The Eagle and the Fox (Fable)

One morning the fox said to his children, “I will find some eggs for breakfast.”

Then he went to the woods.

The fox saw an eagle’s nest in the top branch of a tree. “How can I reach those eggs?” thought he. “Ha, ha! Now I have a plan.”

He put some grass stalks into his ears and knocked on the tree with them.

“Throw an egg to me,” cried the fox. “If you do not throw an egg to me, I will knock this great tree over with these grass stalks.”

The eagle was terribly frightened, and she threw an egg down to the fox.

“Throw another egg down to me at once,” demanded the fox, when he saw that he had frightened the eagle.

“One egg is enough,” said the eagle. “I shall not throw down any more eggs.”

“Throw another egg to me, or I shall knock the tree over with these grass stalks, and take all your eggs,” said the fox.

The eagle was still more frightened, and she threw down another egg.

Then the fox laughed and said, “How could I knock down a great tree with these small grass stalks?”

The eagle became very angry. She flew down from her nest and grasped the fox with her talons.

Then she lifted the fox up and flew with him far out to sea. She dropped him upon a lonely island.

The fox was left on the lonely island. One day he said to himself, “Am I going to die on this island?”

Then the fox began to sing softly. Seals, walruses, porpoises, and whales swam near the island.

“What are you singing about?” asked the sea people.

“This is what I am singing about,” said the fox. “Are there more large animals in the waters of the sea, or on dry land?”

“Certainly there are more animals in the waters of the sea than on dry land,” replied the sea people.

“Well, then, prove it to me!” said the fox. “Come up to the surface of the water and form a raft that will reach from this island to the mainland. Then I can walk over all of you, and I shall be able to count you.”

So the large sea people—seals, walruses, porpoises, and whales—came up to the surface of the water.

The sea people formed a great raft, that reached from the island across to the mainland.

This was what the fox wanted. He ran over the great raft, pretending to count the animals.

When at last the fox reached the mainland, he jumped ashore and hastened home.