The Fox and the Horse

A farmer had a loyal horse that had grown old and could no longer work. So the farmer would no longer feed him and said, “I cannot use you anymore, but I still mean well by you. If you are strong enough to bring me a lion, I will keep you. But now get out of my stable.” And he chased the horse into the countryside.

The horse was sad and went to the forest to find shelter from the weather. Then the fox met him and said, “Why do you hang your head and wander about alone?”

“Alas,” said the horse, “greed and loyalty do not live in the same house. My master has forgotten all the work I have done for him for so many years. Because I can no longer plow well, he will not feed me and has driven me away.”

“Without giving you a chance?” asked the fox.

“The chance was a bad one. He said that if I could bring him a lion, he would keep me, but he knows well 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 move.”

The horse did as the fox asked. Then the fox went to the lion, whose den was not far away, and said, “A dead horse is lying out there. Come with me, and you can have a fine meal.”

The lion went with him, and when they stood by the horse, the fox said, “It is not comfortable for you here. I will tie the horse to you by the tail, and then you can drag it into your cave and eat it in peace.”

The lion liked this plan. He lay down and stayed perfectly still so that the fox could tie the horse to him. But the fox tied the lion’s legs together with the horse’s tail. He twisted and fastened everything so tightly that no strength could break it. When he was done, he patted the horse on the shoulder and said, “Pull, white horse, pull!”

At once the horse jumped up and dragged the lion away. The lion roared so loudly that all the birds in the forest flew away in fear. But the horse let him roar and pulled him across the countryside to his master’s door.

When the master saw the lion, he changed his mind and said to the horse, “You shall stay with me and be well cared for.” And he gave him plenty of food until the horse died.