One day as he was traveling for the purpose of study, Rabbi Samuel the Pious came to the seashore and boarded a ship that had come to the harbor. As he was sailing, he heard a wild scream coming from the land. So he asked the boatman to return to the shore, which he did. R. Samuel went on shore and followed the noise until he beheld a savage lion pursued by an animal called fandel (leopard). The lion was very much afraid of the animal, which was spitting fire from its mouth and burning the animals that it hit. The lion, not feeling himself safe anywhere, ran, roaring piteously all the time.

When the pious man saw this, he ran forth to protect the lion from the fandel, No sooner did the fandel behold the pious man than it ran away and the lion was saved.

When the lion saw that the pious man had saved him, he would not leave him and became very friendly. Finally, the lion knelt down and allowed R. Samuel to ride upon him. In this way he rode on the lion until he came back to the ship, which was waiting for him. Then he boarded the ship again, while the lion remained standing on the seashore, looking after him as long as he could see the ship, like a human being

who sees his friend off and watches him depart as long as he can see him.

One sees from this that if a man does good even to a wild beast, no harm will come to him.