t_, which is always greater than _might_. Why don't you keep to your
own part of the forest? What right have you to be here, disturbing folks
at this time of night?"

By a mighty effort the Lion restrained his anger--he knew that to obtain
mastery over others one must be master over oneself.

"What _right_?" he repeated in dignified tones. "_Because I'm King of the
Forest._ That's why. I can do no wrong, for all the other creatures of the
forest are afraid of me. I DO what I please, I SAY what I please, I EAT
whom I please, I GO where I please--simply because I'm King of the
Forest."

"But who told you you were King?" demanded the Gnat. "Just answer me
that!"

"Who told ME?" roared the Lion. "Why, everyone acknowledges it--don't I
tell you that everyone is afraid of me?"

"Indeed!" cried the Gnat disdainfully. "Pray don't say _all_, for I'm not
afraid of you. And further, I deny your right to be King."

This was too much for the Lion. He now worked himself into a perfect fury.

"You--you--YOU deny my right as King?"

"I _do_, and, what is more, you shall never be King until you have fought
and conquered me."

The Lion laughed a great lion laugh, and a lion laugh cannot be laughed at
like a cat laugh, as everyone ought to know.

"Fight--did you say fight?" he asked. "Who ever heard of a lion fighting a
gnat? Here, out of my way, you atom of nothing! I'll blow you to the other
end of the world."

But though the Lion puffed his cheeks until they were like great bellows,
and then blew with all his might, he could not disturb the little Gnat's
hold on the swaying grass-blade.

"You'll blow all your whiskers away if you are not careful," he said, with
a laugh--"but you won't move me. And if you dare leave this spot without
fighting me, I'll tell all the beasts of the forest that you are afraid of
me, and they'll make _me_ King."

"Ho, ho!" roared the Lion. "Very well, since you will fight, let it be
so."

"You agree to the conditions, then? The one who conquers shall be King?"

"Oh, certainly," laughed the Lion, for he expected an easy victory. "Are
you ready?"

"Quite ready."

"Then--GO!" roared the Lion.

And with that he sprang forward with open jaws, thinking he could easily
swallow a million gnats. But just as the great jaws were about to close
upon the blade of grass whereto the Gnat clung, what should happen but
that the Gnat suddenly spread his wings and nimbly flew--where do you
think?--right