第三章（346字）

Tricking the Wolf and Escaping Without a Tail

1. On a freezing winter night, the snow-covered land was deserted.

2. Reynard and the wolf, Ysengrim, walked together. The wolf was cold and hungry, complaining that Reynard never helped a friend.

3. Reynard feigned kindness and said, “Dear brother, I’ll take you fishing. You’ll eat to your heart’s content.”

4. They reached a frozen pond. Reynard said, 'Tonight the fish are deep underwater. We’ll need a special method.'

5. He took out a rope, tied a wooden bucket securely to the wolf’s tail, and told him to lower it all into the ice hole to fish.

6. “Don’t move. The colder it gets, the better the fish will bite,” Reynard said seriously.

7. The wolf believed him and lowered his tail and the bucket into the icy water, squatting motionless, waiting for fish.

8. But Reynard quietly slipped away and ran to alert the village hunters.

9. The hunters came with sticks, but the bucket had frozen in the ice—he couldn’t pull it out.

10. As the hunters drew closer, the terrified wolf gave a mighty yank—

11. “Ahh!” He screamed as his tail tore off. He ran bleeding into the woods.

12. The hunters found only a frozen bucket and a wolf tail in the hole. Reynard had vanished without a trace.

13. The next day, word of the tale spread through the forest. The animals didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh.

14. Ysengrim became a laughingstock and never dared trust Reynard again.

15. Reynard returned home smugly, boasting how he had made the wolf lose his tail and gain a wooden bucket.

16. A few days later, still furious, Ysengrim the wolf crept up to Reynard’s home.

17. While Reynard was away, he stormed into the house, struck Reynard’s children, and pushed down his wife Hermeline.

18. The children cried in fear, Hermeline was hurt, and the neighbors came to see what had happened.

19. The conflict caused a stir among the forest animals—everyone said these two enemies were bound to end in disaster.