l he died. Then when Ah-Kay took him from
the net, he looked at the rope and the bamboo carefully, and found five
of the great ropes broken.

"How strong is the lion? Twenty children like you could not break one
strand of that great rope. But the lion broke five complete ropes. He
is the strongest of all animals. He catches many creatures for his
food, but once he lost a battle with one of the least of the wilderness
creatures. Do you know what it was?"

"A bird could fight and then fly away. Was it a bird?"

"No, my son."

"A man is stronger than a lion."

"No; do you not remember the woodcutter who could put down five strong
men? One night a wilderness lion caught and killed him."

"Then what was the smallest of all creatures of the wilderness that
battled with a lion?"

The father said, "I will tell you the story: Once in the summer time
the Lion was very thirsty. But the sun had taken all the water near
the Lion's home and he went to many places seeking for it. In time he
found an old well, but the water was not fresh. As the Lion was very
thirsty, he said, 'I must drink, even though the water is stale.'

"But when he reached down into the old well, he found that it was the
home of all the Mosquitoes of the wilderness.

"The Mosquitoes said to the Lion, 'Go away, we do not want you. This
is our home and we are happy. We do not wish the lion, the fox, or the
bear to come here. You are not our friend. Why do you come?"

"The Lion roared and said, 'Weak and foolish things! I am the Lion.
It is you that should go away, for I have come to drink. This is my
wilderness, and I am king. Do you know, weak things, that when I come
out from my place and send forth my voice, all the creatures of the
wilderness shake like leaves and bow their heads to me? What are you
that you should have a place you call your home and tell me that I may
or I may not?'

"Then the Mosquitoes answered, 'You are only one. You speak as if you
were many. Our people had this old well for a home before your roar
was heard in the wilderness. And many generations of us have been born
here. This home is ours, and we are they that say who shall come or
go. And yet you come and tell us to go out of our own door. If you do
not leave us, we will call our people, and you shall know trouble.'

"But the Lion held his head high with pride and anger and said, 'What
are you, oh, small of the small? I will kill every one of yo