DOG’S TALE

A WEALTHY old lady decides to go on a photo safari in Africa, and takes her faithful pet poodle along for company. One day, the poodle starts chasing butterflies and before long becomes lost. So, wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the obvious intention of having lunch. The poodle thinks: “Uh-oh, I’m in deep trouble now!” Then he notices some bones on the ground close by, and immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat.

Just as the leopard is about to leap, the poodle says loudly: “Boy, that was one delicious leopard. I wonder if there are any more ’round here.”

Hearing this, the leopard halts his attack in midstride and slinks away into the trees. “Phew,” the leopard thinks. “That was close; that poodle nearly had me.”

Meanwhile, a monkey who has been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So he runs off to find the leopard. But the poodle sees him do this and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard. The leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says: “Here monkey, hop on my back and see what’s going to happen to that conniving canine.”

Now the poodle sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back, and thinks: “What am I going to do now?” But instead of running away, he sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn’t seen them yet. Just when they get close enough to hear, the poodle says: “Where’s that damn monkey? I sent him off half an hour ago to bring me another leopard!” Wiley K Nyne, email