A MOUSE in an evil day made the acquaintance of a Frog, and together
they set off on their travels. On pretense of affection and of keeping
his companion safe from harm, the Frog tied the Mouse’s forefoot to
his own hind leg, and thus they proceeded. It worked well enough till
they came to some water, and the Frog, bidding the Mouse to have
good courage, plunged in and began to swim across. They were barely
halfway when the Frog took a sudden plunge to the bottom, dragging the
unfortunate Mouse after him. But the struggling of the Mouse made so
great a commotion in the water that it attracted the attention of a
Hawk, who, pouncing down and bearing away the Mouse, carried the Frog
also.
Alliances that are ill-matched generally end in disaster; and the one
who compasses the destruction of his neighbor is often caught in his
own snare.