"I have a question to ask you," answered the village trader. "If birds cannot carry off boys, can mice eat plows?"
"What do you mean by that?" asked the judge.
"I left my good plow with this man. When I came for it he told me that the mice had eaten it. If mice eat plows, then birds carry off boys; but if mice cannot do this, neither can birds carry off boys. This man says the mice ate my plow."
The judge said to the town trader, "Give back the plow to this man, and he will give your son back to you."
And the two traders went out of the court, and by night-time one had his son back again, and the other had his plow.
[XVII]
THE LION IN BAD COMPANY
One day a young Lion came suddenly upon a Wolf. The Wolf was not able to get away, so he said to the Lion: "Please, Great Lion, could you take me to your den, and let me live with you and your mate? I will work for you all my days."
This young Lion had been told by his father and mother not to make friends with any Wolf. But when this Wolf called him "Great Lion," he said to himself: "This Wolf is not bad. This Wolf is not like other Wolves." So he took the Wolf to the den where he lived with his father and mother.