THE
SLAVE AND THE LION
“Do
good, have good” is a famous proverb. Let us relate a story to illustrate this
moral.
Long, long ago, a very cruel and stone-hearted king ruled Africa. He was notorious
for his ruthless behaviour toward his subjects. Slavery was rampant during his
reign. To punish the slaves in the harshest possible manner was his sport. Sometimes,
this punishment used to be as gruesome as death.
One
of the slaves, fearing the king's wrath and anticipating the imminent
punishment ran away from the country and hid in a forest. It was a
challenge to the dictatorial authority of the king. He ordered his men to
search out the runaway slave and bring the convict to his court in chains. The
slave, on the other hand, pushed his way through a thick forest. Suddenly, he
heard the moaning of a lion. He took pity on it and decided to help it. There
was a thorn in its paw which was causing severe pain to it. The slave pulled
out the thorn and the lion felt a lot of relief. There was air and an impression of gratitude on the face of the lion. After some time, the slave took
his way. The hound-natured agents of the king continued their search and the
slave was caught and brought to us the court of the king.
Punishment
for the violation of the law of the land was announced. The slave was to be
thrown before a hungry lion so that others might learn a lesson. The slave was
taken to a walled arena and a hungry lion was let loose on him. With a roar,
the lion rushed towards him. When it came near the slave, it recognised him and
started licking his feet. There were tears of joy in the eyes of the slave.
Virtue had been rewarded. The life of the slave was saved to the surprise of
everybody present there.
MORAL:
“Do good, have good”.
“One good turn deserves another”.
“Virtue is its own reward”.
“Kindness never goes unrewarded”.