Æsop's Fables (V. S. Vernon-Jones)/The Boy and the Snails

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
3884748Æsop's Fables: A New Translation — The Boy and the SnailsVernon S. Vernon JonesAesop

THE BOY AND THE SNAILS

A FARMER’S BOY went looking for Snails, and, when he had picked up both his hands full, he set about making a fire at which to roast them; for he meant to eat them. When it got well alight and the Snails began to feel the heat, they gradually withdrew more and more into their shells with the hissing noise they always make when they do so. When the Boy heard it, he said, “You abandoned creatures, how can you find heart to whistle when your houses are burning?”