In his wanderings he came upon a high mountain, which had a long smooth place down its steep side, made by a snowslide which had swept everything before it, leaving a glistening path in its wake.
The fox began to play sliding-down-the-mountain, and was enjoying it hugely. In one place he had to pass close to some big, sharp rocks, and he dug into the snow a little with his claws to get safely by. After that he climbed up to the top again, and there he saw a mountain sheep coming toward him.
“Hello, Sheep. Don’t you want to play with me?” asked the fox; but the sheep said that he did not want to slide there.
“Why not?” inquired the fox in a surprised sort of voice.
“Because I know that if I slide down there, I shall be killed by those sharp rocks,” said the sheep.
But the fox answered, “Why, I thought a mountain sheep would not be afraid of a nice little slide like that. I will tell you how to do it. When you slide down, shut your eyes tight, as soon as you come near the rocks, and you will get past all right.”
The sheep said, “Let me see you do it first.”
So the fox lay down on the snow and slid. As he came near the rocks he dug his claws a little into the snow to steer himself safely past. When the sheep saw the fox come back without a scratch on his fine red coat, he said, “Well, I will try it, for surely a mountain sheep is as brave as a red fox!”
Shutting his eyes tight, he said, “One, two, three!” And away he went, down like the wind straight into the sharp rocks, and was killed.
That wicked fox was glad. He laughed again, for now he had a whole mountain sheep to eat, and that is the sweetest and tenderest meat in the world, and would last him a long time.
Before he had finished eating the sheep, a bear came along.
“I didn’t kill that sheep. I found it dead,” said the fox, for he did not want the bear to know how treacherous he was.
“Well, we will share what is left,” said the bear; and of course the fox did not dare to refuse him. He was a pretty big bear, and looked rather fierce and very hungry.
No bear has any business to be wandering about the forest in winter. He should have been snugly sleeping in his den until summer time like any self-respecting bear does, except a polar bear, who stays out all night.