The Lion's Den

Once the lion, king of all the animals, assembled his subjects and said, "You are all my friends. Tell me honestly. How does my den smell?
After a timid silence, an old dog spoke up. "Your majesty." said the honest but unwise dog, "it smells rather unpleasant. In fact forgive me, but it stinks!"
"How dare you!" roared the lion, and, springing upon the dog, he tore him to bits.
Then the lion repeated the question. Seeing that an honest answer was not what the lion wanted, an eager monkey said, "Sir, your honorable den smells like a palace garden. Over there," and he pointed to one corner, "your den smells like roses. Over here," and he pointed to another corner, "your den smells like hyacinths..."
"Oh?" said the lion, interrupting him. "Well, for this false flattery you deserve the same treatment as the dog," and he destroyed the monkey, also.
The question was this time directed at the fox. "Your majesty," replied the fox, "for some time now, I've had a bad cold, and I really can't tell..." and saved his precious life, of course.