The Tiger in the Trap

A long time ago, there was a traveler who was walking through a forest. While he was just
getting to stop for the night, he heard a low moaning. He followed the sound and it turned out
that it was coming from a deep pit where a tiger was caught.

The tiger saw the man with a pleading look, “Please free me from this trap. I promise you that
I’ll be grateful to you for the rest of your life.”

The traveler decided to help the tiger. ”Okay, I will help you, but remember that you have to
keep your promise,” said the man kindly. He lowered a large branch into the pit for the tiger to
climb. As the branch reached the bottom of the pit, the tiger climbed up and was free, but
suddenly he fell upon the traveler.

“Wait! You’ve betrayed me.” said the traveler. “I thought you were going to be grateful to me.”

“You know, it was a man who trapped me,” answered the tiger. “So a man should suffer for it.”

Just then a hare hopped by and asked what was happening. The tiger told it and then he asked if
the hare agreed with him.

“Well, first I need to see the pit where were you had been trapped,” said the hare. “Down here,”
the tiger replied and jumped into the pit to show it. “Was the branch there too?” asked the hare.
“No, it was the man who put it there,” replied the tiger. Then the hare took the branch away.

After that, the hare turned to the traveler and told him to continue his journey. The tiger cried out
in dismay as the man walked off down the trail. “How could you betray me, hare?” said the tiger.
The hare answered wisely, “I judge each according to his own and not by his fellows. You have
the fate you deserve, and so does the man.”