Page:The Complete Works of Lyof N. Tolstoi - 08 (Crowell, 1899).djvu/169

Rh "Look at me, all of you. I am a victorious Cockerel. No other Cockerel in the world has such strength as I."

The Cockerel had not finished his pæan, when an Eagle killed him, seized him in his claws, and carried him to his nest.

upon a time a Lion went out to hunt, and he took with him an Ass. And he said to him:—

"Ass, now you go into the woods, and roar as loud as you can; you have a capacious throat. The prey that run away from your roaring will fall into my clutches."

And so he did. The Ass brayed, and the timid creatures of the wood fled in all directions, and the Lion caught them.

After the hunting was over, the Lion said to the Ass:—

"Now I will praise you. You roared splendidly."

And since that time the Ass is always braying, and always expects to be praised.

had an excellent knife.

With this knife the fool tried to cut a nail. The knife would not cut the nail.

Then the fool said:—

"My knife is mean," and he tried to cut some soft kisel jelly with his knife. Wherever the knife went through the jelly the liquid closed together again.

The fool said, "Miserable knife! it won't cut kisel, either," and he threw away his good knife.