THE FOOLISH LION

In a certain jungle lived a lion. He was very powerful and very strong, as most lions are. He would freely roam in the forest. Whenever he found a healthy looking animal- a grazing buffalo, a tender hare or a timid deer, he would pounce upon it, tear it to pieces and make a tasty meal of it.

One day, it so happened that he roamed and roamed about, but he could not find a single animal. Whenever the animals heard his echoing roar they trembled and scurried to their little hideouts. The sun had set. Dusk and darkness descended upon the jungle. The lion tired after his fruitless search came upon a cave. An idea struck him. It was dark now and the animal living in the cave would be coming home. So he decided he would wait there and when the animal came he would eat it up. He hid in a dark corner of the cave and waited.

After sometime a fox came there. The cave was his home. But foxes, as you know, are very cunning. He saw pug marks leading to his cave, but not coming out of it. And the pug marks looked like those of lion. So the fox decided to be sure before he entered the cave. But how could he know, unless he entered the cave?After much thought, he hit upon a idea. He called out, "Hello there, cave-friend.

"The lion got excited when he heard the voice of an animal call. Ah! Now it would not be very long before he would have his long-awaited meal. His pangs of hunger grew sharper and his mouth watered! He did not say anything. He waited. The fox, getting no answer, calledout again, My dear cave. Have you forgotten our agreement to greet each other whenever I leave or enter you ?Or is it that there is a wild animal hiding in you, and you are not answering out of fear ?" The lion thought, "Better not leave room for suspicion. Maybe the cave is not answering because I am in it. Better answer it and remove all doubts. "So, he called back, "O hello, friend. I did not answer you before because I was thinking of something else. "

The fox waiting outside was now satisfied. He slipped away slyly, chuckling to himself, his eyes twinkling with mischief. He had hood-winked the lion and saved his own neck!