The Fox, the Bear, and the Poor Man

There once was a poor man.  One morning he hitched up his oxen to plow his fields.  As he was passing by the woods, he suddenly heard a lot of howling and squealing.  He entered the woods to see what was happening.  He was shocked to see a big bear fighting a small rabbit.

“I have never seen anything like this in my life,” observed the poor man, and he burst out laughing.

“Damn you, you lunatic!  How dare you laugh at me?” cried the bear.  “I’ll get even with you for this!  I am going to eat you along with your oxen.”

Of course, the poor man laughed no more.  He pleaded with the bear not to eat him.  But if he must go through with it, the bear should at least wait until the evening so he could finish plowing his fields and thus leave his family something to eat.

“All right!” said the bear.  “I won’t eat you until nightfall, but then be ready!”

With that the bear left, and the poor man kept on plowing.  He was very sad.  He thought and thought, trying to find a way to appease the bear.  At noon, a fox came by.  He asked the poor man why he was in such a sad mood.  Maybe he could help him out.

The poor man then told him about his encounter with the bear.

“Is that all?” asked the fox.  “I am certain I can help you and certainly make sure that nothing will happen to you.  But what will you pay me for it?”

The poor man didn’t know what to say, for he had no money and the fox wanted too much.  Finally, they agreed that he would pay nine hens and one rooster.  But the poor man agreed reluctantly, for he had no idea how he would keep his part of the bargain.

“Well, now listen,” said the fox.  “By the time the bear gets here in the evening I’ll be hidden in the bushes.  There I’ll blow a hunting horn, as do the hunters.  Then the bear will ask you the meaning of the sound.  You’ll simply tell him that the hunters are coming.  The bear will then get scared and ask you to hide him.  You will hide him in a potato sack and tell him not to move.