After the Jackal had gone the Crow, who, upon returning home had missed his friend the Deer, and had been seeking him everywhere, suddenly discovered him in the net, and seeing his sad plight exclaimed:
"How in the world did this happen to you, my poor friend?"
"It happened through not taking a friend's advice," replied the Deer sadly.
"Where is that villain, Small-Wit?" asked the Crow.
"He is hanging around somewhere near by," answered the Deer miserably, "waiting for a taste of my flesh."
"Well," sighed the Crow, "I warned you. I knew that treacherous Jackal would sooner or later play one of his evil tricks. There is nothing we can do until morning."
When day broke the Crow saw the master of the field approaching with a heavy club in his hand.
"Now friend Deer," said Sharp-Sense, "you must stiffen out your legs and lie very still, as if you were dead. I will hop around and pretend to peck at your eyes with my beak; and the moment I give a loud croak, you must spring up and take to your heels."
The Deer stiffened out his legs and lay very still, just as the Crow had told him, and was soon discovered by the master of the field, whose eyes opened wide with delight. "Ah," said he, "the Deer has died of his own accord; that saves me the trouble of killing him." So saying, he released the Deer, and began to gather up his net. At that instant Sharp-Sense uttered a loud croak, and the Deer sprang up and made off at full speed. And the club, which the angry farmer hurled after him struck Small-Wit, the Jackal, who was skulking close by, and killed him.
(Hitopadeça. Book I. Fable 2. Adapted from translation by Sir Edwin Arnold.)
