It is told that in one of the small villages, a farmer had a beautiful-looking horse. The farmer used the horse to go to the farm and pull the cart. The horse remained in the service of its owner for many years until the horse’s age grew and became weak. It no longer had the strength to go to the farm or serve its owner.
The farm owner decided to dispense with the horse and expelled it from the stable. He no longer placed food for it. Indeed, the farmer went to the horse and said to him: I will no longer accept you in my farm again because you are weak and no longer have any benefit. If you want to stay, you must defeat the lion.
The horse felt injustice and suffered greatly as he left the stable. Then he left the village very sad and headed to the forest. He kept walking and did not know where he was going. He would walk from one direction to another until he met a fox.
The fox asked him: Why are you sad, oh poor horse? The horse cried and said to him that the farmer had expelled him from his home because he had become weak and could not pull his cart for him. He had forgotten what he had done for him during the previous years, and asked him to defeat the lion if he wanted to stay in the farm. And how would he defeat them when he was an old weak one?
The Plan and Trick: The fox replied to him and said: Do not be sad, do not think, and smile at life. I will help you until you return to your stable. The fox advised him to sleep on his side on the ground, pretend he was dead, and not move until the fox returned to him again after a little time.
The horse heard the fox’s words and implemented them. He descended to the ground and stretched his body on the ground in complete relaxation, pretending he had died. The fox said to him: Good, do not move from your place until I return to you. Then the fox left the horse and went to the place where the lion lives.
The fox said to the lion: Oh lion, there is a dead horse near us. Come with me to see it and eat a delicious meal from it. The lion rejoiced very much and immediately went with the fox to the place where the horse was sleeping. He was very happy when he saw the horse stretched on the ground.
The lion wanted to start eating first. The fox said to him: Oh lion, you will not rest if you eat him here. I will mention to you a way to take him with you to your home and eat him at your leisure without anyone bothering you. The lion agreed and said to him: Show me the way, oh loyal friend.
The fox said to him: I will tie you well to the horse’s tail, and you will drag him with you to your home where you live, and eat from him at the time you love and in the amount you love, without anyone sharing with you or bothering you.
The lion slept on his side, completely surrendering to the fox, so that he would tie him to the horse’s tail. Immediately, the fox tied the lion by his feet with a strong knot so that the lion could not free himself from this tie no matter how much he tried.
Success of the Plan: Then the fox struck the horse with his hand and said to him: Get up, oh horse, get up and go to your home. The horse got up from his sleep and thanked the fox for helping him. He walked and returned to his owner’s village. The horse began dragging the lion tied behind him.
The lion began screaming and making loud noises as he was dragged behind the horse. The horse did not care about him until he reached his stable in the farm at his owner’s home. The horse began to neigh loudly until his owner came out. He found his old horse, and tied to its tail was a huge dead lion. The farmer asked him: What did you do?
Victory: The horse replied to him: You conditioned me, in order to stay in the farm’s stable, that I must defeat the lion. I have defeated him and brought him to you. He is before you and cannot move. The farmer saw his horse, remembered his past deeds, longed for him, was pleased with him, and said to him: You will live in your stable again. I will provide you with food and drink. You will remain here for the rest of your life, honored and respected, and you will not leave the stable again.