The Lion and the Mouse

Once when a lion, the king of the jungle, was asleep, a little mouse began running up and down on him. This soon awakened the lion, who placed his huge paw on the mouse, and opened his big jaws to swallow him.

"Pardon, O King!" cried the little mouse. "Forgive me this time. I shall never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness. And who knows, I may be able to do you a good turn one of these days!”

The lion was so tickled by the idea of the mouse being able to help him that he lifted his paw and let him go.

Sometime later, a few hunters captured the lion, and tied him to a tree. After that they went in search of a wagon, to take him to the zoo.

Just then the little mouse happened to pass by. On seeing the lion’s plight, he ran up to him and gnawed away the ropes that bound him, the king of the jungle.

"Was I not right?" said the little mouse, very happy to help the lion.

MORAL: Small acts of kindness will be rewarded greatly.

译文：

狮子和老鼠

有一次，当一头狮子，丛林之王，睡着了，一只小老鼠开始在他身上跑来跑去。这很快唤醒了狮子，狮子把他巨大的爪子放在老鼠身上，张开大嘴巴要把他吞下去。

“对不起，国王！”小老鼠喊道。“这次请原谅我。我永远不会重复，我永远不会忘记你的恩情。谁知道呢，说不定有一天我能帮你一个好转呢！

狮子被老鼠能够帮助他的想法逗乐了，他抬起爪子放开了他。

过了一会儿，几个猎人抓住了狮子，把他绑在树上。之后，他们去找一辆马车，带他去动物园。

就在这时，小老鼠碰巧路过。看到狮子的困境，他跑到他身边，啃掉了束缚他这个丛林之王的绳索。

“我说得不对吗？”小老鼠说，非常乐意帮助狮子。

寓意：小小的善举会得到巨大的回报。