A silly goat once boasted that he wasn’t afraid of the lion that roamed the plains. Of course, no one actually took the goat seriously. But still, the goat insisted that he had courage like no one else did and that he knew exactly how to prove it.
“You are all cowards,” the goat bleated as it strutted along the edge of the watering hole. “Not me-e-e-eh!”
“Oh shut up, you silly goat,” the buffalo grunted as it grazed nearby.
“Yes, shut up!” the cranes squawked in chorus.
“R-i-i-i-i-diculous!” the frogs croaked in unison.
“I’m not afraid of that mm-e-eh-eat eater! ” the goat protested.
“You’re nothing but a goat,” the buffalo replied. “All you fight is grass, and sometimes you even lose!” At that, all the animals around the watering hole laughed, recalling the time the goat had tried to pull up a particularly stubborn weed and lost its footing, ending up in the mud around the water’s edge.
Stung, the goat bleated loudly. “All of you are stupid!” it said. “I’ll pr-o-o-o-ve you all wrong! Tonight, I will sta-a-a-lk the lion and have it’s be-e-e-eard for my dinner!”
As the goat ran away, he could hear the din of the hoots of derision and cruel laughter behind him.
***
But laugh as they might, the other animals could not get the goat’s boast out of their heads. That night, they kept a close watch on the mouth of the lion’s den, each and everyone eager to see for themselves how the goat would take fright and not go through with his plans. All cherished the idea that, by sunrise, they would all be laughing at the silly goat once again.
But as the moon rose, the assembled animals gave a collective gasp as the goat, the silly goat, strode bravely up to the mouth of the lion’s den. Without hesitation, the goat walked into the darkness within.
The animals covered their ears, fully expecting to soon hear the goat shrieking as it got acquainted with the lion’s teeth. When the scream came, however, it was not what they were expecting at all.
“RRRROOOOAAAARRRRR!”
The plains shook at the unbelievably loud sound of a lion in pain. Then, before the echoes of that terrible bellow died away, it was joined by the jubilant bleating of the goat. Like a shot fired from a cannon, the goat came hurtling out of the cave with a mouthful of tawny fur!
***
The next day, around the watering hole, the goat was everyone’s hero. No one had ever bearded the lion before! The cranes spread their wings in celebration of the goat’s bravery, the frogs croaked in celebratory song. Only the buffalo stood apart and huffed disgustedly
Suddenly, the lion came bounding into the midst of the merry-making animals and gave a low chortling growl. “So you’r-r-r-r-r-e the brave one, eh?”
At the sound of the lion’s voice, the animals shrieked in unison and fled in all different directions, raising up such a cloud of dust that the lion sneezed. When the dust settled, the lion looked around and saw only the buffalo, still quietly grazing. “Where did everyone go?” the lion asked.
“Where we animals go when we’re about to be eaten,” the buffalo grunted. “Away from you.”
“But I wasn’t going to eat anyone,” the lion complained, starting to lose his patience. “I just wanted to beard the goat in his den.”
“Tell that to the great hero,” the buffalo said, sauntering away, beads of sweat forming on her brow as she struggled to hide her fear.
Puzzled, the lion looked around and for the first time noticed the goat lying by his feet, terrified into unconsciousness. When he looked up again, the realized he was all alone by the edge of the watering hole, a rapidly receding cloud of dust the only evidence that the buffalo had ever been there.
With a shrug, the lion then decided to have breakfast.
When a goat tugs at a lion’s beard out of spite, the goat is considered brave and possibly heroic. But when the lion pulls on the goat’s beard, no one can be faulted for thinking that the lion just wants to eat the goat.