And what did happen was, that when the jackal was lying covered up,
under a little hill, the hedgehog set a great stone rolling, which
crushed him to death.
[Contes Berberes.]
The Adventures of the Younger Son of the Jackal
Now that the father and elder brother were both dead, all that was left
of the jackal family was one son, who was no less cunning than the
others had been. He did not like staying in the same place any better
than they, and nobody ever knew in what part of the country he might be
found next.
One day, when we was wandering about he beheld a nice fat sheep, which
was cropping the grass and seemed quite contented with her lot.
‘Good morning,’ said the jackal, ‘I am so glad to see you. I have been
looking for you everywhere.’
‘For ME?’ answered the sheep, in an astonished voice; ‘but we have
never met before!’
‘No; but I have heard of you. Oh! You don’t know what fine things I
have heard! Ah, well, some people have all the luck!’
‘You are very kind, I am sure,’ answered the sheep, not knowing which
way to look. ‘Is there any way in which I can help you?’
‘There is something that I had set my heart on, though I hardly like to
propose it on so short an acquaintance; but from what people have told
me, I thought that you and I might keep house together comfortably, if
you would only agree to try. I have several fields belonging to me,
and if they are kept well watered they bear wonderful crops.’
‘Perhaps I might come for a short time,’ said the sheep, with a little
hesitation; ‘and if we do not get on, we can part company.’
‘Oh, thank you, thank you,’ cried the jackal; ‘do not let us lose a
moment.’ And he held out his paw in such an inviting manner that the
sheep got up and trotted beside him till they reached home.
‘Now,’ said the jackal, ‘you go to the well and fetch the water, and I
will pour it into the trenches that run between the patches of corn.’
And as he did so he sang lustily. The work was very hard, but the
sheep did not grumble, and by-and-by was rewarded at seeing the little
green heads poking themselves through earth. After that the hot sun
ripened them quickly, and soon harvest time was come. Then the grain
was cut and ground and ready for sale.
When everything was complete, the jackal said to the sheep:
‘Now let us divide it, so that we can each do what we like with his
share.’
‘You do it,’ answered the sheep; ‘here are the scales. You must weigh
it carefully.’
So the jackal began to weigh it, and when he had finished, he counted
out loud:
‘One, two, three, four, five, six, seven parts for the jackal, and one
part for the sheep. If she likes it she can take it, if not, she can
leave it.’
The sheep looked at the two heaps in silence- -one so large, the other
so small; and then she answered:
‘Wait for a minute, while I fetch some sacks to carry away my share.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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