In the big African savannah lived a lion called Leo, whose skin used to shine in the sun like gold. He had so much beautiful hair on his head, and his tail was adorned at the end with a fluffy bunch. Leo was a real lion, true in his heart as well as in his body. He knew nothing about the tricks of the jackals, the cunning of the monkeys, or the roguery of the tortoises; nor did he want to know. But he could not confine himself to his pride, as the lions are called, when they happen to be together. His heart was too big, and all the little animals from all over the savannah loved him too.
One moonlight night he was walking quietly near the river, feeling sad in his heart because the other animals were afraid of him and ran away as soon as they heard him approach. When all of a sudden he heard a cry:
“Hurry! hurry! please, dear Leo! a crocodile is chasing us!”
The hare, the antelope, and the fawn begged him to fly with them to the riverbank, saying that he alone could save them. He rushed away with them, and sure enough a huge crocodile was pursuing them, making terrible springs into the air in order to catch them. Before long they all came up with the crocodile.
“Here I am!” said Leo. “What do you want with me?”
The crocodile immediately drew back and answered, “The whole world knows that you are King of the Beasts and will not allow any evil to come to the weak in your presence. I am only chasing these little ones for my dinner.”
“Let them go in peace, and have your dinner elsewhere,” said Leo, moving rather closer.
Then the crocodile begged Leo to draw back, so that he might catch at least one of these little animals, who were all doing their best to escape.
“I promise that they shall not escape if you will only go at once,” said the crocodile.
But Leo refused. Then the crocodile, feeling indignant, made a sudden and desperate snap at the lion’s leg. Leo jumped back at once, raised his paw, struck the crocodile on the head, and struck him once more, and after that he struck him again, until the crocodile’s teeth flew like apples in all directions.
From that moment the whole savannah praised the lion’s kindness and courage, and all the little animals begged him to be their protector against all injurious animals.