Black Tales for White Children Part 21

Then was the jackal ashamed, and the hare said to him, "Oh, my brother, you have deceived me. We agreed that each one must do as the other, and now I have gone and killed my mother, and you have not done likewise. We must both go and kill your mother, so that we may both be without our mothers."

So they went and killed the jackal's mother, and the jackal was very sorry.

After that the hare said to the jackal, "Now, my brother, we must eat nothing but insects." So they went about the forest trying to catch insects to eat, but when the jackal slept the hare used to run into that cave where he had hidden his mother, and she fed him.

The jackal lived with the hare, trying to catch enough insects to eat, and he grew thinner and thinner, till at last he died.

Now when all the animals heard how the hare had deceived the jackal, and made him kill his mother, and how he had made him live on nothing but insects till he died, they were very angry with the hare. Then they held a meeting, and it was asked, "Who is a match for the hare in cunning?"

The c.o.c.k said, "I am; I am able to deceive the hare and kill him."

All those animals said to the c.o.c.k, "You, c.o.c.k, are not the equal of the hare. What sort of cunning have you to match yourself against the hare?"

The c.o.c.k replied, "I know very well that I can get the better of the hare. Now I am going off to see him, and you will all hear the news of what has pa.s.sed between the hare and me very soon."

So the c.o.c.k set forth and went to see the hare.

The hare asked him, "How is it that you have never before walked out to our house here? To-day is the first time that I have seen you, oh c.o.c.k."

The c.o.c.k answered, "Your words are true. I have never yet walked as far as your house. To-day I have come to ask your friendship, for I have no friend. That is why I want your friendship. We will get on very well together, and now I am going to return home. I will prepare food for you, and to-morrow you must come and see me and we will have a talk."

The hare replied, "It is well. To-morrow, if Allah pleases, I will come to your house."

The c.o.c.k then returned home and told his wives, "To-morrow my friend the hare is coming, so get food ready for him. When the hare comes I will sit in the courtyard and hide my head under my wing. Serve up food to the hare, and when he asks, 'Where is my friend the c.o.c.k?' show him his friend and say, 'There is his body lying in the courtyard, but he has sent his head away to have audience of the Sultan, and to speak his cases for him.' Tell the hare like that."

So next day, when the hare came and asked for his friend the c.o.c.k, the c.o.c.k's wives took him, and showed him the c.o.c.k where he was lying with his head under his wing, and they told him, as they had been taught, that his head had gone away to speak his cases for him before the Sultan. Then they took him on to the verandah and bade him sit down and await his friend and eat the food that was ready for him.

That hare was very astonished, and said to himself, "My friend the c.o.c.k must indeed be strong if he can send his head by itself all the way to the Sultan's, to speak his cases alone without a body."

They set much food before the hare, and he ate there in the verandah.

Presently the c.o.c.k came round the corner and said to the hare, "Oh, my friend, I am indeed sorry that I was not here to greet you, but I had to send my head away to speak of some very important matter to the Sultan."

The hare said, "It is well, my friend. I saw your body lying out there in the courtyard, and now that your head has returned it is indeed well."

Shortly after that the hare took leave of the c.o.c.k, and said to him, "I am now going home, and to-morrow you must come and eat with me."

The c.o.c.k agreed, and the hare went off. When he arrived at his house he said to his wives, "Prepare food, for to-morrow my friend the c.o.c.k comes to see me." So they prepared food for the c.o.c.k, and next day the hare said to them, "My friend the c.o.c.k is very strong, he can send his head all alone to the Sultan's. Now I want you, my wives, to cut off my head and put it on one side, and when the c.o.c.k comes show him my body, and tell him that I have also important cases at the Sultan's, and have sent my head off to see to them."

His wives said, "You will certainly die, our husband."

The hare said, "Why shall I die? My friend the c.o.c.k cuts off his head, and he does not die, so why should I? You must cut off my head, and after the c.o.c.k has sat down and begun to eat you must put it on again, so that I may come and talk to him."

His wives refused, but he pressed them much, till at last they agreed and cut off his head. When the c.o.c.k came and asked after the hare they took him and showed him the hare's body, and told him as they had been taught. When the c.o.c.k looked at the hare's body he saw that his head had really been cut off, so he said to those wives of the hare, "I am not able to wait for your food, for to-day in your house there is a great mourning, and it is I who have deceived the hare; so now I am going home. Your husband is not able to rise again, for he is dead.

Good-bye."

The c.o.c.k went forth, and went his way to give the news to all the animals who had laughed at him, and said to him, "You have no sort of guile with which to deceive the hare."

When the animals heard the news of how the c.o.c.k had deceived the hare, and when they heard that there was mourning in the house of the hare, they said, "Truly the words of the c.o.c.k are true; he has great cunning, even more than the hare."

[Ill.u.s.tration: AFRICAN BLACK-BACKED JACKALS]

[Ill.u.s.tration: AFRICAN FLYING SQUIRREL]

XXIV

THE MAGIC DATE TREES

Once upon a time there was a man, and he married a wife and had two sons.

After many days his wife died, and the man stayed awhile, and then he married again.

Those two sons grew up, till at last their father died.

So their stepmother turned them out of the house and they travelled away.

Now they were very poor, and had no money, nor had they any food.

So they travelled on, and by day they journeyed and ate of the fruits of the forest, and at night they climbed into a tree and slept there, for fear of the wild beasts of the jungle.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Hippo]

Till after many days they arrived at a town, and when they came there the elder brother said to the younger, "You, my brother, sit here outside the town while I go in and beg for food."

Now it so perchanced that the chief of that town had just died and he left no son. So the people of that place had gone to the astrologers and soothsayers and had asked them, "How shall we choose another chief?"

The astrologers had answered them, "Let there be a meeting of all the people of the town, and let a lime be thrown into their midst. He on whom this lime shall fall, take him and make him your chief."

Now when the elder of the two brothers entered the town he found all the people of that place a.s.sembled in the centre of that town.

As he drew near to this congregation a lime hit him on the head, and all the people turned and, rushing at him, seized him and placed him in their midst.

So he was greatly afeared.

They took him, crying out, "This is our chief!" and they carried him to the palace amidst general acclamation.

So he sat there as chief of that town and during that day and the next he was afraid to say that he had a brother outside the town awaiting for his return.

On the third day he sent soldiers to look for him, but they found him not, for when he perceived that his brother did not return he was afraid and went away.

So the elder brother remained as chief of that place for many months, and he sat with sorrow for the thought of his brother.

Till one day he looked out of the window and saw below in the street a poor man selling mats, and when he beheld him he recognised him as his brother.

So he sent out soldiers to bring him into the palace.