When the huntsman saw him he said, “It is a pity that I have not
loaded with a bullet,” aimed, and fired his small shot in his face. The
wolf pulled a very wry face, but did not let himself be frightened, and
attacked him again, on which the huntsman gave him the second barrel. The wolf swallowed his pain, and rushed on the huntsman, but he drew
out his bright hanger, and gave him a few cuts with it right and left,
so that, bleeding everywhere, he ran howling back to the fox. “Well,
brother wolf,” said the fox, “how hast thou got on with man?” “Ah!”
replied the wolf, “I never imagined the strength of man to be what it
is! First, he took a stick from his shoulder, and blew into it, and
then something flew into my face which tickled me terribly; then he
breathed once more into the stick, and it flew into my nose like
lightning and hail; when I was quite close, he drew a white rib out of
his side, and he beat me so with it that I was all but left lying
dead.” “See what a braggart thou art!” said the fox. “Thou throwest thy
hatchet so far that thou canst not fetch it back again!”



73 The Wolf and the Fox

The wolf had the fox with him, and whatsoever the wolf wished, that the
fox was compelled to do, for he was the weaker, and he would gladly
have been rid of his master. It chanced that once as they were going
through the forest, the wolf said, “Red-fox, get me something to eat,
or else I will eat thee thyself.” Then the fox answered, “I know a
farm-yard where there are two young lambs; if thou art inclined, we
will fetch one of them.” That suited the wolf, and they went thither,
and the fox stole the little lamb, took it to the wolf, and went away. The wolf devoured it, but was not satisfied with one; he wanted the
other as well, and went to get it. As, however, he did it so awkwardly,
the mother of the little lamb heard him, and began to cry out terribly,
and to bleat so that the farmer came running there. They found the
wolf, and beat him so mercilessly, that he went to the fox limping and
howling. “Thou hast misled me finely,” said he; “I wanted to fetch the
other lamb, and the country folks surprised me, and have beaten me to a
jelly.” The fox replied, “Why art thou such a glutton?”

Next day they again went into the country, and the greedy wolf once
more said, “Red-fox, get me something to eat, or I will eat thee
thyself.” Then answered the fox, “I know a farm-house where the wife is
baking pancakes to-night; we will get some of them for ourselves.” They
went there, and the fox slipped round the house, and peeped and sniffed
about until he discovered where the dish was, and then drew down six
pancakes and carried them to the wolf. “There is something for thee to
eat,” said he to him, and then went his way. The wolf swallowed down
the pancakes in an instant, and said, “They make one want more,” and
went thither and tore the whole dish down so that it broke in pieces. This made such a great noise that the woman came out, and when she saw
the wolf she called the people, who hurried there, and beat him as long
as their sticks would hold together, till with two lame legs, and
howling loudly, he got back to the fox in the forest. “How abominably
thou hast misled me!” cried he, “the peasants caught me, and tanned my
skin for me.” But the fox replied, “Why art thou such a glutton?”

On the third day, when they were out together, and the wolf could only
limp along painfully, he again said, “Red-fox, get me something to eat,
or I will eat thee thyself.” The fox answered, “I know a man who has
been killing, and the salted meat is lying in a barrel in the cellar;
we will get that.” Said the wolf, “I will go when thou dost, that thou
mayest help me if I am not able to get away.” “I am willing,” said the
fox, and showed him the by-paths and ways by which at length they
reached the cellar. There was meat in abundance, and the wolf attacked
it instantly and thought, “There is plenty of time before I need leave
off!” The fox liked it also, but looked about everywhere, and often ran
to the hole by which they had come in, and tried if his body was still
thin enough to slip through it. The wolf said, “Dear fox, tell me why
thou art running here and there so much, and jumping in and out?”

“I must see that no one is coming,” replied the crafty fellow. “Don’t
eat too much!” Then said the wolf, “I shall not leave until the barrel
is empty.” In the meantime the farmer, who had heard the noise of the
fox’s jumping, came into the cellar. When the fox saw him he was out of
the hole at one bound. The wolf wanted to follow him, but he had made
himself so fat with eating that he could no longer get through, but
stuck fast. Then came the farmer with a cudgel and struck him dead, but
the fox bounded into the forest, glad to be rid of the old glutton. 74 The Fox and His Cousin

The she-wolf brought forth a young one, and invited the fox to be
godfather. “After all, he is a near relative of ours,” said she, “he
has a good understanding, and much talent; he can instruct my little
son, and help him forward in the world.” The fox, too, appeared quite
honest, and said, “Worthy Mrs. Gossip, I thank you for the honour which
you are doing me; I will, however, conduct myself in such a way that
you shall be repaid for it.” He enjoyed himself at the feast, and made
merry; afterwards he said, “Dear Mrs. Gossip, it is our duty to take
care of the child, it must have good food that it may be strong. I know
a sheep-fold from which we might fetch a nice morsel.” The wolf was
pleased with the ditty, and she went out with the fox to the farm-yard. He pointed out the fold from afar, and said, “You will be able to creep
in there without being seen, and in the meantime I will look about on
the other side to see if I can pick up a chicken.” He, however, did not
go there, but sat down at the entrance to the forest, stretched his
legs and rested. The she-wolf crept into the stable. A dog was lying
there, and it made such a noise that the peasants came running out,
caught Gossip Wolf, and poured a strong burning mixture, which had been
prepared for washing, over her skin. At last she escaped, and dragged
herself outside. There lay the fox, who pretended to be full of
complaints, and said, “Ah, dear Mistress Gossip, how ill I have fared,
the peasants have fallen on me, and have broken every limb I have; if
you do not want me to lie where I am and perish, you must carry me
away.” The she-wolf herself was only able to go away slowly, but she
was in such concern about the fox that she took him on her back, and
slowly carried him perfectly safe and sound to her house. Then the fox
cried to her, “Farewell, dear Mistress Gossip, may the roasting you
have had do you good,” laughed heartily at her, and bounded off. 75 The Fox and the Cat

It happened that the cat met the fox in a forest, and as she thought to
herself, “He is clever and full of experience, and much esteemed in the
world,” she spoke to him in a friendly way.