jay venturing into a yard where peacocks used to walk, found there a number of feathers which had fallen from the peacocks when they were moulting. He tied them all to his tail and strutted down towards the peacocks. When he came near them they soon discovered the cheat, and striding up to him pecked at him and plucked away his borrowed plumes. So the jay could do no better than go back to the other jays, who had watched his behaviour from a distance, but they were equally annoyed with him and told him, "IT IS NOT ONLY FINE FEATHERS THAT MAKE FINE BIRDS" THE DOG AND THE SHADOW It happened that a dog had got a peice of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat in peace.Now on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen no more. "BEWARE LEST YOU LOSE THE SUBSTANCE BY GRASPING AT THE SHADOW" THE FOX AND THE CROW A fox once saw a crow fly off with a piece of cheese in it's beak and settle on a branch of a tree. "That's for me, as I am a fox," said Master Reynard, and he walked up to the foot of tree. "Good-day, Mistress Crow," he cried. "How well you are looking today, how glossy your feathers, how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does, let me hear but one song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds." The crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Master Fox. "That will do," said he. "That was all I wanted. In exchange for your cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future--- "DO NOT TRUST FLATTERERS" |
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