How the Bear lost its tail
In the forest the fox had dug a hole in the snow to hide the fish because it was unable to eat all the fish at once. Quite by chance a bear happened to come by.
“Where did you get such a lot of fish?”
“I went fishing in the lake”, the sly fox lied.
“You sure were lucky. Would you teach me how to fish, too?”
“Certainly, dear friend. Go to the lake on an evening when lots of stars are twinkling in the sky. Sink your tail into the farmer’s ice hole and sit there without moving till the morning comes. Then pull your tail from the water and you will see fish hanging from every hair on your tail.”
“Thank you very much, Fox old buddy!”
That evening the sky was full of stars because of the severe frost, it was colder than -30°. The bear took the fox’s advice and went to the ice hole.
It stuck its tail into the water and sat still, without a sound. After a while it felt some pinching in its tail, as the ice hole froze over. The bear was glad. It thought the pinching meant that fish were grabbing its tail hair. During the night the ice hole froze over solidly. In the morning the bear tried to pull its tail out but couldn’t. So there was nothing the bear could do but stay there.
The cunning fox had started its day early in the morning. It saw the bear sitting at the ice hole. Immediately, it ran to the farmer’s house shouting:
“The bear is messing your ice hole! The bear is messing your ice hole!”
The farmer and his wife both hurried onto the ice, carrying wooden sticks with them. With all their might, they started beating the bear with the sticks. The bear tried harder and harder to pull itself free. Finally, its tail snapped and remained in the frozen ice hole. The bear escaped, but since that day the bear has not had a tail!
In the forest the fox had dug a hole in the snow to hide the fish because it was unable to eat all the fish at once. Quite by chance a bear happened to come by.
“Where did you get such a lot of fish?”
“I went fishing in the lake”, the sly fox lied.
“You sure were lucky. Would you teach me how to fish, too?”
“Certainly, dear friend. Go to the lake on an evening when lots of stars are twinkling in the sky. Sink your tail into the farmer’s ice hole and sit there without moving till the morning comes. Then pull your tail from the water and you will see fish hanging from every hair on your tail.”
“Thank you very much, Fox old buddy!”
That evening the sky was full of stars because of the severe frost, it was colder than -30°. The bear took the fox’s advice and went to the ice hole.
It stuck its tail into the water and sat still, without a sound. After a while it felt some pinching in its tail, as the ice hole froze over. The bear was glad. It thought the pinching meant that fish were grabbing its tail hair. During the night the ice hole froze over solidly. In the morning the bear tried to pull its tail out but couldn’t. So there was nothing the bear could do but stay there.
The cunning fox had started its day early in the morning. It saw the bear sitting at the ice hole. Immediately, it ran to the farmer’s house shouting:
“The bear is messing your ice hole! The bear is messing your ice hole!”
The farmer and his wife both hurried onto the ice, carrying wooden sticks with them. With all their might, they started beating the bear with the sticks. The bear tried harder and harder to pull itself free. Finally, its tail snapped and remained in the frozen ice hole. The bear escaped, but since that day the bear has not had a tail!
Fox’s catch of fish
Once upon a time there was a fox which had kept an eye on a farmer who was an eager fisherman. The farmer was constantly moving between his house and the shore.
In the deep winter the fox saw, to its surprise, how the farmer took big nets to the shore sank them and arranged them with long rods under the ice. The fox was sitting on a big rock and carefully watching the man. Sometimes it was licking its lips and couldn’t bear to leave its place. Then one day it actually saw the man coming from the lake with the sledge full of fish. The fox eyed the fish, licked its lips and tried to think of a plan to get the catch for itself. Finally, it found a way to do it. It quickly ran to the road the man would take to go home with his catch of fish, lay down on the bank of the road and pretended to be dead.
The fox’s reddish brown fur shone prettily on the white snow and the man, driving home slowly, saw it at once.
“Look, a fox lying on the ground” said the man in wonder.
“I’m lucky indeed today. A sledge full of fish and now this fox with fine fur too!”
The man took the fox from the ground and threw it on the load of fish. He even covered the fox with a blanket, sat down and drove on in good mood. But in the meantime, the fox was throwing fish on the road as fast as possible. As soon as it had managed to throw all the fish on the road, it jumped from the sledge and hid. When the man with his sledge had disappeared around the bend, the fox began to pick all the fish up and took them back to the forest, where it started to enjoy its rich meal.
Meanwhile the farmer had arrived home. He was very pleased. On entering the kitchen, he threw his mittens on the bench and asked his wife to take a look at his fine catch. The wife rushed, excited, to the yard and came back almost immediately.
“What are you talking about, old man? There’s only an empty sledge standing in the yard” she shouted furiously.
“How strange”, said the man and went out to have a look for himself. His wife had told him the truth. There was no sign of the catch anywhere.
“Damn fox!” was all he could mutter to himself and he left at once to drive back his own tracks with his sledge. But there was no sign of either fish or fox and the man drove back home annoyed.
Once upon a time there was a fox which had kept an eye on a farmer who was an eager fisherman. The farmer was constantly moving between his house and the shore.
In the deep winter the fox saw, to its surprise, how the farmer took big nets to the shore sank them and arranged them with long rods under the ice. The fox was sitting on a big rock and carefully watching the man. Sometimes it was licking its lips and couldn’t bear to leave its place. Then one day it actually saw the man coming from the lake with the sledge full of fish. The fox eyed the fish, licked its lips and tried to think of a plan to get the catch for itself. Finally, it found a way to do it. It quickly ran to the road the man would take to go home with his catch of fish, lay down on the bank of the road and pretended to be dead.
The fox’s reddish brown fur shone prettily on the white snow and the man, driving home slowly, saw it at once.
“Look, a fox lying on the ground” said the man in wonder.
“I’m lucky indeed today. A sledge full of fish and now this fox with fine fur too!”
The man took the fox from the ground and threw it on the load of fish. He even covered the fox with a blanket, sat down and drove on in good mood. But in the meantime, the fox was throwing fish on the road as fast as possible. As soon as it had managed to throw all the fish on the road, it jumped from the sledge and hid. When the man with his sledge had disappeared around the bend, the fox began to pick all the fish up and took them back to the forest, where it started to enjoy its rich meal.
Meanwhile the farmer had arrived home. He was very pleased. On entering the kitchen, he threw his mittens on the bench and asked his wife to take a look at his fine catch. The wife rushed, excited, to the yard and came back almost immediately.
“What are you talking about, old man? There’s only an empty sledge standing in the yard” she shouted furiously.
“How strange”, said the man and went out to have a look for himself. His wife had told him the truth. There was no sign of the catch anywhere.
“Damn fox!” was all he could mutter to himself and he left at once to drive back his own tracks with his sledge. But there was no sign of either fish or fox and the man drove back home annoyed.