Two men were going through a forest.
“I am afraid,”said one, “that we may meet with wild animals”Fear nothing, friend Quickwit,” cried the other, whose name was Braggart. “If they come at us, we shall stand by one another like men. I have a strong arm, a strong heart, and”“Hark!”cried the first in fear, as a low sound was heard from somewhere nearby, Braggart, who was light and nimble, climbed up a tree like a squirrel(松鼠), leaving his friend, who was not so active, to face the danger alone! Quickwit could do nothing but throw himself on the ground and pretended(假装) to be dead; for he had heard that bears would never touch a dead body. In no time the bear camp up to him, sniffed(用鼻子吸气) at him. Quickwit did not dare to move; and the bear, thinking him dead, went off into the wood again, leaving him quite unharmed!
When Braggart saw that the danger was over, he came down from the tree and tried to pass off the matter with a joke. “Well, my friend Quickwit,” he said, “what did the bear say to you when he put his mouth close to your ear?”
“He told me,” replied Quickwit, “never again to trust a man who talks big like you!”
