Once upon a time some mice met together to find a way to save themselves from their enemy, the cat.

"I have a plan," said a young mouse, "which will save the life of every one of us. You all know that our chief danger lies in the cat's sly and quiet manner of walking. If we could hear her coming, we could easily run away.

"Let us hang a bell to the cat's neck, and when we hear it ring we shall all know that she is near."

"A fine plan! a fine plan!" cried all the mice. "But who will bell the cat?"

"Not I, not I," cried all the mice at once.