Aesop’s Fables, part 6 · page 21 2101The gift of a friend?”102The Birdcatcher, the Partridge, and the Cock103A BIRDCATCHER was about to sit down to a dinner of herbs when a friend unexpectedly came in.104The bird-trap was quite empty, as he had caught nothing, and he had to kill a pied Partridge, which he had tamed for a decoy.105The bird entreated earnestly for his life: “What would you do without me when next you spread your nets?106Who would chirp you to sleep, or call for you the covey of answering birds?”107The Birdcatcher spared his life, and determined to pick out a fine young Cock just attaining to his comb.108But the Cock expostulated in piteous tones from his perch: “If you kill me, who will announce to you the appearance of the dawn?109Who will wake you to your daily tasks or tell you when it is time to visit the bird-trap in the morning?”110He replied, “What you say is true.111You are a capital bird at telling the time of day.112But my friend and I must have our dinners.”113Necessity knows no law.114The Ant and the Dove115AN ANT went to the bank of a river to quench its thirst, and being carried away by the rush of the stream, was on the point of drowning.116A Dove sitting on a tree overhanging the water plucked a leaf and let it fall into the stream close to her.117The Ant climbed onto it and floated in safety to the bank.118Shortly afterwards a birdcatcher came and stood under the tree, and laid his lime-twigs for the Dove, which sat in the branches.119The Ant, perceiving his design, stung him in the foot.120In pain the birdcatcher threw down the twigs, and the noise made the Dove take wing.121The Hares and the Frogs122THE HARES, oppressed by their own exceeding timidity and weary of the perpetual alarm to which they were exposed, with one accord determined to put an end to themselves and their troubles by jumping from a lofty precipice into a deep lake below.123As they scampered off in large numbers to carry out their resolve, the Frogs lying on the banks of the lake heard the noise of their feet and rushed helter-skelter to the deep water for safety.checked by a teacher124On seeing the rapid disappearance of the Frogs, one of the Hares cried out to his companions: “Stay, my friends, do not do as you intended; for you now see that there are creatures who are still more timid than ourselves.”125The Monkey and the Fishermen126A MONKEY perched upon a lofty tree saw some Fishermen casting their nets into a river, and narrowly watched their proceedings.127The Fishermen after a while gave up fishing, and on going home to dinner left their nets upon the bank.128The Monkey, who is the most imitative of animals, descended from the treetop and endeavored to do as they had done.129Having handled the net, he threw it into the river, but became tangled in the meshes and drowned.130With his last breath he said to himself, “I am rightly served; for what business had I who had never handled a net to try and catch fish?”131The Swan and the Goose132A CERTAIN rich man bought in the market a Goose and a Swan.133He fed the one for his table and kept the other for the sake of its song.134When the time came for killing the Goose, the cook went to get him at night, when it was dark, and he was not able to distinguish one bird from the other.135By mistake he caught the Swan instead of the Goose.136The Swan, threatened with death, burst forth into song and thus made himself known by his voice, and preserved his life by his melody.1 2← previousAesop’s Fables, part 5next →Aesop’s Fables, part 7↑ back to Three hundred Aesop’s fablesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg21/8/page/2/