"Ho, Friend Buffalo, I challenge you to
a fight! "he exclaimed in a small,
squeaking voice.

The Buffalo paid no attention, thinking
it only a joke.

The Mouse angrily repeated the
challenge, and still his enemy went on
quietly grazing. Then the little Mouse
laughed with contempt as he offered his
defiance. The Buffalo at last looked
at him and replied carelessly:
"You had better keep still, little one,
or I shall come over there and step on
you, and there will be nothing left!"

"You can't do it! "replied the Mouse.

"I tell you to keep still,"insisted the
Buffalo, who was getting angry. "If you
speak to me again, I shall certainly
come and put an end to you!"

"I dare you to do it! "said the Mouse,
provoking him.

Thereupon the other rushed upon him.
He trampled the grass clumsily and tore
up the earth with his front hoofs.
When he had ended, he looked for the
Mouse, but he could not see him
anywhere.

"I told you I would step on you, and
there would be nothing left!",
he muttered.

Just then he felt a scratching inside
his right ear.

He shook his head as hard as he could,
and twitched his ears back and forth.
The gnawing went deeper and deeper
until he was half wild with the pain.
He pawed with his hoofs and tore up the
sod with his horns.

Bellowing madly, he ran as fast as
he could, first straight forward and
then in circles, but at last he stopped
and stood trembling.

Then the Mouse jumped out of his ear,
and said: "Will you know now that I
am master?"

"No! "bellowed the Buffalo, and again
he started toward the Mouse, as if
to trample him under his feet.

The little fellow was nowhere to be
seen, but in a minute the Buffalo
felt him in the other ear. Once more
he became wild with pain, and ran here
and there over the prairie, at times
leaping high in the air. At last, he
fell to the ground and lay quite still.

The Mouse came out of his ear, and
stood proudly upon his dead body.
"Eho! "said he, "I have killed the
greatest of all beasts.

This will show to all that I am
master! "

Standing upon the body of the dead
Buffalo, he called loudly for a
knife with which to dress his game.

In another part of the meadow, Red
Fox, very hungry, was hunting mice
for his breakfast. He saw one and
jumped upon him with all four feet,
but the little Mouse got away, and
he was terribly disappointed.

All at once he thought he heard a
distant call: "Bring a knife! Bring
a knife !"

When the second call came, Red Fox
started in the direction of the
sound. At the first knoll he stopped
and listened, but hearing nothing
more, he was about to go back. Just
then he heard the call plainly, but
in a very thin voice, "Bring a knife!"
Red Fox immediately set out again
and ran as fast as he could.

By and by he came upon the huge body
of the Buffalo lying upon the ground.
The little Mouse still stood upon
the body.

"I want you to dress this Buffalo for
me and I will give you some of the
meat," commanded the Mouse.

"Thank you, my friend, I shall be
glad to do this for you,"he replied,
politely. The Fox dressed the Buffalo,
while the Mouse sat upon a mound nearby,
looking on and giving his orders.

"You must cut the meat into small
pieces," he said to the Fox.

When the Fox had finished his work, the
Mouse paid him with a small piece of
liver. He swallowed it quickly and
smacked his lips.

"Please, may I have another piece?"
he asked quite humbly.

"Why, I gave you a very large piece!
How greedy you are!"exclaimed the
Mouse. "You may have some of the blood
clots,"he sneered. So the poor Fox took
the blood clots and even licked off
the grass. He was really very hungry.

"Please may I take home a piece of the
meat?"he begged. "I have six little
folks at home, and there is nothing
for them to eat."

"You can take the four feet of the
Buffalo. That ought to be enough for
all of you!"

"Hi, hi! Thank you, thank you!" said
the Fox. "But, Mouse, I have a wife
also, and we have had bad luck in
hunting. We are almost starved. Can't
you spare me a little more?"

"Why,"declared the Mouse, "I have
already overpaid you for the little
work you have done. However, you can
take the head, too!"

Thereupon the Fox jumped upon the
Mouse, who gave one faint squeak
and disappeared.