The Fox and the Geese
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A cunning fox arrives at a meadow, smiling greedily at a flock of fat geese, announcing his plan to eat them one by one.
The fox once came to a meadow in which was a flock of fine fat geese, on which he smiled and said, "I come in the nick of time, you are sitting together quite beautifully, so that I can eat you up one after the other."
The geese panic, wailing and begging for mercy. The ruthless fox refuses to listen, insisting they must die.
The geese cackled with terror, sprang up, and began to wail and beg piteously for their lives. But the fox would listen to nothing, and said, "There is no mercy to be had! You must die."
A brave goose negotiates with the fox, asking for a final prayer to avoid dying in sin, promising to line up for the fox afterwards.
At length one of them took heart and said, "If we poor geese are to yield up our vigorous young lives, show us the only possible favour and allow us one more prayer, that we may not die in our sins, and then we will place ourselves in a row, so that you can always pick yourself out the fattest."
The fox agrees to the 'pious' request and waits. The first goose begins a very long prayer, endlessly honking 'Ga! Ga!'.
"Yes," said the fox, "that is reasonable, and a pious request. Pray away, I will wait till you are done." Then the first began a good long prayer, for ever saying, "Ga! Ga!"
As the first goose won't stop, the others join in, creating an endless chorus of honking. The story ends with a meta-comment that they are still praying.
and as she would make no end, the second did not wait until her turn came, but began also, "Ga! Ga!" The third and fourth followed her, and soon they were all cackling together.
When they have done praying, the story shall be continued further, but at present they are still praying without stopping."
