Four Friends Indeed

Far away in the mountains of Tibet there once was a narrow road that passed along the side of a deep chasm. It was a dangerous place to travel, and along this path one night, a man named Schu, a crow, a mouse and a snake were walking along together. Suddenly, the part of the road on which they were walking gave way and they fell into the depths below. They were not hurt, but much shaken, and they sat there waiting and thinking of their plight, wondering how they could get out, or what they could do to keep from starving.

A traveler by the name of Han happened to pass by the broken road and looked down and saw them. At once they called out to him and begged him to help them out, so he threw a long rope down to them and drew them all out one after the other. They all professed great gratitude and said they would never forget him and never forget the help he had given them. Perhaps some day, they all said, they would be able to help him. Han didn’t believe in the promise of the mouse, the crow and the snake--he certainly didn't believe they could do anything for him, anyway--but he did think that Shu might be of help some day.