Tag Archives: The Stag in the Manger

296.The Stag in the Manger

A STAG was chased by the hounds. Blinded by fear he took shelter in a farmyard and hid himself in a shed among the oxen. An ox gave him this gentle warning:

“Unlucky you! Why bring about destruction on yourself like you do? Why like to be in the house of an enemy?”

The stag replied: “Oh, just allow me to stay where I am, and I’ll see what I can do to escape soon enough.”

And so it happened.

When evening came, the herdsman came to feed his cattle. But as luck would have it, he didn’t see the stag. Even the farm-bailiff with several labourers passed through the shed and never noticed him. The stag was happy to be safe in this way, and started to thank the oxen who had helped him in the hour of need.