Page:Tales of old Lusitania.djvu/183



chick, which was very precocious for its age, one fine summer day left its mother and its brothers and sisters to seek a livelihood for itself; and as it went along it came to a heap of mould, and, going up to the top, began to scratch the earth, and, greatly to its surprise and delight, found a bag of money hidden in the heap. The chick thought now that it would go to court, and present the bag of money to the king; so off it started.

On the way to the court it came to a river, and, finding that it could not cross it, said to the river: "Oh, river, draw back your waters, that I may cross you safely."

As the river took no notice of what it said, but continued to run its course as usual, the little chick drank up all the water, and so was able to cross to the other side.

The chick went on its way, and very soon met a fox, who stood in its path, and, as it could not pass him, it cried out: "Move out of the way, and let me pass."