A peasant had a faithful horse which had grown old and could do no more work, so his master no longer wanted to give him anything to eat and said, "I can certainly make no more use of you, but still I mean well by you, and if you prove yourself still strong enough to bring me a lion here, I will maintain you. But for now get out of my stable." And with that he chased him into the open field.
The horse was sad, and went to the forest to seek a little protection there from the weather. There the fox met him and said, "Why do you hang your head so, and go about all alone?"
"Alas," replied the horse, "greed and loyalty do not dwell together in one house. My master has forgotten what services I have performed for him for so many years, and because I can no longer plow well, he will give me no more food, and has driven me out."
"Without giving you a chance?" asked the fox.
"The chance was a bad one. He said, if I were still strong enough to bring him a lion, he would keep me, but he well knows that I cannot do that."
The fox said, "I will help you. Just lie down, stretch out as if you were dead, and do not stir."
The horse did what the fox asked, and then the fox went to the lion, who had his den not far off, and said, "A dead horse is lying out there. Just come with me, and you can have a rich meal."
The lion went with him, and when they were both standing by the horse the fox said, "After all, it is not very comfortable for you here —— I tell you what —— I will fasten it to you by the tail, and then you can drag it into your cave and eat it in peace."
This advice pleased the lion. He positioned himself, and in order that the fox might tie the horse fast to him, he kept completely quiet. But the fox tied the lion's legs together with the horse's tail, and twisted and fastened everything so well and so strongly that no amount of strength could pull it loose. When he had finished his work, he tapped the horse on the shoulder and said, "Pull, white horse, pull!"
Then up sprang the horse at once, and pulled the lion away with him. The lion began to roar so that all the birds in the forest flew up in terror, but the horse let him roar, and drew him and dragged him across the field to his master's door. When the master saw the lion, he was of a better mind, and said to the horse, "You shall stay with me and fare well." And he gave him plenty to eat until he died.
狐狸和马
一个农夫有一匹勤勤恳恳、任劳任怨为他干活的马,但这匹马现在已经老了,干活也不行了,所以,农夫不想再给马吃东西.他对马说:“我再也用不着你了,你自己离开马厩走吧,到你比一头狮子更强壮时,我自然会把你牵回来的.”
说完,他打开门,让马自己去谋生去了.
这匹可怜的马非常悲哀,它在森林里茫无目标地到处徘徊,寒风夹着细雨,更增加了它的痛楚,它想寻找一个小小的避雨处.不久,它遇到了一只狐狸,狐狸问它:“我的好朋友,你怎么了?为甚么垂头丧气,一副孤苦伶仃、愁眉苦脸的样子呢?”马叹了一口气回答说:“哎——!我的主人完全忘了我这许多年为他辛辛苦苦所干的一切,因为我不能再干活了,他就把我赶了出来,说除非我变得比一头狮子更强壮,他才会重新收留我.我有这样的能力吗?其实,主人是知道我没有这样的能力的,要不然,他也不会这样说了.”
狐狸听了之后,要它别愁了,只管放心,说道:“我来帮助你,你躺在那儿,把身子伸直,装做死了的样子,我自有办法.”马按狐狸的吩咐做了.狐狸跑到狮子住的洞口边,对狮子说:“狮子大王,有条小路上躺着一匹死马,我们一同去,你可以作一顿很不错的午餐来享受哩.”狮子听了非常高兴,立即就动身了.
它们来到马躺的地方,狐狸说:“在这儿你吃不完它,我告诉你怎么办:先让我把它的尾巴牢牢地绑在你的身上,然后你就能够将它拖回你的洞穴去慢慢地享用了.”狮子对这个建议很欣赏.於是它一动不动地躺下来,让狐狸把它绑在马背上.但狐狸却设法将它的腿捆在一起,用最大的力气把狮子牢牢地捆作一团,狮子没法挣脱束缚了.
一切料理完毕,狐狸拍了拍马的肩背说道:“起来吧!老马,你可以走了!”那匹马跳起来,把狮子拖在尾巴后面离开了.狮子知道上了狐狸的当,开始咆哮吼叫起来,巨大的吼声把树上所有的鸟儿都吓得飞走了.但老马随便它怎么叫,只管自己慢慢悠悠地走过田野,终於把狮子拖到了主人的屋里.
它对主人说:“主人,狮子在这儿,我把它料理妥当了.”当主人看见它的这匹老马后,对它产生了怜悯之心,说道:“你就住在马厩里吧,我会好好待你的.”於是,这匹可怜的老马又有了吃的东西,主人一直供养它到死去.
