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ONE fine morning Saint Gerasimus was walking briskly along the bank of the River Jordan. Byhis side plodded a little donkey bearing on his back an earthen jar; for they had been down to theriver together to get water, and were taking it back to the monastery on the hill for the monks todrink at their noonday meal.Gerasimus was singing merrily, touching the stupid little donkey now and then with a twig ofolive leaves to keep him from going to sleep. This was in the far East, in the Holy Land, so the skywas very blue and the ground smelled hot. Birds were singing around them in the trees andoverhead, all kinds of strange and beautiful birds. But suddenly Gerasimus heard a sound unlike anybird he had ever known; a sound which was not a bird's song at all, unless some newly invented kindhad a bass voice which ended in a howl. The little donkey stopped suddenly, and bracing his forelegs and cocking forward his long, flappy ears, looked afraid and foolish. Gerasimus stopped too.But he was so wise a man that he could not look foolish. And he was too good a man to be afraid ofanything. Still, he was a little surprised."Dear me," he said aloud, "how very strange that sounded. What do you suppose it was?" Nowthere was no one else anywhere near, so he must have been talking to himself. For he could neverhave expected that donkey to know anything about it. But the donkey thought he was being spokento, so he wagged his head, and said, "He-haw " which was a very silly answer indeed, and did nothelp Gerasimus at all.He seized the donkey by the halter and waited to see what would happen. He peered up anddown and around and about, but there was nothing to be seen except the shining river, the yellowsand, a clump of bushes beside the road, and the spire of the monastery peeping over the top of thehill beyond. He was about to start the donkey once more on his climb towards home, when thatsound came again; and this time he noticed that it was a sad sound, a sort of whining growl endingin a sob. It sounded nearer than before, and seemed to come from the clump of bushes. Gerasimusand the donkey turned their heads quickly in that direction, and the donkey trembled all over, he wasso frightened. But his master only said, "It must be a Lion