The Two Friends and the Bear

Two friends swear to stand by each other, and the promise is broken at the first danger.

The story begins: Two friends were walking through a forest. They had promised to help each other in danger. Suddenly a bear came out of the bushes towards them.

The Story

Two friends set out on a journey through a thick forest. As they walked they spoke of their friendship, and each promised solemnly that he would stand by the other in any danger.

They had not gone far when they heard a crashing in the bushes, and a great bear came out on to the path in front of them.

One of the friends was quick and active. Without a word to his companion he ran to the nearest tree, climbed it and hid himself among the branches, thinking only of his own safety.

The other could not climb. He stood alone on the path with the bear coming towards him, and for a moment he was too frightened to think at all.

Then he remembered having heard that a bear will not touch a dead body. He threw himself flat on the ground, held his breath and lay perfectly still, as though he were dead.

The bear came up and sniffed at his face and his ears, turned him a little with its paw, and stood over him for a long moment. The man did not move a muscle. At last the bear, believing him dead, walked away into the forest.

When the bear was out of sight, the friend in the tree climbed down, laughing. "What a strange thing," he said. "It seemed to me that the bear put its mouth to your ear. What did it whisper to you?"

His companion rose from the ground and looked at him steadily. "The bear gave me a piece of advice," he said. "It told me never again to travel with a friend who deserts me in the hour of danger."

With that he turned and went on his way alone, and the two never travelled together again.

Moral: A friend in need is a friend indeed; adversity tests friendship.