Not one of us is safe while this fierce
creature is alive, and we had called a meeting to decide how to
take care of ourselves when you came among us."
The Lion thought for a moment.
"Are there any other lions in this forest?" he asked.
"No; there were some, but the monster has eaten them all. And,
besides, they were none of them nearly so large and brave as you."
"If I put an end to your enemy, will you bow down to me and
obey me as King of the Forest?" inquired the Lion.
"We will do that gladly," returned the tiger; and all the
other beasts roared with a mighty roar: "We will!"
"Where is this great spider of yours now?" asked the Lion.
"Yonder, among the oak trees," said the tiger, pointing with
his forefoot.
"Take good care of these friends of mine," said the Lion, "and
I will go at once to fight the monster."
He bade his comrades good-bye and marched proudly away to do
battle with the enemy.
The great spider was lying asleep when the Lion found him,
and it looked so ugly that its foe turned up his nose in disgust.
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