"Children's Books - Peasant Snake and Fox" - читать интересную книгу автора (Children's Books)

"Well, listen, I'm going to ask you the same question in front of a snake.
If you say that one good deed is rewarded by another good deed, I'll give you
a present of a piglet, a lamb or a goose. How's that?"
"Good," said the fox. The peasant went back to the snake.
"I saw a fox over there," he said. "As you know, foxes are wise. Let's go
and hear what he thinks about it." A little later they asked the fox the same
question and the fox replied as had been agreed.
"A good deed is always rewarded with another good deed, but," he went on,
"why ask me that question?"
"Because this snake, that I helped to escape from his hole blocked by a
boulder, wants to bite me," replied the peasant. The fox looked at the snake
and said, "Hmm! I think a snake can manage to slither under a boulder."
"But it was a big boulder," the snake protested, "and, it was blocking the
entrance to my den."
"I don't believe you!"
"Oh, don't you? Well come and see then," said the snake, setting off for
his den with the fox and the peasant. Pointing to the boulder, he said, "See?
That boulder fell just there," and he pointed to the entrance.
But the fox shook his head. "A big snake like you couldn't get into such a
little hole," he said. Annoyed, the snake retorted,
"Don't you think so?" and slid swiftly into the hole. Then the fox shouted,
"Quick, peasant man! Shut him in!" and the peasant rolled the boulder back
across the mouth of the den, imprisoning the snake (and I think he's in there
yet!).
"Ah, fox," said the peasant happily, "now that was a good deed! You got rid
of that wicked snake for me! Thanks a million!"
"Oh, it was nothing," replied the fox, "but don't forget that piglet, the
lamb and the goose you promised me."
"No, I won't. Come to the farm this evening and you shall have them," said
the man.
That same evening, the fox went to the farm, but the peasant appeared with
two snarling dogs and a gun, shouting, "Get out of here, you horrible beast,
if you don't want to get into trouble!"
The fox trotted away, sad and disappointed, muttering, "and they say I'm
cunning! The cunning one is that peasant. Oh, well, that poor snake was
probably right, good deeds are repaid with bad deeds," and off he went, his
tail between his legs, into the wood.
.