There were two friends. One day they were passing through a forest. By chance a bear came up there. The friends got frightened. One of them climbed up a tree. He did not think for a moment what would happen to his friend. The second friend did not know how to climb up a tree. He had presence of mind. He lay on the ground as if he were dead. He knew that a bear does not touch a dead man. T he bear came to him and sniffed at his mouth, nose and ears. It took him for a dead man and went away. Then the other friend got down from the tree. He came to his friend and said, “What did the bear say to you? It had put its mouth beside your ears.” His friend said, “The bear whispered into my ears not to keep company with a friend who runs away at the time of danger.”
