Aesop's Fables: Townsend (1867)
135. The Fox and the Woodcutter (Perry
22)
A FOX, running before the hounds, came across a Woodcutter felling an
oak and begged him to show him a safe hiding-place. The Woodcutter advised
him to take shelter in his own hut, so the Fox crept in and hid himself
in a corner. The huntsman soon came up with his hounds and inquired of
the Woodcutter if he had seen the Fox. He declared that he had not seen
him, and yet pointed, all the time he was speaking, to the hut where the
Fox lay hidden. The huntsman took no notice of the signs, but believing
his word, hastened forward in the chase. As soon as they were well away,
the Fox departed without taking any notice of the Woodcutter: whereon
he called to him and reproached him, saying, 'You ungrateful fellow, you
owe your life to me, and yet you leave me without a word of thanks.' The
Fox replied, 'Indeed, I should have thanked you fervently if your deeds
had been as good as your words, and if your hands had not been traitors
to your speech.'
George Fyler Townsend's translation of the fables, first published in 1867, is
in the public domain and can be found at many websites, including Project
Gutenberg.
Illustrations come from: Aesop's Fables, by George Fyler Townsend, with
illustrations by Harrison Weir, 1867, at Google
Books. |