The Partridge and the Fowler

The net came down, and the partridge was caught.

The fowler reached in and drew the bird out in one rough hand. "You will make a fine supper," he said, and he got ready to kill it.

"Wait!" cried the partridge. "Please, master, let me live, and I will pay you back for your kindness."

The fowler stopped. "Pay me?" he said. "With what?" "With partridges," said the bird, and its voice dropped low. "I know where they feed and I know where they nest. Spare me, and I will call them to you, one after another, all my friends and all my family. They trust me, so they will come."

The fowler's hand closed tighter. "I might have felt bad about this," he said, "but now I will not. You would save your own life by betraying your friends and your family."