THE PLEASANT HISTORY OF THE COCK AND THE
FOX.
Here we begin to indite the pleasant History which beset between
the Cock and the Fox.[FN#273]
It is said that there abode in such a village a man which was a
Shaykh of long standing, one gifted with fair rede and right
understanding. Now he had on his farm a plenty of poultry, male
and female, and these he was wont to breed and to eat of their
eggs and their chickens. But amongst his cocks was a Chanticleer,
well advanced of age and wily of wit, who had long fought with
Fortune and who had become wise and ware in worldly matters and
in the turns and shifts of Time. It fortuned one day that this
Cock went forth to wander about the farm-lands pecking and
picking up as he went such grains of wheat and barley and
holcus[FN#274] and sesame and millet as chanced fall in his way;
but, being careless of himself, he had left the village afar off
without thinking of what he did, and ere he took counsel with
himself he found him amiddlemost the wilderness. So he turned him
rightwards and leftwards but espied nor friend nor familiar,
whereat he stood perplext as to his affair and his breast was
straitened and still he knew not what to do. Now while thus
bewildered in his wits touching his next step, behold, his glance
fell upon a Fox[FN#275] who was approaching him from afar,
whereat he feared and trembled and was agitated with mighty great
agitation. At once he turned him about and presently espied a
high wall arising from the waste, whereto was no place of
ascending for his foe; so he spread his wings and flew up and
perched upon the coping where he took his station. Presently the
Fox came forward to the foot of the wall, and, finding no means
of climbing it and getting at the fowl, he raised his head and
said, "The Peace be upon thee, Ho thou the soothfast brother and
suitable friend!" But as the Cock would not turn towards him nor
return aught of reply to his salutation, the Fox resumed, "What
is to do with thee, O dear my brother, that my greeting thou
acknowledgest not and to my words inclinest thee not?" Still the
Cock requited not his courtesy and declined to reply, whereat the
Fox resumed, "Wottest thou not, O my brother, the glad tidings
wherewith I came theewards, with what suitable intelligence and
counsel veridical and information at once sincere and self-
evident? and, didst know what it is hath come to mine ears,
verily thou hadst embraced me and kissed me on the mouth." But
the Cock feigned absence of mind and ignored him and answered him
naught, but stood with rounded eyes and fixed upon the far when
the Fox resumed, "O my brother, the King of the Beasts which be
the Lion and the King of the Birds which be the Eagle have
alighted from a journey upon the meads where grass is a-growing
and by the marge where waters are a-flowing and blossoms are a-
blowing and browsing gazelles are a-to-ing and a-fro-ing; and the
twain have gathered together all manner of ferals, lions and
hyenas, leopards and lynxes, wild cattle and antelopes and
jackals and even hares, brief, all the wild beasts of the world;
and they have also collected every kind of bird, eagle and
vulture, crow and raven,[FN#276] wild pigeon and turtledove,
poultry and fowls and Katás and quails[FN#277] and other small
deer, and these two liege lords have bidden the herald proclaim,
throughout the tracts of the upland wold and the wild lowland,
safety and security and confraternity and peace with honour and
sympathy and familiar friendship and affection and love amongst
wild beasts and cattle and birds; also that enmity be done away
with and wrongs be forbidden nor might one transgress against
other; nay, if any chance to injure his fellow this offence might
be for his scourging a reason, and for his death by tearing to
pieces a justification. The order hath also come forth that all
do feed and browse in one place whichever they please, never
venturing to break the peace but dwelling in all amity and
affection and intimacy one with other. Moreover they have
commissioned me, very me, to overroam the wastes and gladden with
good tidings the peoples of the wilds and proclaim that one and
all without exception must assemble together, and also that whoso
delayeth or refuseth obedience shall not escape
punishment[FN#278] nor let each and every fail to make act of
presence and to kiss hands. And of thee, O my brother, I
especially require that thou descend from thy high stead in
safety and security and satisfaction, and that henceforward thy
heart be not startled nor thy limbs shake for fear." All this
description was described by the Fox to the Cock who paid no heed
to him as though he had never heard the news; and he remained
silent without return of reply or without so much as turning to
regard him; nay, he only kept his head raised and gazed afar.
Hereat quoth to him the Fox (for indeed his heart burned with
desire to know how he could seize and devour him), "O brother
mine, why and wherefore dost thou not acknowledge me by an answer
or address to me a word or even turn thy face towards me who am a
Commissioner sent by Leo, Sovran of the beasts, and Aquila,
Sultan of the birds? Sore I fear lest thou refuse to accompany me
and thus come upon thee censure exceeding and odium excessive
seeing that all are assembled in the presence and are browsing
upon the verdant mead." Then he added (as Chanticleer regarded
him not), "O my brother, I bespeak thee and thou unheedest me and
my speech and, if thou refuse to fare with me, at least let me
know what may be thy reply." Hereupon the Cock inclined towards
him and said, "Sooth hast thou spoken, O my brother, and well I
wot thou be an Envoy and a Commissioner from our King, and the
special Messenger of him: but my condition is changed by that
which hath befallen me." "And what calamity, O my brother hath
betided thee?" "Dost thou espy what I am at present espying?"
"And what is it thou espiest?" "Verily, I see a dust cloud
lowering and the Saker-falcons in circles towering;" and quoth
the Fox (whose heart throbbed with fear), "Look straitly, O my
brother, lest there happen to us a mishap." So Chanticleer gazed
as one distraught for a full told hour, after which he turned to
the Fox and said, "O my brother, I behold and can distinguish a
bird flying and a dust-trail hieing." "Consider them narrowly, O
my brother," cried the Fox (whose side-muscles quivered) "lest
this be sign of greyhound;" and the other replied, "The Truth is
known to Allah alone, yet I seem now to see a something lengthy
of leg, lean of flank, loose of ears, fine of forehand and full
of quarter, and at this moment it draweth near and is well nigh
upon us--O fine!"[FN#279] Now when the Fox heard these words he
cried to the Cock, "O my brother, I must farewell thee!" and so
saying he arose and committed his legs to the wind and he had
recourse to the Father of Safety.[FN#280] Seeing this, the Cock
also cried, "Why thus take to flight when thou hast no spoiler
thy heart to affright?" Replied the Fox, "I have a fear of the
Greyhound, O my brother, for that he is not of my friends or of
my familiars;" and the Cock rejoined, "Didst thou not tell me
thou camest as Commissioner of the Kings to these wastes
proclaiming a peace and safety amongst all the beasts and the
birds?" "O my brother Chanticleer," retorted the other, "this
feral, Greyhound hight, was not present at the time when
pacifcation was proclaimed, nor was his name announced in the
Congress of the beasts; and I for my part have no love lost with
him, nor between me and him is there aught of security." So
saying the Fox turned forthright to fly, routed with the foulest
of routing, and the Cock escaped the foe by his sleight and
sagacity with perfect safety and security. Now after the Fox had
turned tail and fled from him Chanticleer came down from the wall
and regained his farm, lauding Allah Almighty who had conveyed
him unharmed to his own place. And here he related unto his
fellows what had befallen him with the Fox and how he had devised
that cunning device and thereby freed himself from a strait
wherein, but for it, the foe had torn him limb by limb.