THE COCK AND THE FOX

Two Things to Find Out.—(a) How the fox fooled the cock; (b) How the cock fooled the fox.

I. CHANTICLEER'S DREAM

Once there was a beautiful cock named Chanticleer. He lived with many hens in a barnyard not far from a deep woods. Oh! he was a wonderful cock. His comb was large and bright, his feathers shone like gold, and his voice was loud and clear.

One night as he was asleep on his perch he began to make a queer noise in his throat. His wife, Dame Partlet, who was sleeping by his side, waked him and said, “What is the matter, my dear?”

“Oh!” said Chanticleer, “I have just had such a bad dream! I thought some beast seized me by the neck and carried me away. I am still shaking from fright.”

“For shame!” said Dame Partlet. “How silly you are to be frightened by a dream! What could hurt the brave Chanticleer!”

The cock was greatly comforted by Dame Partlet's words, and soon they were both fast asleep again. When morning came, Chanticleer crowed loud and long to wake up all the animals in the barnyard. Then he began to scratch the ground for Dame Partlet and the other hens. How proud and bold he looked as he walked around, flapping his wings !

“Surely I am a great cock,” he thought. “Why should I be afraid of a dream? Who would dare hurt the king of the barnyard?”

II. HOW THE FOX FOOLED CHANTICLEER

Now, when Chanticleer had crowed so loud early that morning, he had waked Reynard, the fox, who lived in the woods near by. Reynard thought he would like a nice cock for his dinner. So he hid in the bushes outside the barnyard.

While scratching for food, Chanticleer wandered near the bushes and saw the fox. With a cry of fright, he started to run away, but Reynard called to him in his gentlest voice.

“Do not run away, dear friend,” he said. “I am just waiting to hear you sing. I heard you early this morning when you were waking up the barnyard. Your voice is wonderful. It is just like your father's voice. I remember very well watching him as he sang. He would always stretch out his long neck, flap his wings, and close his eyes before he began. Do all great cocks sing like that? Good Chanticleer, do sing for me.”

Of course Chanticleer felt much pleased to hear these words of praise. Just to show that he was as great as his father, he stretched out his long neck, flapped his wings, shut his eyes, and crowed loud and long. Foolish cock! While his eyes were closed, Reynard, the fox, caught him by his long neck and ran off toward his den.

Every animal in the barnyard had seen the fox, and all set up a loud cry. Their noise aroused the farmer's sons and the dogs, who started to chase Reynard.

III. HOW CHANTICLEER FOOLED THE FOX

As Chanticleer was being carried off by the fox, he thought and thought. “How silly I was to let the fox fool me,” he said to himself. “Perhaps I can save myself by fooling him.”

Chanticleer looked back and saw the dogs in the distance. “They can never catch you,” he said to the fox. “What a swift runner you are! Why do you not make fun of them? Call out to the dogs and say, ‘You poor snails! Do you really think you can catch Reynard, the fox? '”

The silly fox was so pleased to hear Chanticleer praise him that he opened his mouth and said,“You poor—!” But he did not get any further, for as soon as he said the first word the cock flew safely to a branch of a tree.

The dogs were coming on so fast that Reynard could not stop to talk. But he and Chanticleer both did a good deal of thinking that day.

—Old English Tale