Page:The jade story book; stories from the Orient (IA jadestorybooksto00cous).pdf/310

294 goat striving to release himself from the meshes of a hunter's net.

He at once reported his discovery to his friends, and their sorrow upon receiving the news of the goat's capture was great. It was their duty now to see what could be done to help their comrade, and at length they hit upon a plan to rescue him.

The weasel possessed very sharp teeth, and he was to gnaw the meshes of the net in which the goat was confined, and so set him at liberty. As this would take some time, it was necessary that the weasel get to work as soon as possible, because the hunter might return to his net at any minute.

The crow and the weasel hastened to the spot, and such good work did the latter do with his teeth, that by the time the tortoise arrived, the goat was at liberty.

It was foolish for the tortoise to have come so far from home, especially to a place so dangerous as this, because it surely would not be very long before the hunter returned, and his presence there caused the goat to say: "My dear friend, I am sorry to have been the cause of bringing you here, for