The Lion and the Grateful Mouse

A lion was sleeping when a mouse ran across his body. The lion woke, caught him, and was about to eat him, but the mouse begged to be let go, promising to repay the favour if his life were spared. The lion laughed and released him. Now it happened, a little while later, that the lion owed his rescue to the mouse's gratitude. Hunters had caught him and tied him to a tree with a rope. The mouse, hearing him groan, ran up, gnawed through the rope, and set him free. "A while ago," he said, "you laughed at me, since you expected nothing in return; now you may know that among mice too there is gratitude."