The Serpent and the Eagle
by Aesop
An eagle swooped down upon a serpent and seized it in his talons with the intention of carrying it off and devouring it. But the serpent was too quick for him and had its coils round him in a moment. Then, there ensued a life-and-death struggle between the two. A countryman, who was a witness of the encounter, came to the assistance of the eagle and succeeded in freeing him from the serpent and enabling him to escape. In revenge, the serpent spat some of his poison into the man's drinking horn. Heated with his exertions, the man was about to slake his thirst with a draught from the horn when the eagle knocked it out of his hand and spilled its contents upon the ground.
adapted from "The Serpent and the Eagle" by Aesop
colicky
