A MEWING CAT

There was a house in which there were many mice. The owner of the house got a cat, but the cat was a strange creature. It didn't move without mewing loudly, as if to say: - Look at me, how busy I am. So the mice always heard the cat coming and hid. The cat couldn't catch a single mouse. The owner of the house turned the mewing cat out.

UNITY IS STRENGTH

A very old oak-tree grew in a forest. There was a hollow in it. Some bees lived in the hollow. The bees worked and made sweet honey.
One day a bear came up to the oak-tree. He heard the bees humming in the hollow. A bee flew out. It saw the bear and stopped.
- Hey, you, go away or we'll show you! - threatened the bee.
The bear began to laugh at its threat.
Soon a swarm of bees flew at the bear.
- How dare you come near us! - the bees buzzed and began to sting him.
The bear waved his paws, scratched his face, but he could do nothing.
Just then he heard a blackbird's voice from a tree:
- You'd better get away from here. True, bees are weak, but unity is
strength. The strongest lion can do nothing against them.
The bear ran away to his den. And the swarm of bees returned home.

THE TWO YOUNG COCKS

Two young cocks were fighting in the yard. One of them was stronger than the other. He overcame the other and drove him away.
The hens gathered round the victor and praised him.
The young cock wanted his neighbours to know how strong he was. He flew onto a fence, waved his wings and crowed loudly:
- Look at me. how brave I am! I overcame the voung cock who fought
me! I'm the strongest of all the cocks!
Just then a hawk came flying, seized him with his claws and carried him off to his nest.

THE WOLF AND THE LAMB

Some sheep were grazing near a forest. A lamb wandered away from the flock.
The mother sheep said to her lamb: - Don't go far, my child. I'm afraid you'll get into trouble.
A wolf was hiding behind a bush.
- Don't listen to your mother! She is already old. She is too lazy to walk and doesn't let you run about. Go to the field and run about as much as you like, - the wolf said to the lamb.
The lamb followed the wolfs advice and ran to the field. That was what the wolf wanted. He rushed at the lamb and carried it off to'the forest. The lamb began to cry, but it was too late.

THE CLEVER GROUSE

A black grouse was sitting in a tree.
A fox came up to the tree and said to her:
- Hullo, my friend! How are you? I heard your voice and hurried to see
you.
- Thank you for your kindness, - replied the black grouse. Then the fox cried:
- I can't hear anything. Come down here and let's have a talk.
- I can't come down, I'm afraid. It's dangerous for birds to walk on the ground.
- Maybe you are afraid of me? - the fox asked.
- Why of you? Of others, maybe. There are all kinds of beasts.
- Don't be afraid, my dear, - replied the fox. "There is a new law. There must be peace all over the world. Now beasts cannot eat one another.
- It's a splendid law, - the black grouse cried from the tree.
- This law will save you from the dogs I see running this way.
Hearing these words, the fox pricked up his ears and was about to run away.
- Why are you running away? - the black grouse asked.
- There is a new law and no beast will eat you.
- It's true, but maybe these do not know anything about the new law, - the fox said and hurried off.

THE LITTLE MOUSE

A little mouse crept out of its hole and began to walk in the yard. It wanted to know what the world looked like. But in a few minutes it ran back trembling with fright and crept into the hole again.
- Where have you been? What's happened to you? - asked the mother mouse.
- I've been out taking a walk.
- What frightened you?
- I saw two beats in the yard. One of them had a saw on his head and spurs on his feet, and he had a hooked beak. When he saw me, he bent one leg, opened his beak and began to crow so loud that I was frightened.
- It was a cock, dear child. You must not be afraid of cocks, they are not dangerous, not at all, they don't eat mice, - said the mother.
- The other was so pretty, - said the little mouse. - It had a pretty round head and big eyes; it had a beautiful brushed moustache, soft fur and a long fluffy tail; it had soft paws with little claws, just like us! When I went out into the yard, it was lying in the sun turning over and over. Now it closed its eyes, now it opened them and licked its paw. When it saw me, it turned towards me. I was frightened and ran home.
- Oh, dear, it was a cat! The cat is our enemy, it eats mice. When you see a cat, you must run away.