the dove and he
was about to shoot, when he was bitten in the leg by an ant.

He cried out with pain and dropped his gun. This frightened the dove
and she flew away.

"Thank you, kind ant," cooed the dove, and the ant heard and was glad.

THE HAPPY FAMILY

There was once a very queer family living in the woods. There were four
in all--a rat, a raven, a tortoise, and a gazelle.

All day the animals were away from home hunting food.

The rat caught beetles which had hidden under leaves. He visited fields
and barns Now and then he went to a henhouse.

The tortoise found plenty of insects in the woods and fields and did
not object to a toadstool now and then.

The raven visited grain fields where he often met the rat.

The gazelle ate grass wherever he could find it. When he could not get
grass, he ate the sprouts of trees.

At night all met at their home in the woods and talked of what had
happened to them through the day. This is one of their adventures:

One day when the gazelle was out feeding, a hound scented his tracks
and followed him. The gazelle heard the hound bark and darted off like
the wind. The hound followed until worn out with running; then he gave
up the chase. The gazelle stopped to eat grass. He was hungry and a
long way from home.

That evening when the animals returned home they missed the gazelle.

The raven asked, "How does it happen that the gazelle is not home? Is
he tired of us already?"

"No, indeed," said the rat. "I am sure that he is not. If I were a bird
I should fly away at once to find him. I know that he would be here if
he could get here."

"I will see if I can find him," said the raven, and he flew away. After
a while he spied the gazelle, who had been caught in a net. He was
trying hard to free himself, but the ropes that bound him were too
strong for him to break. The raven flew back home to get the help of
the rat.

"Oh, rat," he said, "follow me. Our friend, the gazelle, is caught in a
net. Come and gnaw the ropes and set him free!"

The raven flew away and the rat followed. As the rat left home, he
said, "Tortoise, you had better stay at home. You go so slowly that you
can not reach the gazelle in time to help. We shall soon be back, I
hope."

As soon as the raven and the rat were out of sight, the tortoise said,
"I can not stay here and do nothing. I may be needed. I will hurry as
fast as I can;" and he started off.

The raven reached the gazelle fir