Two friends talked and sang merrily as they walked through the forest. Suddenly, a bear appeared. The first man quickly climbed a tree. The second one was very scared because the bear was big and strong. It can also easily kill him. He thought hard and when the bear came near, he laid very still on the ground and controlled his breath. The bear came close to him, sniffing and smelling his body all over. Surprisingly, the bear walked away and thought that the man was dead. The friend came down from the tree when the bear went away. He asked his friend mockingly, “What did the bear tell you?”. The second friend was silenced for a while. “The bear told me to never trust a friend who escapes and leaves you alone when you need him most,” he said. The first friend realized his mistake and was ashamed of his behavior. "... never trust a friend who escapes and leaves you alone ..." (last paragraph) The underlined word refers to ....

Question

Two friends talked and sang merrily as they walked through the forest. Suddenly, a bear appeared. The first man quickly climbed a tree. The second one was very scared because the bear was big and strong. It can also easily kill him. He thought hard and when the bear came near, he laid very still on the ground and controlled his breath. The bear came close to him, sniffing and smelling his body all over. Surprisingly, the bear walked away and thought that the man was dead.

The friend came down from the tree when the bear went away. He asked his friend mockingly, “What did the bear tell you?”. The second friend was silenced for a while. “The bear told me to never trust a friend who escapes and leaves you alone when you need him most,” he said. The first friend realized his mistake and was ashamed of his behavior.

"... never trust a friend who escapes and leaves you alone ..." (last paragraph)

The underlined word refers to ....