<SPAN name="THE_STAG_IN_THE_OX-STALL"></SPAN>
<h2>THE STAG IN THE OX-STALL</h2>
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<p>A Stag, chased from his lair by the hounds, took refuge in a
farmyard, and, entering a stable where a number of oxen were
stalled, thrust himself under a pile of hay in a vacant stall,
where he lay concealed, all but the tips of his horns. Presently
one of the Oxen said to him, "What has induced you to come in here?
Aren't you aware of the risk you are running of being captured by
the herdsmen?" To which he replied, "Pray let me stay for the
present. When night comes I shall easily escape under cover of the
dark." In the course of the afternoon more than one of the
farm-hands came in, to attend to the wants of the cattle, but not
one of them noticed the presence of the Stag, who accordingly began
to congratulate himself on his escape and to express his gratitude
to the Oxen. "We wish you well," said the one who had spoken
before, "but you are not out of danger yet. If the master comes,
you will certainly be found out, for nothing ever escapes his keen
eyes." Presently, sure enough, in he came, and made a great to-do
about the way the Oxen were kept. "The beasts are starving," he
cried; "here, give them more hay, and put plenty of litter under
them." As he spoke, he seized an armful himself from the pile where
the Stag lay concealed, and at once detected him. Calling his men,
he had him seized at once and killed for the table.</p>
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