Country Tales

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THE FOUR OXEN AND THE LION


"Those oxen are too good friends to suit me," said a hungry lion.
"They are never far apart, and when I am near them they turn their
tails to one another and show long sharp horns on every side. They
even walk down to the river together when they become thirsty. If
I could catch one of them by himself, I should have a feast."

But one day the oxen had a quarrel.

"The grass is freshest over in the valley," said one of them. "Let
us go there."

"Oh, I don't like the grass there," said another. "It is better on
the side of the hill. Let us spend the day there."

"I do not want to climb the hill," said the third ox. "The grass
right here suits me best."

"I do not like any of the places of which you speak," said the
fourth ox. "Come with me and I will find you the best grass you
ever tasted."

"I am going to the valley," said the first ox. "You three may go
where you please."

"And I shall go to the hill," said the second ox. "I think you are
mean not to go with me."

"And I," said the third ox, "shall stay right here. You may all be
sorry if you leave me. The lion may catch you."

"I am not afraid of the lion," said the fourth ox; "and if none of
you will go with me, I shall go by myself to hunt a better pasture
than any of you can find. I am older than you and I know where the
best grass grows. You had better follow me."

"We will not do it," said the other three oxen. "You are not our
leader if you are older."

So the four oxen separated. One went to the valley. The lion was
down by the river and saw him coming. He waited quietly until the
ox was very near; then he pounced upon him and killed him.

Then the lion looked about for the other oxen. One of them was
feeding on the hill. He saw the lion coining, but, he could not
get away. He could not defend himself with only one pair of horns;
so he too was killed.

As the other two oxen were far apart, it was an easy matter for
the lion to kill them also. And that is the way the quarrel ended.
 

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