Two travellers, journeying through a forest, promised to help each other in any danger. They had not gone far when a bear rushed at them from the bushes. One man, a skilled climber, quickly scaled a nearby tree. The other, seeing he stood no chance alone, fell flat on his back and pretended to be dead.
The bear approached, sniffed at him, and thinking him dead, went back into the woods without harming him.
When the bear had gone, the first traveller climbed down from the tree and asked his companion, with a smile, "What did the bear say to you? I saw him put his mouth close to your ear."
"He told me," replied the other, "that you are a great coward. He advised me never to trust those who make fine promises but fail to stand by their friends in danger."