Timeless Wisdom of Aesop

Two Travelers and a Bear

Two Men were traveling together through a forest, when, all at once, a huge Bear crashed out of the brush near them.

One of them, thinking of his own safety, climbed up quickly into a tree and concealed himself in the branches.

The other, unable to fight the savage beast alone, threw himself on the ground and lay still, as if he were dead. He had heard that a Bear will not touch a dead body.

It must have been true, for the Bear snuffed at the Man's head awhile, and then, seeming to be satisfied that he was dead, walked away.

When a Bear was quite gone, the other Traveler descended from the tree, and jocularly inquired:

"It looked just as if that Bear whispered in your ear," he said. "What did he tell you?"

"He said," answered the other, "that it was not at all wise to keep company with a fellow who would desert his friend in a moment of danger."

Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.

Related Links:

Collection of Classic Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know

Aesop's Fables Collection

Timeless Wisdom of Aesop Collection

A Treasury Of Quotations

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