On the edge of the jungle, where lions roam in the open grassland, a male chimpanzee wandered into the high grass. Soon he was chased by a roaring lion. The chimp was lucky to find a nearby tree. He climbed quickly out of the hungry lion’s reach.

“I am going to sit here all night until you fall asleep and fall from the tree,” said
the lion.

Upon catching his breath, the chimp replied, “Why don’t you pick on someone
your own size?”

The lion laughed and replied, “You, chimp, are just the right size for my next meal.”

The chimp had to think quickly. He couldn’t fight the lion, but he knew that chimpanzees are a lot smarter than lions. So he tricked the lion into a battle of words.

“You’re just a big bully with no brains,” said the chimp.

This caused the lion to roar in anger. “I am the king of the jungle!” he shouted.

“That’s not true,” replied the chimp. “First of all, you’re not a king. And second, lions are afraid to go into the jungle. They just creep around in the grassland, attacking animals that can’t defend themselves. My cousin, Gooba, says lions are bullies and cowards.”

Hearing this, the lion tried to lunge up the trunk of the tree, but he could not reach the chimp. He then roared and shouted, “Go and get your cousin, Gooba. Bring him here and I will show you what a bully and a coward look like.”

The chimp replied, “I’ll be happy to do that, if you will get away from this tree and meet my cousin and me at the edge of the jungle.”

“I’ll be waiting,” laughed the lion as he turned and trotted away.

The chimp hurried down the tree and scampered through the jungle to the home of his cousin, Gooba. Gooba was a six-foot, six-hundred-pound gorilla. The chimp told Gooba how the lion had almost eaten him for dinner.

“Please come with me,” said the chimp, “and kill the lion for me.”

Gooba replied, “No, cousin, I couldn’t do anything like that. Gorillas do not kill animals. We eat things like fruits and vegetables.” He then whispered, “But I will beat this lion at his own game for you.”

“What do you mean by that?” asked the chimp.

Gooba explained, “Lions think that they are kings because they can roar louder than other animals. However, they act like cowards if they hear another animal roaring louder. And gorillas have a louder roar than any other animal on earth. But most lions don’t know this because they never come into the deep jungle, where gorillas live.” He then asked, “Did you tell the lion that your cousin was a big gorilla?”

“No, I didn’t,” said the chimp.

“Well,” uttered Gooba, “this will make it exciting. Let’s go and pay a visit to this bully.”

The chimp became excited as they both went to find the lion. Meanwhile, the lion, waiting in the grassland, was beginning to think that the chimp and his cousin were not going to show up.

What a bunch of cowards, he thought. But not long after, he heard a loud crackling of trees and bushes within the thick jungle. He jumped as he heard a screeching, loud, ear-piercing roar that sounded like a monster coming near. Then, from the jungle sprung a creature he had never seen before—a gorilla! The fearful sight froze the lion in fright for several seconds.

Gooba, the six-foot, six-hundred-pound gorilla, came rushing toward the lion, roaring and pounding his big fists on his mighty chest. What a sight it was! The chimp laughed from the trees as the cowardly lion turned on his hind legs and ran away as fast as he could in a cloud of dust—never to be seen again near the edge of the jungle.