There was once a very queer family living in the woods. There were four in all—a rat, a raven, a tortoise, and a gazelle.
All day the animals were away from home hunting food.
The rat caught beetles which had hidden under leaves. He visited fields and barns Now and then he went to a henhouse.
The tortoise found plenty of insects in the woods and fields and did not object to a toadstool now and then.
The raven visited grain fields where he often met the rat.
The gazelle ate grass wherever he could find it. When he could not get grass, he ate the sprouts of trees.
At night all met at their home in the woods and talked of what had happened to them through the day. This is one of their adventures:
One day when the gazelle was out feeding, a hound scented his tracks and followed him. The gazelle heard the hound bark and darted off like the wind. The hound followed until worn out with running; then he gave up the chase. The gazelle stopped to eat grass. He was hungry and a long way from home.
That evening when the animals returned home they missed the gazelle.
The raven asked, "How does it happen that the gazelle is not home? Is he tired of us already?"