STORIES OF ANIMALS. 1

Scottish Fairy and Folk Tales, by George Douglas, [1901], at sacred-texts.com

p. 90

THE FOX OUTWITTED.

ONE day the fox succeeded in catching a fine fat goose asleep by the side of a loch; he held her by the wing, and making a joke of her cackling, hissing, and fears, he said--

"Now, if you had me in your mouth as I have you, tell me what you would do?"

"Why," said the goose, "that is an easy question. I would fold my hands, shut my eyes, say a grace, and then eat you."

"Just what I mean to do," said Rory; ² and folding his hands, and looking very demure, he said a pious grace with his eyes shut.

But while he did this the goose had spread her wings, and she was now half way over the loch; so the fox was left to lick his lips for supper.

"I will make a rule of this," he said in disgust, never in all my life to say a grace again till after I feel the meat warm in my belly."

Footnotes

90:1 J. F. Campbell, Popular Tales of the West Highlands.

90:2 Rory is a corruption of a Gaelic proper name, which means, one whose hair is the color of the fox "Ruadh."