THE LION AND THE MOSQUITOES
獅受蚊敵
One day Ah-Fou’s father said to him, “Come here, my boy, and I will tell you a story. Do you remember the great lion we saw one day, which Ah-Kay caught? You know a strong rope held him, and he roared and tried to free himself until he died. Then when Ah-Kay took him from the net, he looked at the rope and the [[177]]bamboo carefully, and found five of the great ropes broken.
“How strong is the lion? Twenty children like you could not break one strand of that great rope. But the lion broke five complete ropes. He is the strongest of all animals. He catches many creatures for his food, but once he lost a battle with one of the least of the wilderness creatures. Do you know what it was?”
“A bird could fight and then fly away. Was it a bird?”
“No, my son.”
“A man is stronger than a lion.”
“No, do you not remember the woodcutter who could put down five strong men? One night a wilderness lion caught and killed him.”