saved my life;" but of course the dove could not hear him. Several days after this, the dove was again sitting in a tree. A hunter crept carefully up to the tree. His gun was pointed at the dove and he was about to shoot, when he was bitten in the leg by an ant. He cried out with pain and dropped his gun. This frightened the dove and she flew away. "Thank you, kind ant," cooed the dove, and the ant heard and was glad. There was once a very queer family living in the woods. There were four in all—a rat, a raven, a tortoise, and a gazelle. All day the animals were away from home hunting food. The rat caught beetles which had hidden under leaves. He visited fields and barns Now and then he went to a henhouse. The tortoise found plenty of insects in the woods and fields and did not object to a toadstool now and then. The raven visited grain fields where he often met the rat. The gazelle ate grass wherever he could find it. When he could not get grass, he ate the sprouts of trees. At night all met at their home in the woods and talked of what had happened to them through the day. This is one of their adventures: One day when the gazelle was out feeding, a hound scented his tracks and followed him. The gazelle heard the hound bark and darted off like the wind. The hound followed until worn out with running; then he gave up the chase. The gazelle stopped to eat grass. He was hungry and a long way from home. That evening when the animals returned home they missed the gazelle. The raven asked, "How does it happen that the gazelle is not home? Is he tired of us already?" "No, indeed," said the rat. "I am sure that he is not. If I were a bird I should fly away at once to find him. I know that he would be here if he could get here." "I will see if I can find him," said the raven, and he flew away. After a while he spied the gazelle, who had been caught in a net. He was trying hard to free himself, but the ropes that bound him were too strong for him to
Prev.
Back
Top