# The Jade Story Book/Chapter 25

THE FOUR FRIENDS
Three great friends, a tortoise, a weasel and a crow, were talking together one fine day when they were disturbed by the noise of an animal who was coming their way in great haste. They soon saw that it was a goat, who was evidently being pursued, so, as a matter of safety, each of them sought a place of refuge.
The goat stopped quite suddenly by the side of a pool, near which the three friends had been conversing together, but he seemed to be afraid to drink. The crow, who had flown to the upper branches of a high tree, saw that the man who had been hunting the goat had given up the chase, so he called to the tortoise, whose haven was the pool, that it was quite safe now for him to come out.
The tortoise at once came to the surface, and seeing the goat standing there, evidently ​thirsty, but trembling and afraid to drink, spoke kindly to him, assuring him that there was no danger.
Then the goat drank, and the tortoise asked him why he was so distressed. The goat replied that he had reason to be, for he had barely escaped death at the hands of a hunter.
"Well," said the tortoise, "you are quite safe now. There are three of us here, a weasel, a crow, and myself, who are great friends. How would you like to join our company? It is our practice to stand by one another in all things, and to make our lives as pleasant as possible.
By this time the weasel and the crow had joined them and they seconded the invitation, so the goat accepted, and each of them swore to be a true friend to the others.
For a long time they lived pleasantly together; but one day the goat failed to be at their meeting-place, and this caused them great anxiety. They waited for some time, but as their friend didn't appear, they decided to search for him, fearing that he was in trouble. So the crow flew up into the air, and looking round about saw the poor ​goat striving to release himself from the meshes of a hunter's net.
He at once reported his discovery to his friends, and their sorrow upon receiving the news of the goat's capture was great. It was their duty now to see what could be done to help their comrade, and at length they hit upon a plan to rescue him.
The weasel possessed very sharp teeth, and he was to gnaw the meshes of the net in which the goat was confined, and so set him at liberty. As this would take some time, it was necessary that the weasel get to work as soon as possible, because the hunter might return to his net at any minute.
The crow and the weasel hastened to the spot, and such good work did the latter do with his teeth, that by the time the tortoise arrived, the goat was at liberty.
It was foolish for the tortoise to have come so far from home, especially to a place so dangerous as this, because it surely would not be very long before the hunter returned, and his presence there caused the goat to say: "My dear friend, I am sorry to have been the cause of bringing you here, for ​if the hunter should come, how could you escape? The rest of us could easily look after ourselves, for the crow would fly into the air, the weasel could hide in any hole, and I should seek safety in flight; but you, who move so slowly, would be at the mercy of the hunter.
At this moment, surely enough, the hunter appeared, and it happened as the goat had said. The latter ran swiftly away; the crow flew into the air, and the weasel disappeared into a hole. Only the tortoise was left, unable to escape.
The hunter was greatly vexed when he saw the broken net, and he wondered who could have helped the goat to get away. He looked around, and of course saw the tortoise.
"Well," he said, "here is a tortoise, and that is better than nothing, and it will make a very good meal." So he threw the tortoise into a sack which he carried, threw it over his shoulder, and started off home.
When he had gone the three friends returned, and guessed at once what had happened to the tortoise. They bitterly bemoaned his fate, especially the goat, who ​blamed himself as being the cause of this trouble.
Then the crow said: "Tears and lamentations will not help our poor friend, so let us devise means of saving him. It is our part to show what we can do in a case of such need."
They thought hard, and finally decided upon a plan. The goat was to let himself be seen by the hunter, and to make out that he was lame. The hunter would then be sure of being able to catch him, and so lay down his sack, and run after him. As soon as he was far enough away from the sack (and it was the part of the goat to lead him as far away as possible) the weasel would again put his sharp teeth into use, and gnaw through the cord which would be tied around the mouth of the sack, and so free their friend.
So the goat ran with speed until he was in front of the hunter, and then he appeared to be lame and weary. As soon as the hunter saw him in such feeble condition he was sure he could catch him without difficulty, and so, throwing down his sack, he ran ​after the goat, who artfully drew him farther and farther away, until they were both out of sight.
Then came the weasel, whose strong teeth soon set the tortoise at liberty, and together they hid themselves in a bush.
The goat had led the hunter a merry chase, which the latter was finally forced to give up, and then return to recover his sack. He was congratulating himself on having at least captured something that couldn't run away from him, when he lifted the sack from the ground, and found that now he had lost the tortoise.
This story shows the strength of true friendship, and that when the desire to help is there, a way to do so will be found.
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