A shepherd-boy, who watched a flock of sheep near a village, brought out the villagers three or four times by crying out, "Wolf! Wolf!" and when his neighbors came to help him, laughed at them for their pains.

The Wolf, however, did truly come at last. The Shepherd-boy, now really alarmed, shouted in an agony of terror: "Pray, do come and help me; the Wolf is killing the sheep"; but no one paid any heed to his cries, nor rendered any assistance. The Wolf, having no cause of fear, at his leisure lacerated or destroyed the whole flock.

There is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth.

The Bundle of Stick

An old man on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice. He ordered his servants to bring in a faggot of sticks, and said to his eldest son, "Break it." The son strained and strained, but with all his efforts was unable to break the Bundle. The other sons also tried, but none of them was successful. "Untie the faggots," said the father, "and each of you take a stick." When they had done so, he called out to them, "Now, break," and each stick was easily broken. "You see my meaning," said their father.

A Fox once saw a Crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its 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 the 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."

Once when a Lion was asleep a little Mouse began running up and down upon him; this soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him, and opened his big jaws to swallow him. "Pardon, O King," cried the little Mouse: "forgive me this time, I shall never forget it: who knows but what I may be able to do you a turn some of these days?" The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.

Some time after the Lion was caught in a trap, and the hunters who desired to carry him alive to the King, tied him to a tree while they went in search of a waggon to carry him on. Just then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse.

The Hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals. "I have never yet been beaten," said he, "when I put forth my full speed. I challenge any one here to race with me."

The Tortoise said quietly, "I accept your challenge."

"That is a good joke," said the Hare; "I could dance round you all the way."

"Keep your boasting till you've won," answered the Tortoise. "Shall we race?"

So a course was fixed and a start was made. The Hare darted almost out of sight at once, but soon stopped and, to show his contempt for the Tortoise, lay down to have a nap. The Tortoise plodded on and plodded on, and when the Hare awoke from his nap, he saw the Tortoise just near the winning-post and could not run up in time to save the race.

Then the Tortoise said: "Slow but steady progress wins the race".

THE BUN

ОПСе there lived an old man and an old woman.

The old man said,

«Old woman, bake me a bun.»

«What can I make it from? I have no flour. »

«Eh, eh, old woman! Scrape the cupboard, sweep the flour bin, and you will find enough flour. »

The old woman picked up a duster, scraped the cupboard, swept the flour bin and gathered about two handfuls of flour.

She mixed the dough with sour cream, fried it in butter, and put the bun on the window sill to cool.

The bun lay and lay there. Suddenly it rolled off the window sill to the bench, from the bench to the floor, from the floor to the door.

Then it rolled over the threshold to the entrance hall, from the entrance hall to the porch, from the porch to the courtyard, from the courtyardthrough the gate and on and on.

The bun rolled along the road and met a hare.

«Little bun, little bun, I shall eat you up» said the hare.

«Do not eat me, slant-eyed hare! I will sing you a song, "said the bun, and sang:

I was scraped from the cupboard

Swept from the bin,

Kneaded with sour cream,

Fried in butter,

And cooled on the sill.

I got away from Grandpa,

I got away from Grandma,

And I'll get away from you, hare!

And the bun rolled away before the hare even saw it move!

The bun rolled on and met a wolf.

«Little bun, little bun, I shall eat you up," said the wolf. »

Do not eat me, grey wolfl »said the bun.

«I will sing you a song.»

And the bun sang:

I was scraped from the cupboard

Swept from the bin,

Kneaded with sour cream,

Fried in butter,

And cooled on the sill.

I got away from Grandpa,

I got away from Grandma,

I got away from the hare,

And I'll get away from you, grey wolf!

And the bun rolled away before the wolf even saw it move!

The bun rolled on and met a bear.

«Little bun, little bun, I shall eat you up," the bear said.

«You will not, pigeon toes»

And the bun sang:

I was scraped from the cupboard

Swept from the bin,

Kneaded with sour cream,

Fried in butter,

And cooled on the sill.

I got away from Grandpa,

I got away from Grandma,

I got away from the hare,

I got away from the wolf,

And I'll get away from you, big bear!

And again the bun rolled away before the bear even saw it move!

The bun rolled and rolled and met a fox.

«Hello, little bun, how nice you are» said the fox.

And the bun sang:

I was scraped from the cupboard,

Swept from the bin,

Kneaded with sour cream,

Fried in butter,

And cooled on the sill.

I got away from Grandpa,

I got away from Grandma,

I got away from the hare,

I got away from the wolf,

I got away from the bear,

And I'll get away from you, old fox.

«What a wonderful song» said the fox.

«But little bun, I have become old now and hard of hearing.

Come sit on my snout and sing your song again a little louder. »

The bun jumped up on the fox's snout and sang the same song.

«Thank you, little bun, that was a wonderful song. I'd like to hear it again.

Come sit on my tongue and sing it for the last time, "said the fox, sticking out her tongue.

The bun foolishly jumped on to her tongue and -snatch! -she ate it.

The Wind and the Sun

The Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger. Suddenly they saw a traveller coming down the road, and the Sun said, "I see a way to decide our dispute. Whichever of us can cause that traveller to take off his cloak shall be regarded as the stronger. You begin". So the Sun retired behind a cloud, and the Wind began to blow as hard as it could upon the traveller. But the harder he blew the more closely did the traveller wrap his cloak round him, till at last the Wind had to give up in despair. Then the Sun came out and shone in all his glory upon the traveller, who soon found it too hot to walk with his cloak on.