The Foolish Tiger

Once, near a king’s palace, there lived a fox. His den was right behind the royal goat shed.

The king’s goats were very beautiful and plump. Just the sight of them made the fox’s mouth water. But he couldn't get close because of the shepherds guarding them.

So, the fox began digging from his den. After much digging, he finally reached the goat shed. But still, he couldn't eat a goat — the shepherds were sitting right there.

As soon as they saw him, they caught and tied him up. Then they said, “Tomorrow we’ll put on a show with this one and then kill it. It’s too late now.” They tied him to a post and left.

The fox sat with his head down. Just then, a tiger happened to pass by and was surprised to see the fox tied up.

“What’s going on, nephew? What are you doing here?” asked the tiger.

“I’m getting married,” said the fox.

“Then where’s the bride? Where’s everyone else?” the tiger asked.

“The bride is the king’s daughter! The guests have gone to bring her,” replied the fox.

“Then why are you tied up?” asked the tiger.

“I didn’t want to marry, so they tied me up so I couldn’t escape,” the fox sighed.

“Really? You don’t want to get married?” asked the tiger.

“Not at all, uncle. I have no desire to marry.”

Hearing this, the tiger became very eager. “Then why don’t you let me take your place? You go, and I’ll be tied up instead!”

“Alright, just untie me first, then I’ll tie you up,” said the fox.

The tiger, overjoyed, quickly untied the fox. The fox, wasting no time, tied the tiger to the post and said, “Alright, uncle. Your new brothers-in-law will have some fun with you. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Of course not! You think I’m a fool?” the tiger replied confidently.

The fox laughed and left. The tiger sat waiting, thinking, “They’ll bring the bride soon.”

In the morning, the shepherds came back — ready to have some fun with the fox.

But seeing a tiger tied up instead, chaos erupted. Some wanted to run, others said, “He’s tied up, no need to fear. Bring axes, spears, and sticks!”

One man hurled a giant brick at the tiger.

“Hah hah, hee hee!” laughed the tiger.

Another poked him with a bamboo stick.

“Hee hee! Ho ho!” chuckled the tiger.

Someone jabbed a spear into him.

“Oof, hoo hoo! Ho ho ho! I see now—you are my brothers-in-law,” the tiger cried out.

They poked him again.

That made the tiger furious. “Enough! I won’t marry like this!” he roared, broke free of the ropes, and ran into the forest.

Deep in the forest, some woodcutters had left a half-sawn log with a wedge stuck in it. The tiger found the fox sitting on that log, resting.

“So, uncle, how was the wedding?” asked the fox, grinning.

“Those brothers-in-law were too rough. I ran away,” grumbled the tiger.

“You did the right thing,” said the fox. “Now come, let’s chat for a while.”

The tiger leapt up and sat right where the log was open, with his tail hanging inside the gap.

The fox had been waiting for this. He distracted the tiger with conversation and began loosening the wedge.

Bit by bit, the wedge came loose. Finally, he gave it a sharp tug, and snap! The log clamped down on the tiger’s tail.

“Uncle, I’m off!” the fox shouted and rolled away laughing.

The tiger screamed and leapt — snap! His tail tore in half. Furious and in pain, he also began rolling on the ground.

“Fox, I’m ruined! My tail is gone!” cried the tiger.

“Uncle, my back is broken!” the fox mocked.

The two rolled into a patch of taro plants and lay there.

The tiger couldn’t move from the pain, but the clever fox was fine — as usual, he had tricked the tiger.

There were many frogs in that patch. The fox lay still and quietly gobbled them up. But the poor tiger, in too much pain, didn’t notice a single frog.

Eventually, starving and weak, the tiger asked, “Nephew, did you eat something?”

The fox replied, “Oh yes, I ate taro leaves. My stomach is all bloated now.”

So the tiger too began eating the taro. Soon, his throat and face swelled up terribly.

“How is it that your belly puffed up but my throat did?” he asked.

“Well, I’m a fox and you’re a tiger — that’s why,” said the fox.

The pain in his tail and the swelling in his throat left the tiger helpless for sixteen days. He didn’t eat a thing and grew half-dead.

One day, he saw the fox get up, shake off the dust, and walk away fresh as ever.

Amazed, he asked, “Nephew! How did you recover?”

“I found a marvelous medicine,” said the fox. “I chewed off my hands and feet, and just like that, I was cured! I even grew new ones!”

The tiger gasped, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“I knew you couldn’t chew off your own limbs,” the fox replied.

“Are you kidding me? You think I can’t? Watch me!” the tiger growled.

And with that, he bit off his own limbs. Within a few days, the wounds turned septic, and the tiger died.