46 THE COCK AND THE FOX

One morning a cock flew to the top of a barn.

He flapped his wings and called, “Cock-a-doodle-doo! ”

Now a fox heard the cock.

So he came to the barn.

He wanted to get the cock and eat him.

But the fox could not reach him.

So he called up to the cock, “Come down, friend!

Have you heard the news?

The beasts and the birds are going to live together.

They will not hurt each other any more.

They will not eat each other up.

They will all be friends.

Come down, friend cock!

Let us talk about the news.”

But the cock knew the fox had many tricks.

So he stayed on top of the barn.

He looked far, far away.

“What do I see? What do I see? ”said he.

“Well, what do you see? ”asked the fox.

The cock looked far, far away.

“Oh! The dogs are coming! The dogs are coming! ”he said.

The fox got up in great haste.

“Good-bye, ”he said.

“I must go! ”

“Oh, no, friend, ”said the cock.

“Don't go. The dogs won't hurt you, will they?

You said the beasts and the birds were going to live together and be friends.

Let us talk about the great news.”

“No, no! I must run away, ”said the fox.

“Maybe the dogs have not heard the news.”

So he ran off as fast as he could go.

That time the cock was wiser than the fox.

(Retold from a Fable by Æsop)

Word list

beasts: animals

flapped: moved wings back and forth

haste: to hurry

You Practice

A) Answer the following questions.

1) What was the cock doing on top of the barn?

2) How did the fox try to trick the cock into coming down?

3) How did the cock trick the fox?

4) Tell about a time when you moved with great haste.

5) What do you think the fox will do when he realizes he has been tricked?

B) What's the word? Using the clues, write the correct words from the story.

1) different kinds of animals: b _ _ _ _ _

2) to be in a hurry: h _ _ _ _

3) recent, important things: n _ _ _

4) to injure, cause pain: h _ _ _

5) a house for animals: b _ _ _

C) True or false? Read these sentences carefully, write true or false for each one.

1) _____ The fox fooled the cock into coming down to the ground.

2) _____ The fox made friends with the dogs.

3) _____ The cock was wiser than the fox.

4) _____ The dogs caught the cock and the fox.

5) _____ All beasts and birds are friends.