FABLES

The Wolf and the Crane

A Wolf had been gorging on an animal he had killed, when

suddenly a small bone in the meat stuck in his throat and he

could not  gorging  it. He soon felt terrible pain in his throat,

and ran up and down groaning and groaning and seeking

for something to relieve the pain. He tried to induce every

one he met to remove the bone. ‘I would give anything,’ said

he, ‘if you would take it out.’ At last the Crane agreed to

try, and told the Wolf to lie on his side and open his jaws

as wide as he could. Then the Crane put its long neck down

the Wolf’s throat, and with its beak loosened the bone, till

at last it got it out.

‘Will you kindly give me the reward you promised?’ said

the Crane.

The Wolf grinned and showed his teeth and said: ‘Be

content. You have put your head inside a Wolf’s mouth and

taken it out again in safety; that ought to be reward enough

for you.’

Moral Message

Gratitude and greed go not together.