A trumpeter marched into battle in the van of the army and put courage into his comrades by his warlike tunes. Being captured by the enemy, he begged for his life, and said: “Don’t put me to death; I have killed no one; indeed I have no weapons but carry with me only my trumpet here”. But his captors replied: “That is only the more reason why we should take your life; for, though you do not fight yourself, you stir up others to fight.”

The Fox and the Grapes.

A hungry fox saw some fine bunches of grapes hanging from a vine that was trained along a high trellis, and did his best to reach them by jumping as high as he could into the air. But it was all in vain for they were just out of reach: so he gave up jumping, and walked away with an air of dignity and unconcern, remarking: “I thought those grapes were ripe, but I see now they are quite sour.”

The Hunter and the Woodman.

A hunter was searching in the forest for the track of a lion, and catching sight presently of a woodman engaged in felling a tree, he went up to him and asked him if he had noticed a lion’s footprints anywhere about, or if he knew where his den was. The woodman answered: “If you will come with me, I will show you the lion himself.” The hunter turned pale with fear, and his teeth chattered as he replied: “Oh, I’m not looking for the lion, thanks, but only for his tracks.”