An Ass found a Lion's skin left in the forest by a hunter. He dressed
himself in it, and amused himself by hiding in a thicket and rushing out
suddenly at the animals who passed that way. All took to their heels the
moment they saw him. The Ass was so pleased to see the animals running
away from him, just as if he were King Lion himself, that he could not
keep from expressing his delight by a loud, harsh bray. A Fox, who ran
with the rest, stopped short as soon as he heard the voice. Approaching
the Ass, he said with a laugh: "If you had kept your mouth shut you might
have frightened me, too. But you gave yourself away with that silly bray."
A very young Fox, who had never before seen a Lion, happened to meet one in the forest. A single look was enough to send the Fox off at top speed for the nearest hiding place.
The second time the Fox saw the Lion he stopped behind a tree to look at him a moment before slinking away. But the third time, the Fox went boldly up to the Lion and, without turning a hair, said, "Hello, there, old top."
A Lion, an Ass, and a Fox were hunting in company, and caught a large quantity of game. The Ass was asked to divide the spoil. This he did very fairly, giving each an equal share. The Fox was well satisfied, but the Lion flew into a great rage over it, and with one stroke of his huge paw, he added the Ass to the pile of slain. Then he turned to the Fox. "You divide it," he roared angrily. The Fox wasted no time in talking. He quickly piled all the game into one great heap. From this he took a very small portion for himself, such undesirable bits as the horns and hoofs of a mountain goat, and the end of an ox tail. The Lion now recovered his good humor entirely. "Who taught you to divide so fairly?" he asked pleasantly. "I learned a lesson from the Ass," replied the Fox, carefully edging away.