Two friends were walking together through a forest. Suddenly a big bear came out onto the path in front of them.
The first man was quick. He climbed up a tree and hid among the leaves. He did not think about his friend.
The second man could not climb in time. So he lay down on the ground and kept very still, like a dead man. The bear came close and smelled his face and his ears. Then it walked away, because bears do not touch the dead.
When the bear was gone, the first man climbed down. "What did the bear whisper in your ear?" he asked with a smile. "The bear told me," said his friend, "never to travel with a friend who leaves you in danger."
Moral: A true friend stays with you when there is danger.
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