and Scowow were affected with a blight.

Philosophers Three

A Bear, a Fox, and an Opossum were attacked by an inundation.

"Death loves a coward," said the Bear, and went forward to fight the
flood.

"What a fool!" said the Fox. "I know a trick worth two of that." And he
slipped into a hollow stump.

"There are malevolent forces," said the Opossum, "which the wise will
neither confront nor avoid. The thing is to know the nature of your
antagonist."

So saying the Opossum lay down and pretended to be dead.

The Boneless King

Some Apes who had deposed their king fell at once into dissension and
anarchy. In this strait they sent a Deputation to a neighbouring tribe
to consult the Oldest and Wisest Ape in All the World.

"My children," said the Oldest and Wisest Ape in All the World, when he
had heard the Deputation, "you did right in ridding yourselves of
tyranny, but your tribe is not sufficiently advanced to dispense with the
forms of monarchy. Entice the tyrant back with fair promises, kill him
and enthrone. The skeleton of even the most lawless despot makes a good
constitutional sovereign."

At this the Deputation was greatly abashed. "It is impossible," they
said, moving away; "our king has no skeleton; he was stuffed."

Uncalculating Zeal

A Man-Eating tiger was ravaging the Kingdom of Damnasia, and the King,
greatly concerned for the lives and limbs of his Royal subjects, promised
his daughter Zodroulra to any man who would kill the animal. After some
days Camaraladdin appeared before the King and claimed the reward.

"But where is the tiger?" the King asked.

"May jackasses sing above my uncle's grave," replied Camaraladdin, "if I
dared go within a league of him!"

"Wretch!" cried the King, unsheathing his consoler-under-disappointment;
"how dare you claim my daughter when you have done nothing to earn her?"

"Thou art wiser, O King, than Solyman the Great, and thy servant is as
dust in the tomb of thy dog, yet thou errest. I did not, it is true,
kill the tiger, but behold! I have brought thee the scalp of the man who
had accumulated five million pieces of gold and was after more."

The King drew his consoler-under-disappointment, and, flicking off
Camaraladdin's head, said:

"Learn, caitiff, the expediency of uncalculating zeal. If the
millionaire had been let alone he would have devoured the tiger."

A Transposition

Travelling through the sage