The Shrewd Old Gander

A flock of wild geese lived in the branches of a great fig tree, at whose base a slender creeping vine had begun to grow. An old gander in the flock warned the others that the vine, left unchecked, could one day serve as a ladder for a hunter to climb up and trap them all -- and urged them to cut it down while it was still thin and easy to remove.

The younger geese dismissed his caution as needless worry over nothing and ignored the vine entirely, letting it grow thick and sturdy over time, exactly as the old gander had feared.

Eventually a hunter did discover the vine, climbed the tree using it as a ladder, and laid a snare among the nests before leaving. When the flock returned that evening from foraging, every single one of them was caught in the trap, just as predicted.

Rather than despairing, the geese turned to the same old gander they had previously ignored and asked for his help. He devised an unconventional plan: when the hunter arrived at dawn, every goose should play completely dead, offering no resistance or sign of life.

The hunter, seeing the geese appear lifeless, confidently freed them from the snare one by one and tossed each to the ground, planning to collect them once he descended the tree. But the instant he began climbing down, the entire flock, following the gander's signal, sprang up together and flew to safety before he could catch a single one.

The tale is remembered for its double lesson: heed the warnings of those with more experience before disaster strikes, but when disaster does strike despite ignored warnings, that same wisdom can still provide an unconventional way out.