A hunter once dug a pit to catch and trap wild elephants. One day, a man who was being chased by a lion fell into the pit, and then the lion followed a second later. Before they had time to pick themselves up, down came a mouse, closely followed by a snake who had been chasing it, and he, in turn, was followed by a falcon who had been trying to catch him.
So there they were -- all five of them -- caught in the elephant pit and unable to get out. Each as he picked himself up tried to get away as far as possible from the others, for none knew what harm might come to him.
The man thought, "I must kill the lion or he will eat me."
The lion thought, "I must eat the man or he will kill me."
The falcon thought, "I must kill the snake or it may bite me."
The mouse thought, "Oh my! how I wish I could get away from all these big creatures!"
Thus they all sat silent, each one afraid to move lest some one or another pounce upon him and kill him.
In time the lion spoke: "Oh, honored ones," said he, "we are all comrades in misfortune. Let us promise not to hurt each other. Let each abide where he now is, while we plan a way to get out of this pit."
"Agreed!" cried all the others in haste, and especially pleased was the mouse.
Thus they all sat apart trying to think of a plan to escape, when the elephant hunter came to the pit.
"Why, what is all this?" the hunter cried, looking down.
"Oh, hunter, good hunter, kind hunter, please help us out!" cried the animals. "You see that we are not elephants."
"No, no, good hunter, I am not an elephant, I am not an elephant," squealed the mouse.
The hunter laughed. "No, you don't look much like an elephant, my little friend," he said. "I think I must help you all to escape."
The first animal that the hunter drew up was the lion. "Oh, hunter," said the lion, "I and the other animals will prove grateful to you and will help you for your