V.
THE OX WHO WON THE FORFEIT
Long ago a man owned a very strong Ox. The owner was so proud of his Ox, that he boasted to every man he met about how strong his Ox was.
One day the owner went into a village, and said to the men there: "I will pay a forfeit of a thousand pieces of silver if my strong Ox cannot draw a line of one hundred wagons."
The men laughed, and said: "Very well; bring your Ox, and we will tie a hundred wagons in a line and see your Ox draw them along."
So the man brought his Ox into the village. A crowd gathered to see the sight. The hundred carts were in line, and the strong Ox was yoked to the first wagon.
Then the owner whipped his Ox, and said: "Get up, you wretch! Get along, you rascal!"
But the Ox had never been talked to in that way, and he stood still. Neither the blows nor the hard names could make him move.
