A Stag, pursued by the hunters, took refuge in a stable, and begged
of the Oxen, to suffer him to conceal himself under the straw in one
of the stalls. They told him that he would be in great danger there,
for both the master and the servants would soon come to fodder them,
and then he might be sure of meeting his doom. Ah! says the Stag, if
you will be so good as not betray me, I hope I shall be safe enough.
Presently, in came a servant, who gave a careless look around, and
then went out without any discovery. All the other servants of the
farm came and went like the first. Upon this, the Stag began to exult,
imagining himself quite secure; but a shrewd old Ox told him that he
was reckoning upon his safety too soon, for there was another person to
come, by whom he would not so readily be looked over. Accordingly, by
and by came the master, who carefully peeped into every corner, and at
last, in turning over the litter, discovered the Stag’s horns sticking
out of the straw: upon which, he called all his servants back, and soon
made prize of the poor creature.