An Eagle and a Fox became great friends and determined to live near
one another: they thought that the more they saw of each other the
better friends they would be. So the Eagle built a nest at the top of
a high tree, while the Fox settled in a thicket at the foot of it and
produced a litter of cubs. One day the Fox went out foraging for food,
and the Eagle, who also wanted food for her young, flew down into the
thicket, caught up the Fox's cubs, and carried them up into the tree
for a meal for herself and her family. When the Fox came back, and
found out what had happened, she was not so much sorry for the loss of
her cubs as furious because she couldn't get at the Eagle and pay her
out for her treachery. So she sat down not far off and cursed her. But
it wasn't long before she had her revenge. Some villagers happened to
be sacrificing a goat on a neighbouring altar, and the Eagle flew down
and carried off a piece of burning flesh to her nest. There was a
strong wind blowing, and the nest caught fire, with the result that
her fledglings fell half-roasted to the ground. Then the Fox ran to
the spot and devoured them in full sight of the Eagle.
False faith may escape human punishment, but cannot escape the
divine.
The Eagle and the fox
