A Dove saw an Ant fall into a brook. The Ant struggled in vain to reach the bank, and in pity, the Dove dropped a blade of straw close beside it. Clinging to the straw like a shipwrecked sailor to a broken spar, the Ant floated safely to shore.

Soon after, the Ant saw a man preparing to capture the Dove. Just as he was about to act, the Ant stung him in the heel, which caused him to be thrown off balance. The startled Dove then flew to safety in a distant wood.

A kindness is never wasted.