Aesop's Fables: Townsend (1867)
299. The Mules and the Robbers (Perry
491)
TWO MULES well-laden with packs were trudging along. One carried panniers
filled with money, the other sacks weighted with grain. The Mule carrying
the treasure walked with head erect, as if conscious of the value of his
burden, and tossed up and down the clear-toned bells fastened to his neck.
His companion followed with quiet and easy step. All of a sudden Robbers
rushed upon them from their hiding-places, and in the scuffle with their
owners, wounded with a sword the Mule carrying the treasure, which they
greedily seized while taking no notice of the grain. The Mule which had
been robbed and wounded bewailed his misfortunes. The other replied, 'I
am indeed glad that I was thought so little of, for I have lost nothing,
nor am I hurt with any wound.'
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. |