The deer feared the leopard cat, the leopard cat feared the tiger, and the tiger feared the brown bear.
The brown bear resembled a fox but was larger. It had long fur on its head, could stand upright like a man, possessed great strength, and was known to devour humans.
In the south of the State of Chu, there was a hunter skilled in ventriloquism. Using a bamboo pipe, he could imitate the cries of various wild animals.
Once, carrying his bow, arrows, and a firearm, he went hunting quietly in the mountains.
Upon the mountain, he first imitated the cries of a deer to lure a herd, intending to shoot them with his firearm. A leopard cat, hearing the deer's cries, came running to devour them. Frightened, the hunter hurriedly imitated the roar of a tiger to scare the leopard cat away. No sooner had the leopard cat fled than a tiger, hearing the roar, arrived. Now even more terrified, the hunter imitated the cries of a brown bear, which scared the tiger away as well.
Then, hearing the calls, the brown bear came looking for its companion. Upon seeing it was a man, the bear immediately struck him with its front paws and tore him apart with its teeth. In a short while, the hunter was torn to pieces and devoured.