A very big and very strong lion lived on a mountain. Every night he went down to the river to drink some water. One evening the lion fell into a thorny bush. " Ouch! " he said. " I had a thorn in my foot." At this moment, a poor slave called Androcles appeared. " Kind man, could you help me?" said the lion and held up his paw to Androcles . " Yes, of course," said Androcles. " But quickly. My master was looking for me! " Androcles knelt down and pulled the thorn out.
Soon after, Androcles's master caught him and sent him to fight with a lion in front of the Emperor. Androcles was very scared. The lion came out of the cage and ran to Androcles. The lion stopped in front of Androcles and rolled over on his back with all four feet in the air. How could that be? On yes. It was the lion from the mountain! It couldn’t hurt Androcles. The Emperor was so surprised. He set them both free. Androcles and the lion went back to the mountain and lived happily ever after.