The Scorpion and the Turtle

Strange as it may seem, a scorpion and a turtle had become friends.
"I must make a journey," said the turtle.
"I shall come with you!" said the scorpion.
On the way, they came to a river.
"Dear Turtle," said the scorpion, "I cannot swim."
"Then I will carry you," said the turtle.
The turtle swam  into the water, carrying the scorpion on his back. He then felt the scorpion's sting.
"I wanted to see if I could pierce your shell," confessed the scorpion.
"And for that you'll pay!" said the turtle, shaking off the scorpion and swimming to safety.

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Inspired by: The Tortoise and the Geese, and Other Fables of Bidpai by Maude Barrows Dutton.
Notes: In the story of the scorpion and the frog (as made famous in modern times by the film The Crying Game), the scorpion and the frog both perish: The Scorpion and the Frog.

Here is an illustration from a Lights of Canopus manuscript: