Featured Stories
The Little Robber Girl
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
Categories
A FAIRY-TALE
Aesop
ALPHABET RHYMES
AMERICAN INDIAN STORIES
AMUSING ALPHABETS
Animal Sketches And Stories
ANIMAL STORIES
ARBOR DAY
BIRD DAY
Blondine Bonne Biche and Beau Minon
Bohemian Story
BRER RABBIT and HIS NEIGHBORS
CATS
CHINESE MOTHER-GOOSE RHYMES
CHRISTMAS DAY
COLUMBUS DAY
CUSTOM RHYMES
Didactic Stories
Everyday Verses
EVIL SPIRITS
FABLES
FABLES FOR CHILDREN
FABLES FROM INDIA
FATHER PLAYS AND MOTHER PLAYS
FIRST STORIES FOR VERY LITTLE FOLK
For Classes Ii. And Iii.
For Classes Iv. And V.
For Kindergarten And Class I.
FUN FOR VERY LITTLE FOLK
GERMAN
Good Little Henry
HALLOWEEN
Happy Days
INDEPENDENCE DAY
JAPANESE AND OTHER ORIENTAL TALES]
Jean De La Fontaine
King Alexander's Adventures
KINGS AND WARRIORS
LABOR DAY
LAND AND WATER FAIRIES
Lessons From Nature
LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY
LITTLE STORIES that GROW BIG
Love Lyrics
Lyrics
MAY DAY
MEMORIAL DAY
Modern
MODERN FABLES
MODERN FAIRY TALES
MOTHER GOOSE CONTINUED
MOTHER GOOSE JINGLES
MOTHER GOOSE SONGS AND STORIES
MOTHERS' DAY
Myths And Legends
NATURE SONGS
NEGLECT THE FIRE
NUMBER RHYMES
NURSERY GAMES
NURSERY-SONGS.
NURSEY STORIES
OLD-FASHIONED STORIES
ON POPULAR EDUCATION
OURSON
Perseus
PLACES AND FAMILIES
Poems Of Nature
Polish Story
Popular
PROVERB RHYMES
RESURRECTION DAY (EASTER)
RHYMES CONCERNING "MOTHER"
RIDDLE RHYMES
RIDING SONGS for FATHER'S KNEE
ROMANCES OF THE MIDDLE AGES
SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY
Selections From The Bible
Servian Story
SLEEPY-TIME SONGS AND STORIES
Some Children's Poets
Songs Of Life
STORIES BY FAVORITE AMERICAN WRITERS
STORIES FOR CHILDREN
STORIES for LITTLE BOYS
STORIES FROM BOTANY
STORIES FROM GREAT BRITAIN
STORIES FROM IRELAND
STORIES FROM PHYSICS
STORIES FROM SCANDINAVIA
STORIES FROM ZOOLOGY
STORIES _for_ LITTLE GIRLS
SUPERSITITIONS
THANKSGIVING DAY
The Argonauts
THE CANDLE
THE DAYS OF THE WEEK
THE DECEMBRISTS
The King Of The Golden River; Or, The Black Brothers
The Little Grey Mouse
THE OLD FAIRY TALES
The Princess Rosette
THE THREE HERMITS
THE TWO OLD MEN
Theseus
Traditional
UNCLES AND AUNTS AND OTHER RELATIVES
VERSES ABOUT FAIRIES
WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY
WHAT MEN LIVE BY
WHERE LOVE IS, THERE GOD IS ALSO
|
THE TRICKY WOLF AND THE RATS
from More Jataka Tales
Once upon a time a Big Rat lived in the forest, and many hundreds of
other Rats called him their Chief.
A Tricky Wolf saw this troop of Rats, and began to plan how he could
catch them. He wanted to eat them, but how was he to get them? At last
he thought of a plan. He went to a corner near the home of the Rats
and waited until he saw one of them coming. Then he stood up on his
hind legs.
The Chief of the Rats said to the Wolf, "Wolf, why do you stand on
your hind legs?"
"Because I am lame," said the Tricky Wolf. "It hurts me to stand on my
front legs."
"And why do you keep your mouth open?" asked the Rat.
"I keep my mouth open so that I may drink in all the air I can," said
the Wolf. "I live on air; it is my only food day after day. I can not
run or walk, so I stay here. I try not to complain." When the Rats
went away the Wolf lay down.
The Chief of the Rats was sorry for the Wolf, and he went each night
and morning with all the other Rats to talk with the Wolf, who seemed
so poor, and who did not complain.
Each time as the Rats were leaving, the Wolf caught and ate the last
one. Then he wiped his lips, and looked as if nothing had happened.
Each night there were fewer Rats at bedtime. Then they asked the Chief
of the Rats what the trouble was. He could not be sure, but he thought
the Wolf was to blame.
So the next day the Chief said to the other Rats, "You go first this
time and I will go last."
They did so, and as the Chief of the Rats went by, the Wolf made a
spring at him. But the Wolf was not quick enough, and the Chief of the
Rats got away.
"So this is the food you eat. Your legs are not so lame as they were.
You have played your last trick, Wolf," said the Chief of the Rats,
springing at the Wolf's throat. He bit the Wolf, so that he died.
And ever after the Rats lived happily in peace and quiet.
Next: THE WOODPECKER, TURTLE, AND DEER
Previous: THE THREE FISHES
Viewed: 1882 |