Elementary Library

The Cheetah and the Lazy Hunter

A long time ago, in a warm, grassy savanna, there lived a cheetah. The cheetah was known for being the fastest animal in all of Africa. With his long legs and quick feet, he could outrun any creature in the land. Every day, he ran through the tall grass, feeling proud of his speed. In the same savanna, there was also a hunter. The hunter was known for being strong, but he was very lazy. He didn’t like to work hard, so he would sit in his hut all day, waiting for animals to come to him. He thought, “One day, I will catch the fastest animal, and I will be famous!” One day, the lazy hunter had an idea. “I will catch the cheetah!” he said to himself. “I know he is fast, but I am clever. I will trick him.” The hunter went to the savanna and set up a trap. He carefully placed a large net on the ground and covered it with leaves. Then, he hid behind a tree, waiting for the cheetah to pass by. “I will catch him when he runs by,” the hunter thought. The cheetah was running through the savanna, as he always did. He was having so much fun, racing through the tall grass. As he ran, he noticed something strange on the ground. He saw the net, but he didn’t know it was a trap. The cheetah stopped for a moment and looked at the net carefully. He saw the leaves covering it, and he could feel something wasn’t right. Instead of running straight ahead, he decided to take a different path. The cheetah quickly turned and ran around the net, safely avoiding the trap. The lazy hunter watched in surprise. “How did he do that?” the hunter wondered. He had planned everything perfectly, but the cheetah had outsmarted him. The hunter tried again the next day. He set up another trap, thinking he could trick the cheetah once more. But once again, the cheetah noticed the trap and ran around it. The hunter could not catch him. After many failed attempts, the hunter was tired. He realized that he was not as clever as the cheetah, and he couldn’t trick him. “I may be strong, but I am not as quick and clever as the cheetah,” the hunter said.