Once a fox was wandering in a forest. He saw a beautiful peacock sitting on the branch of a tree at a considerable height: ‘How can I have this peacock for my meal, thought the fox to himself. He knew, he could not climb up the tree to kill the peacock.

Applying his stratagem, the fox said to the peacock, “How is it that you are sitting in the tree? Don’t you know that it has been decided in a meeting of animals today that from now an animals and birds will not kill each other for food. Bigger fish will not eat smaller fish.”

“That means the king lion, tigers and leopards shall start eating grass from today,” said the peacock, outwitting the fox.

But, the fox wasn’t ready to give up so easily. “This point needs clarification, said the fox cunningly. “Come down, we will go together to our king and request him to clarify this point.

“We needn’t go there,” said the peacock. “I can see some of your friends coming towards this tree.”

“Who are they?” the fox asked in surprise.

“Hounds,” the peacock replied.

“Hounds!” the fox repeated the words in fear and sprang up on his feet to run away.

“Why do you run away? You have just told that all the animals and birds have became friends to each other, the peacock said laughing.

“But, perhaps the hounds might not have heard of this meeting,” the fox replied and ran away into the deep forest.

❖ Presence of mind outwits cunningness.