Story of the Four Bulls

Aesop tells us that there were four bulls which were great friends. They went everywhere together, fed together, and lay down to rest together, always keeping so close to each other that if any danger were near they could all face it at once.

Now there was a lion which had determined to have them but he could never get at them singly. He was a match for any one alone, but not for all four at once. However, he used to watch for his opportunity, and, when one lagged the least bit behind the other as they grazed, he would slink up and whisper that the other bulls had been saying unkind things about him. This he did so often that at last the four friends became uneasy. Each thought the other three were plotting against him. Finally, as there was no trust among them, they went off by themselves, their friendship broken.

This was what the lion wanted. One by one he killed them, and made four good meals.

– Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, p. 1172.