A cat and a fox were exchanging views
upon the difficulties of living in peace and safety from those who were ever
ready to take their lives." I do not care a jot for any of them, "said the fox at
last. "Things may he very bad, as you say, but I have a thousand tricks to show
my enemies before they can do me any harm." ''You are fortunate, '' replied the
cat. ''For my part, I have on/v one trick which I learned well, and if that fails all is
lost. ''I am sorry for you with all my heart, '' said the fox. ''If it was not so hard to
tell a friend from a foe in these difficult times, I would show you one or two of
my tricks.

Hardly had he finished speaking when a pack of hounds burst suddenly upon
them. The cat, resorting to her single trick, ran up a tree into the security of the
topmost branches. The fox, unable to make up his mind which of the thousand
tricks he would adopt, was torn to pieces before he could put even one of them
into operation.