The boy and the ostriches

There was a boy who went out into the world alone. He went to the deserted plain. All the animals were running away from him.

He went first to the gazelles; they fled from him.
He went to the antelopes; they fled from him.
He went to the impalas; they fled from him.
He went to the zebras; they fled from him.
He went to the lions; they fled from him.
He went to the giraffes; they fled from him.
He went to the elephants; they fled from him.
And always so until he came to the ostriches; they remained near him. He lived with them and became their companion. When they lay down, they opened their wings and he fell asleep between them. They dressed him with their feathers. He ate their food, except the small stones which were too hard for him. When he grew up, his hair grew with him and he came to wear it trailing on the ground.
The boy and the ostriches - illustration 1
un day, men rode on horses to hunt ostriches. They followed the boy because he was among them. They followed them until they rose from under a tree.
The thorns of the tree grabbed the boy and held him until the men found him near death.
They anointed him with perfumes; the boy came to his senses. He told them: “Ostriches are better than all animals. »
When his people heard this, they said: “We swear never to kill ostriches because of the good we know of them. »

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