A Woodman came into a forest to ask the Trees to give him a handle for his ax. It seemed so modest a request that the principal tree at once agreed to it. It was settled among them that the plain, homely Ash should furnish what was wanted.
No sooner had the Woodman fitted the staff to his purpose than he began laying about him on all sides. Realizing the whole matter too late, the forest whispered to the Cedar: "The first concession has lost all. If we had not sacrificed our humble neighbor, we might have stood for ages ourselves."