“Oh, I have lost all my minds (wits). I have none left.”
“Where is your cunning of which you bragged?”
“It is not kind of you, now, to go for a poor fellow when the dogs are at his heels and there is no escape for him.”
“Well,” said the owl, “I have but one mind (wit), and I will see whether I cannot save you with my one wit. It is my turn. I am going to lie down here at the entrance as though dead. When the hunters come, they will see me and get hold of me and talk about me. Meanwhile they will forget you, and in the midst of the trouble you just dash out and run for your life.”
It happened just as the owl had said.
No sooner did the hunters come up and find the owl than they said, “What is this ugly bird doing here? and a dead owl to boot”; and whilst they were busy with the owl trying to get hold of it to throw it away, off went the fox through them and escaped.
Soon afterwards the owl met him again and she said, “How have your seven minds (wits) helped you when in time of danger? It is like that with people who have too much, they often have nothing when they want it most, but you see I had only one mind (wit), but a strong one and not a dissolute one like yours, and that saved both you and me.”