In a certain ant-hill lived a prodigious black snake, and his name was Haughty. One day, instead of following the beaten path out of his hole, he tried to crawl through a narrower crevice. In doing so, he suffered a wound, because his body was huge, and the opening was small, and fate willed it so.

Then the ants gathered about him, drawn by the odor of blood from the wound, and drove him frantic. How many did he kill? Or how many crush? Yet their uncounted phalanx stung him in every member, and enlarged the numerous wounds. And Haughty perished.

“And that is why I say:

Beware the populace enraged,......

and the rest of it.

“Furthermore, O King, I have something to tell you, which you must consider, and ponder and do.”

“Father,” said Cloudy, “tell me what you have in mind.” And Live-Strong said: “Listen, my son. I have discovered a fifth device, different from the well-known four-conciliation, intrigue, bribery, and fighting. And it is this. You must turn against me, revile me with the hardest-hearted words you can find, smear me with blood (which you will provide) in order to deceive the enemy’s spies, throw me out at the foot of this banyan tree, and depart yourself to Antelope Mountain. And there you must stay with your retinue until by clever planning 1 win the trust of all the enemy, discover the heart of their fortress, and kill them—for they are blind in the daytime. This plan I devised on the assumption that their fortress is of simple construction, without egress at the rear. For the saying goes:

A fort must have for egress, say

The specialists, a gap;

If this be lacking, it is not

A fortress, but a trap.

Nor should you feel any pity for me. For the proverb says:

Pet and pamper servants well;

Love them as you love your life:

Yet consider them as dry

Tinder in the hour of strife.

Nor must you balk me in my design. For once more:

Cherish servants like yourself;

Guard them as you guard your life

Every day for one sole day,

When you meet your foe in strife.”

With these words he started a sham fight with the king. And Cloudy’s retinue, seeing Live-Strong jabber with unbridled license at the king, started up to kill him. But Cloudy said: “Out of my path, you. I take upon myself the chastisement of this traitorous scoundrel.” With this he pounced upon him, pecked at him gently, smeared him with blood (which he had provided), and departed with his retinue for Antelope Mountain, as Live-Strong had recommended.

At this juncture the owl’s consort, acting as spy for the enemy, went and reported in detail to the owl-king the disgrace of Cloudy’s prime minister. And the owl king, informed of the occurrence, started with his retainers at sundown on a crow-hunt. And he said: “Hasten friends, hasten! The enemy is panic-stricken, is in full flight, and can be