[Illustration: THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE.]
A Hare insulted a tortoise upon account of his slowness, and vainly
boasted of her own great speed in running.--'Let us make a match,'
replied the Tortoise; 'I will run with you five miles for five pounds,
and the Fox yonder shall be the umpire of the race.' The Hare agreed;
and away they both started together. But the Hare, by reason of her
exceeding swiftness, outran the Tortoise to such a degree, that she made
a jest of the matter; and, finding herself a little tired, squatted in a
tuft of fern that grew by the way, and took a nap; thinking that, if the
Tortoise went by, she could at any time fetch him up with all the ease
imaginable. In the meanwhile the Tortoise came jogging on with slow but
continued motion; and the Hare, out of a too great security and
confidence of victory, oversleeping herself, the Tortoise arrived at the
end of the race first.