tail, I will say 'Ready!' Then you are to start."
So the Crab crawled behind and caught the Fox's tail with his pincers and said,
"Ready!" The Fox ran and ran until he was tired. And when he stopped, there
was the Crab beside him.
"Where are you now?" said the Crab. "I thought you were to run ten times faster
than I. You are not even ahead of me with all your boasting."
The Fox, panting for breath, hung his head in shame and went away where he
might never see the crab again.
EE-SZE (Meaning): A big, proud, boastful mouth, is a worse thing for a man
than it is for a fox.
The Mule and the Lion
One night the Lion was very hungry, but as the creatures of the wilderness knew
and feared him even from afar, he could not find food. So he went to visit the
young Mule that lived near the farmer's house, and when he saw him he smiled
blandly and asked, "What do you eat, fair Lii, to make you so sleek and fat?
What makes your hair so smooth and beautiful? I think your master gives you
tender fresh grass and fat young pig to eat."
The Mule answered, "No, I am fat because I am gentle. My hair is beautiful
because I do not fight with other creatures. But why do you come here, Sii? Are
you hungry? I believe you are seeking for food."
The Lion said, "Oh, no, I am not hungry. I only walk around to get the cool,
fresh air. And then the night is very beautiful. The moon hangs up in the clear
sky with the stars and makes a soft light, and so I came to visit you. Would you
not like to take a walk with me? I will take you to visit my friend, the Pig. I
never go to his house alone; I always take a friend with me."
The Mule asked, "Shall we go to any other place?"
"Yes," answered the Lion, "I think we will go to visit another friend of mine who
lives not far away."