"What shall we do?" said they.

"We have promised firm friendship to one another and lived very happily
together so long," said the tortoise, "that it would be shameful to
break the bond and not act up to all we said. We cannot leave our
innocent and good-natured companion in this dire distress and great
danger. No! we must find some way to deliver our poor friend goat out of
captivity."

Said the raven to the rat, who was nicknamed Zirac: "Remember, O
excellent Zirac, there is none but thyself able to set our friend at
liberty; and the business must be quickly done for fear the huntsman
should lay his hands upon her."

"Doubt not," replied Zirac, "but that I will do my best, so let us go at
once that no time may be lost."

On this the raven took up Zirac in his bill and flew with him to the
place where the poor goat was confined in the net. No sooner had he
arrived than he at once commenced to gnaw the meshes of the net that
held the goat's foot and had almost set him at liberty when the tortoise
arrived.

As soon as the goat saw the tortoise she cried out with a loud voice:
"Oh, why have you ventured to come hither, friend tortoise?"

"Because I could no longer bear your absence," replied the tortoise.

"Dear friend," said the goat, "your coming to this place troubles me as
much as the loss of my own liberty; for if the hunter should happen to
come, what would you do to make your escape? For my part I am almost
free, and my being able to run will prevent me from falling into his
hands again; our friend the raven can find safety in flight, and Zirac
can run into any hole. Only you, who are so slow of foot, will become
the hunter's prey." No sooner had the goat thus spoken, when sure enough
the hunter appeared; but the goat, being free, swiftly ran away; the
raven mounted into the air, and Zirac slipped into a hole, and true
enough, as the goat had said, only the slow-paced tortoise remained
without help.

When the hunter arrived he was a little surprised to see his net broken
and the goat missing. This was no small vexation to him, and caused him
to look closely around, to see if he could discover who had done the
mischief; and unfortunately, in thus searching, he spied the tortoise.

"Oh! oh!" said he. "Very good; I am glad to see you here. I find I shall
not go home empty-handed after all; here is a plump tortoise, and that
is worth something, I'm sure." Thus saying, he took up the tortoise, put
it in a