ANIMAL TALES

• The Big Leap
• Whining & Dining
• Tiger's Cub
• Safety In Numbers
• Tug of War
• The Fairest of Them All
• Donkey Who Didn't Help
• Wrinkled Winner
• The Fire Specialists
• Uneasy Neighbours
• Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby
• The Boastful Crow
• How You Say It Matters
• Outwitting a Crocodile
• The Diplomatic Reply
• The Scheming Rat
• Half-Educated

The Boastful Crow

A flock of geese flew down to a beach where a solitary crow was hopping around. The crow watched them with disdain.
"How gracelessly you fly!" he said to the swans. "All you know is how to flap your wings. Can you glide? Can you somersault in the air? No, that's beyond you. Let's have a flying competition. I'll show you what flying really is!"
One of the swans, a young, sturdy male, took up the challenge, whereupon the crow flew up and began to display his flying prowess. He flew in circles, swooped down like an arrow, and performed a variety of acrobatics in the air. Then he flew down, cawing triumphantly.
Now it was the swan's turn. He launched himself into the air and began flying over the sea. The crow flew after him, making all sorts of derisive comments about his manner of flying. On and on they flew till finally the land was lost to sight. Water stretched endlessly on all sides. The crow's comments became less and less frequent and finally, stopped altogether. He had begun to tire. Eventually he became so tired that he found it hard to stay in the air. He had to struggle to keep from falling into the water.
The swan, pretending to be unaware of his plight, said, "Why do you keep touching the water, brother? Is that another flying manoeuvre?"
"No," squawked the crow, the fight completely gone out of him. "I'm in trouble... a curse on my boasting! If you do not come to my aid, I'll drown..."
The swan had pity on him and taking him on his shoulders flew back to the shore.