The Wolf and the Boatman
Once upon a time, on the bank of a deep river where the rushing waters flowed with a roar, there lived an old ferryman. This river, in the shadow of the misty mountains, separated the dark forest ruled by beasts of prey from the peaceful villages. One day a mottled wolf, famed for his cunning, caught the scent of the fat flocks on the far bank and came down to the edge of the river. As night was falling, he studied with cunning eyes the old man who stood leaning against his wooden boat. With a false meek bearing, like that of a dog, he approached the ferryman and began to speak with a sweet tongue. "O wise ferryman, if you carry me swiftly to the other bank, I will do you a great kindness," he said.
The old ferryman understood at once the wolf's sly intention from the greedy gleam in his eyes. "I do not row for nothing; if you wish to cross, you must pay my due in advance," he answered. Since the wolf knew that he did not have a single coin in his pocket, he promised the ferryman words more precious than gold. "I will protect you from all the dangers of the forest, only carry me to those bountiful lands," he said. The ferryman, who pretended to be convinced, took the wolf into his small wooden boat. When the boat reached the deepest and most turbulent part of the river, the wolf's patience ran out and his true face appeared.
He growled, baring his sharp teeth, and shouted, "Who can stop me now from eating you?" The old man, who kept his calm, lifted his heavy oar into the air without showing the least alarm. First he struck a hard blow on the wolf's nose with the handle of the oar. The beast, bewildered by what had befallen him, lost his balance and tumbled into the cold and foaming waters. The wolf, struggling with the current, barely saved his life and managed to crawl out onto the bank from which he had come. The malicious wolf paid the price of his cunning with the fear of drowning in the icy waters of the river. He who sets out with deceit can never escape falling into the pit he dug himself. Lies have short legs.