The Buffalo and the Field Mouse.

One day, as the Field Mouse busily gathered wild beans for the winter, his neighbor, the Buffalo, came down to graze in the meadow. The little Mouse was displeased, knowing that the Buffalo would mow down all the tall grass with his rough tongue, leaving nowhere to hide. Determined to defend his territory, the Mouse called out in a small, squeaky voice, “Ho, Friend Buffalo, I challenge you to a fight!” At first, the Buffalo ignored him, thinking it a mere joke. The Mouse repeated his challenge, but the Buffalo continued grazing unbothered. The Mouse, feeling slighted, laughed defiantly. Finally, the Buffalo replied dismissively, “You should stay quiet, little one, or I might step on you, leaving nothing behind!” “You can’t do it!” retorted the Mouse. The Buffalo, now annoyed, warned, “If you speak again, I’ll put an end to you!” “I dare you to try!” provoked the Mouse. Enraged, the Buffalo charged, trampling the grass and tearing the earth with his hooves. After his rampage, he couldn’t find the Mouse and muttered, “I told you I’d step on you and there’d be nothing left!”

Just then, the Buffalo felt a scratching sensation inside his right ear. He shook his head vigorously, twitching his ears, but the gnawing sensation only deepened, driving him wild with pain. He pawed at the ground and bellowed madly, running in circles, until he finally stopped, trembling. The Mouse then jumped out of his ear and declared, “Will you admit now that I am the master?” “No!” roared the Buffalo, charging again toward the Mouse. But the little creature was nowhere to be seen until the Buffalo felt him in the other ear. Once more, he was overcome with pain, leaping high into the air until he collapsed, still and defeated. The Mouse emerged from the Buffalo’s ear, standing proudly on the fallen beast. “Eho!” he exclaimed, “I have vanquished the greatest of all beasts. This proves to everyone that I am the master!” Standing atop the Buffalo’s body, he called out for a knife to dress his game.

In another part of the meadow, Red Fox, who was hunting for his breakfast, heard a distant call, “Bring a knife! Bring a knife!” Curious, he headed toward the sound. As he reached a knoll, he paused to listen, and the call came again, clearer this time. The Fox ran faster and soon found the Buffalo’s enormous body on the ground, with the little Mouse standing atop it. “I want you to dress this Buffalo for me, and I’ll give you some of the meat,” commanded the Mouse. “Thank you, my friend, I would be glad to do this for you,” responded the Fox politely. While the Fox dressed the Buffalo, the Mouse sat nearby, issuing instructions. “You must cut the meat into small pieces,” he directed. Once the Fox finished, the Mouse rewarded him with a small piece of liver. The Fox quickly ate it and asked humbly, “May I have another piece?” “Why, I gave you a very large piece! How greedy you are!” exclaimed the Mouse. “You may have some of the blood clots,” he sneered. The poor Fox took the blood clots and licked the grass clean, being very hungry.

“Please, may I take home a piece of the meat?” he begged. “I have six little ones at home, and there’s nothing for them to eat.” “You can take the four feet of the Buffalo. That should be enough for all of you!” “Hi, hi! Thank you, thank you!” said the Fox gratefully. “But, Mouse, I have a wife too, and we’ve had bad luck hunting. We’re almost starved. Could you spare a little more?” “Why,” said the Mouse, “I’ve already overpaid you for the little work you’ve done. However, you can take the head too!” At that, the Fox pounced on the Mouse, who let out one faint squeak and vanished. The story teaches that pride and selfishness can lead to losing everything in the end.

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