Once upon a time, away up in the corner of the mountains, in a little cave,

lived a tiger and her baby cub. She had brought for this baby, one day when she
was out hunting, a little fox to be his playmate. The fox had a happy time and
an easy one, for he didn’t have to work or hunt, but played all day and the
mother tiger kept them all supplied with food.
One day she went out to hunt and found a little calf, which she took home
to be another playmate for her son. But the fox was much displeased and
became very jealous of the calf because he thought they all loved the calf better
than he and that only the food that was left over was given to him. As a matter
of fact, they treated him just the same as ever, but his heart was wrong and he
began to plan how he might be revenged on the calf.

After a while, the mother tiger became very ill, and as she was about to die
she called the calf and her son to her side and said, ‘‘Although you are not of
the same father and mother, yet you are brothers. I don’t want you to ever quarrel, but to live happily
here together, and if any one should tell you lies don’t pay any attention to them, but always be
friends.’’ So saying, she died.
Now the fox saw his opportunity. Every morning the calf was in the habit of running and playing and
jumping and shaking his horns in fun, bellowing and taking exercise, while the tiger preferred to lie and
rest.
So one morning while the calf was skipping around, the fox slipped up to the tiger and said, ‘‘Although
the calf says he is your friend, have you any idea what he is thinking about, when he runs and jumps and
shakes his horns in that manner? In his heart he hates you, and in that manner is gaining strength in
order that he may be able to kill you.’’
This, of course, made the tiger suspicious and very angry. So daily he watched the calf very closely and
became sour and surly.
Then the fox went to the calf and said, ‘‘You know your mother told you

and the tiger that you were to be brothers, but see, he is growing larger and

stronger every day and his heart has changed and he is preparing to kill and

eat you.’’

The tiger and the calf were now enemies and watched each other with a

great deal of suspicion and were very unhappy. Finally one day the calf said to
the tiger, ‘‘Why do you want to kill me and eat me? I have done you no harm

and love you just as your mother said I should.’’

The tiger replied, ‘‘I love you just the same and never thought of doing such

a thing until the fox said you were preparing to kill me.’’

Then they realized that the fox had been trying to make them enemies, and

they decided on a plan to get even with the fox. The tiger said, ‘‘I’ll tell you

what we’ll do. We’ll have a sham fight saying we hate each other and we’re

East Asia | How a Fox Fell Victim to His Own Deceit

127Once upon a time, away up in the corner of the mountains, in a little cave,

lived a tiger and her baby cub. She had brought for this baby, one day when she

was out hunting, a little fox to be his playmate. The fox had a happy time and

an easy one, for he didn’t have to work or hunt, but played all day and the

mother tiger kept them all supplied with food.

One day she went out to hunt and found a little calf, which she took home

to be another playmate for her son. But the fox was much displeased and

became very jealous of the calf because he thought they all loved the calf better
than he and that only the food that was left over was given to him. As a matter

of fact, they treated him just the same as ever, but his heart was wrong and he

began to plan how he might be revenged on the calf.

After a while, the mother tiger became very ill, and as she was about to die

she called the calf and her son to her side and said, ‘‘Although you are not of

the same father and mother, yet you are brothers. I don’t want you to ever quarrel, but to live happily
here together, and if any one should tell you lies don’t

pay any attention to them, but always be friends.’’ So saying, she died.

Now the fox saw his opportunity. Every morning the calf was in the habit

of running and playing and jumping and shaking his horns in fun, bellowing and

taking exercise, while the tiger preferred to lie and rest.

So one morning while the calf was skipping around, the fox slipped up to

the tiger and said, ‘‘Although the calf says he is your friend, have you any idea

what he is thinking about, when he runs and jumps and shakes his horns in that

manner? In his heart he hates you, and in that manner is gaining strength in

order that he may be able to kill you.’’

This, of course, made the tiger suspicious and very angry. So daily he

watched the calf very closely and became sour and surly.

Then the fox went to the calf and said, ‘‘You know your mother told you

and the tiger that you were to be brothers, but see, he is growing larger and

stronger every day and his heart has changed and he is preparing to kill and

eat you.’’

The tiger and the calf were now enemies and watched each other with a

great deal of suspicion and were very unhappy. Finally one day the calf said to

the tiger, ‘‘Why do you want to kill me and eat me? I have done you no harm

and love you just as your mother said I should.’’

The tiger replied, ‘‘I love you just the same and never thought of doing such

a thing until the fox said you were preparing to kill me.’’

Then they realized that the fox had been trying to make them enemies, and

they decided on a plan to get even with the fox. The tiger said, ‘‘I’ll tell you

what we’ll do. We’ll have a sham fight saying we hate each other and we’re

East Asia | How a Fox Fell Victim to His Own Deceit

127going to fight it out and see who wins. Ask him to be present and while we’re

in the midst of it, I’ll attack him.’’

The day came and they began their fight. They maneuvered round and

round and seemed to be fighting very fiercely until they came very near the fox,

when the tiger made a jump, landed on him and killed him and sat down and

had a feast of the carcass.

This shows what happens to those who try to make trouble between friends.

nce upon a time there was a cat who lived in a large farmhouse in

which there was a great number of mice. For many years the cat found

no difficulty in catching as many mice as she wanted to eat, and she

lived a very peaceful and pleasant life. But as time passed on she found that she
was growing old and infirm, and that it was becoming more and more difficult

for her to catch the same number of mice as before; so after thinking very carefully what was the best
thing to do, she one day called all the mice together,

and after promising not to touch them, she addressed them as follows, ‘‘Oh!

mice,’’ said she, ‘‘I have called you together in order to say something to you.

The fact is that I have led a very wicked life, and now, in my old age, I repent

of having caused you all so much inconvenience and annoyance. So I am going

for the future to turn over a new leaf. It is my intention now to give myself up

entirely to religious contemplation and no longer to molest you, so henceforthnce upon a time there
was a cat who lived in a large farmhouse in

which there was a great number of mice. For many years the cat found

no difficulty in catching as many mice as she wanted to eat, and she

lived a very peaceful and pleasant life. But as time passed on she found that she

was growing old and infirm, and that it was becoming more and more difficult

for her to catch the same number of mice as before; so after thinking very carefully what was the best
thing to do, she one day called all the mice together,

and after promising not to touch them, she addressed them as follows, ‘‘Oh!

mice,’’ said she, ‘‘I have called you together in order to say something to you.
The fact is that I have led a very wicked life, and now, in my old age, I repent

of having caused you all so much inconvenience and annoyance. So I am going

for the future to turn over a new leaf. It is my intention now to give myself up

entirely to religious contemplation and no longer to molest you, so henceforthyou are at liberty to run
about as freely as you will without fear of me. All I ask

of you is that twice every day you should all file past me in procession and each

one make an obeisance as you pass me by, as a token of your gratitude to me for

my kindness.’’

When the mice heard this they were greatly pleased, for they thought that

now, at last, they would be free from all danger from their former enemy, the

cat. So they very thankfully promised to fulfill the cat’s conditions, and agreed

that they would file past her and make a salaam [a deep bow] twice every day.

So when evening came the cat took her seat on a cushion at one end of the

room, and the mice all went by in single file, each one making a profound salaam as it passed.

Now the cunning old cat had arranged this little plan very carefully with an

object of her own; for, as soon as the procession had all passed by with the
exception of one little mouse, she suddenly seized the last mouse in her claws

without anybody else noticing what had happened, and devoured it at her leisure. And so twice every
day, she seized the last mouse of the series, and for a

long time lived very comfortably without any trouble at all in catching her

mice, and without any of the mice realizing what was happening.

Now it happened that amongst these mice there were two friends, whose

names were Rambe and Ambe, who were very much attached to one another.

Now these two were much cleverer and more cunning than most of the others,

and after a few days they noticed that the number of mice in the house seemed

to be decreasing very much, in spite of the fact that the cat had promised not to

kill any more. So they laid their heads together and arranged a little plan for

future processions. They agreed that Rambe was always to walk at the very front

of the procession of the mice, and the Ambe was to bring up the rear, and that

all the time the procession was passing, Rambe was to call to Ambe, and Amb

to answer Rambe at frequent intervals. So next evening, when the procession

started as usual, Rambe marched along in front, and Ambe took up his position

last of all.

As soon as Rambe had passed the cushion where the cat was seated and had

made his salaam, he called out in a shrill voice, ‘‘Where are you, Brother

Ambe?’’

‘‘Here I am, Brother Rambe,’’ squeaked the other from the rear of the

procession.

And so they went on calling out and answering one another until they had

all filed past the cat, who had not dared to touch Ambe as long as his brother

kept calling to him.

The cat was naturally very much annoyed at having to go hungry that evening, and felt very cross all
night. But she thought it was only an accident

which had brought the two friends, one in front and one in rear of the procession, and she hoped to
make up for her enforced abstinence by finding a particularly fat mouse at the end of the procession
next morning. What, then, was heramazement and disgust when she found that on the following
morning the very

same arrangement had been made, and that Rambe called to Ambe, and Amb

e
answered Rambe until all the mice had passed her by, and so, for the second

time, she was foiled of her meal. However, she disguised her feelings of anger

and decided to give the mice one more trial; so in the evening she took her seat

as usual on the cushion and waited for the mice to appear.

Meanwhile, Rambe and Ambe had warned the other mice to be on the

lookout, and to be ready to take flight the moment the cat showed any appearance of anger.

At the appointed time the procession started as usual, and as soon as Ramb

had passed the cat he squeaked out, ‘‘Where are you, Brother Ambe?’’

‘‘Here I am, Brother Rambe,’’ came the shrill voice from the rear.

This was more than the cat could stand. She made a fierce leap right into

the middle of the mice, who, however, were thoroughly prepared for her, and in

an instant they scuttled off in every direction to their holes. And before the cat

had time to catch a single one, the room was empty and not a sign of a mouse

was to be seen anywhere.

After this the mice were very careful not to put any further trust in the
treacherous cat, who soon after died of starvation owing to her being unable to

procure any of her customary food. But Rambe and Ambe lived for many years,

and were held in high honor and esteem by all the other mice in the

community