A Dog asleep in a manger filled with hay, was awakened by the Cattle, which came in tired and hungry from working in the field. In an instant the Cat was up a tree, hiding among the leaves. Some days later the Wolf came back for the promised feast. But the Dogs kept them all at a respectful distance, and the Sheep grazed in perfect safety. With the King in his luxurious howdah were the royal Dog and Cat. This time he brought up an axe of silver, but the Woodman declared again that his axe was just an ordinary one with a wooden handle. The sly Fox soon found a bright patch of moonlight, where the Pheasants could see him clearly; there he raised himself up on his hind legs, and began a wild dance. But when the deed was done, not a single golden egg did he find, and his precious Goose was dead.
A small gain is worth more than a large promise.