The Dog and the Shadow

A dog , with a piece of meat in his mouth, was crossing a brook.

As he looked down into the clear, smooth water, he saw his shadow there, and thought that it was another dog with a bigger piece of meat. So he dropped what he had, and jumped into the water to get the other piece.

But he did not find another dog there, and the meat which he had dropped sank to the bottom, where he could not get it again.

Thus, by being so greedy, he lost all that he had, and was obliged to go without his dinner.