for you to take the wood, and return with your claws.
Not so, said the Carpenter, I am afraid that you will
not wait for me. You are a stranger, and I do
not trust your word. I fear you will run away
before I return. Said the Lion, it is impossible
that the Lion should run away from any one. Said
the Carpenter, I cannot admit what you say, unless
you will grant me one thing. And what is that,
said the Lion. The Carpenter said, I have here
a little rope. Come let me tie you to this tree
until I return, and then I shall know where to find
you. The Lion agreed to this plan, and the Carpenter
bound him with ropes to the tree until he and the
tree were one compact bundle. Then the Carpenter
went away to his shop, and brought his glue pot, and
filling it with glue and pitch boiled it over the fire.
Then he returned and besmeared the Lion with the boiling
mixture from his head to the end of his tail, and
applied a torch until he was all in a flame from head
to tail, and in this plight the Carpenter left him.
Then the Lion roared in agony until the whole forest
echoed the savage roar, and all the animals and wild
beasts came running together to see what had happened.
And when they saw him in this sad plight, they rushed
to him and loosed his bonds, and he sprang to the
river and extinguished the flames, but came out singed
and scarred, with neither hair nor mane. Now when
all the beasts saw this pitiable sight, they made
a covenant together to kill Ibn Adam. So they
watched and waited day and night, until at length
they found him in the forest. As soon as he saw
them, he ran to a lofty tree, and climbed to its very
top, taking only his adze with him, and there awaited
his fate. The whole company of beasts now gathered
around the foot of the tree, and tried in vain to
climb it, and after they walked around and around,
at length they agreed that one should stand at the
foot of the tree, and another on his back, and so on,
until the upper one should reach Ibn Adam, and throw
him down to the ground. Now the Lion whose back
was burned and blistered, from his great fear of man
demanded that he should stand at the bottom of the
tree. To this all agreed. Then the Camel
mounted upon the Lion’s back, the Horse upon
the Camel, the Buffalo upon the Horse, the Bear upon
the Buffalo, the Wolf upon the bear, and the Donkey
upon the Wolf, and so on in order, until the topmost
animal was almost within reach of the Carpenter, Ibn
Adam. Now, when he saw the animals coming nearer
and nearer, and almost ready to seize him, he shouted
at the top of his voice. Bring the glue pot of
boiling pitch to the Lion! Hasten! Hasten!
Now when the Lion heard of the boiling pitch, he was
terrified beyond measure and leaped one side with
all his might and fled. Down came the pile of
beasts, tumbling in confusion, the one upon the other,
and all lay groaning bruised and bleeding, some with
broken legs, some with broken ribs, and some with
broken heads. But as soon as the clamor of their
first agony was over, they all called out to the Lion,
why did you leap out and bring all this misery upon
us! The Lion replied: