Many, many years ago, a slave called Androcles ran away from his Roman master and hid himself in a ave outside the city. Hearing the roar of a lion 1the mouth of the cave one day, the slave realized he could not escape and 2ready to die. The lion limped into the cave but, instead of attacking the slave, the great beast 3down in pain, licking its paw. Growing bolder, Androcles came to towards the lion 4he was close enough to see that there was a long sharp thorn deep in the animal’s paw. Androvles reached out and quickly removed the thorn. The lion was so thankful that it licked the slave’s feet, and the man and the beast became friends.At last Androcles was captured by some soldiers traveling through the woods and was taken back to the city 5.According to the law of the time, runaway slaves would be thrown into the wing with wild beasts. People considered this to be great sport, and there were many who always came to 6the slaves to be killed by the animals.The day arrived when Androcles too was thrown into the ring with a great lion. The crowd shouted with 7as the slave faced a terrible death. But their shouts changed to cries of astonishment as the lion bounded up to Androcles, wagging its tail, and the slave threw his arms around the animal’s neck. This was the lion who had shared the cave with him 8he was free.The hearts of the people were 9by this strange event, and they agreed that both the slave and the animal should be free. Androvles and his friend the lion left the ring amid the cheers of the crowd 10a short while before had been screaming for blood.