The Orange Fairy Book (18 page)

'Quite true, your majesty,' answered the hyena.

'Then lay the cloak on the ground at my feet,' said the lion, 'and I
will give my judgment.' So the mantle was spread upon the red earth,
the hyena and the jackal standing on each side of it.

There was silence for a few moments, and then the lion sat up, looking
very great and wise.

'My judgment is that the garment shall belong wholly to whoever first
rings the bell of the nearest mosque at dawn to-morrow. Now go; for
much business awaits me!'

All that night the hyena sat up, fearing lest the jackal should reach
the bell before him, for the mosque was close at hand. With the first
streak of dawn he bounded away to the bell, just as the jackal, who had
slept soundly all night, was rising to his feet.

'Good luck to you,' cried the jackal. And throwing the cloak over his
back he darted away across the plain, and was seen no more by his
friend the hyena.

After running several miles the jackal thought he was safe from
pursuit, and seeing a lion and another hyena talking together, he
strolled up to join them.

'Good morning,' he said; 'may I ask what is the matter? You seem very
serious about something.'

'Pray sit down,' answered the lion. 'We were wondering in which
direction we should go to find the best dinner. The hyena wishes to go
to the forest, and I to the mountains. What do you say?'

'Well, as I was sauntering over the plain, just now, I noticed a flock
of sheep grazing, and some of them had wandered into a little valley
quite out of sight of the shepherd. If you keep among the rocks you
will never be observed. But perhaps you will allow me to go with you
and show you the way?'

'You are really very kind,' answered the lion. And they crept steadily
along till at length they reached the mouth of the valley where a ram,
a sheep and a lamb were feeding on the rich grass, unconscious of their
danger.

'How shall we divide them?' asked the lion in a whisper to the hyena.

'Oh, it is easily done,' replied the hyena. 'The lamb for me, the
sheep for the jackal, and the ram for the lion.'

'So I am to have that lean creature, which is nothing but horns, am I?'
cried the lion in a rage. 'I will teach you to divide things in that
manner!' And he gave the hyena two great blows, which stretched him
dead in a moment. Then he turned to the jackal and said: 'How would
you divide them?'

'Quite differently from the hyena,' replied the jackal. 'You will
breakfast off the lamb, you will dine off the sheep, and you will sup
off the ram.'

'Dear me, how clever you are! Who taught you such wisdom?' exclaimed
the lion, looking at him admiringly.

'The fate of the hyena,' answered the jackal, laughing, and running off
at his best speed; for he saw two men armed with spears coming close
behind the lion!

The jackal continued to run till at last he could run no longer. He
flung himself under a tree panting for breath, when he heard a rustle
amongst the grass, and his father's old friend the hedgehog appeared
before him.

'Oh, is it you?' asked the little creature; 'how strange that we should
meet so far from home!'

'I have just had a narrow escape of my life,' gasped the jackal, 'and I
need some sleep. After that we must think of something to do to amuse
ourselves.' And he lay down again and slept soundly for a couple of
hours.

'Now I am ready,' said he; 'have you anything to propose?'

'In a valley beyond those trees,' answered the hedgehog, 'there is a
small farmhouse where the best butter in the world is made. I know
their ways, and in an hour's time the farmer's wife will be off to milk
the cows, which she keeps at some distance. We could easily get in at
the window of the shed where she keeps the butter, and I will watch,
lest some one should come unexpectedly, while you have a good meal.
Then you shall watch, and I will eat.'

'That sounds a good plan,' replied the jackal; and they set off
together.

But when they reached the farmhouse the jackal said to the hedgehog:
'Go in and fetch the pots of butter and I will hide them in a safe
place.'

'Oh no,' cried the hedgehog, 'I really couldn't. They would find out
directly! And, besides, it is so different just eating a little now
and then.'

'Do as I bid you at once,' said the jackal, looking at the hedgehog so
sternly that the little fellow dared say no more, and soon rolled the
jars to the window where the jackal lifted them out one by one.

When they were all in a row before him he gave a sudden start.

'Run for your life,' he whispered to his companion; 'I see the woman
coming over the hill!' And the hedgehog, his heart beating, set off as
fast as he could. The jackal remained where he was, shaking with
laughter, for the woman was not in sight at all, and he had only sent
the hedgehog away because he did not want him to know where the jars of
butter were buried. But every day he stole out to their hiding-place
and had a delicious feast.

At length, one morning, the hedgehog suddenly said:

'You never told me what you did with those jars?'

'Oh, I hid them safely till the farm people should have forgotten all
about them,' replied the jackal. 'But as they are still searching for
them we must wait a little longer, and then I'll bring them home, and
we will share them between us.'

So the hedgehog waited and waited; but every time he asked if there was
no chance of getting jars of butter the jackal put him off with some
excuse. After a while the hedgehog became suspicious, and said:

'I should like to know where you have hidden them. To-night, when it
is quite dark, you shall show me the place.'

'I really can't tell you,' answered the jackal. 'You talk so much that
you would be sure to confide the secret to somebody, and then we should
have had our trouble for nothing, besides running the risk of our necks
being broken by the farmer. I can see that he is getting disheartened,
and very soon he will give up the search. Have patience just a little
longer.'

The hedgehop said no more, and pretended to be satisfied; but when some
days had gone by he woke the jackal, who was sleeping soundly after a
hunt which had lasted several hours.

'I have just had notice,' remarked the hedgehog, shaking him, 'that my
family wish to have a banquet to-morrow, and they have invited you to
it. Will you come?'

'Certainly,' answered the jackal, 'with pleasure. But as I have to go
out in the morning you can meet me on the road.'

'That will do very well,' replied the hedgehog. And the jackal went to
sleep again, for he was obliged to be up early.

Punctual to the moment the hedgehog arrived at the place appointed for
their meeting, and as the jackal was not there he sat down and waited
for him.

'Ah, there you are!' he cried, when the dusky yellow form at last
turned the corner. 'I had nearly given you up! Indeed, I almost wish
you had not come, for I hardly know where I shall hide you.'

'Why should you hide me anywhere?' asked the jackal. 'What is the
matter with you?'

'Well, so many of the guests have brought their dogs and mules with
them, that I fear it may hardly be safe for you to go amongst them.
No; don't run off that way,' he added quickly, 'because there is
another troop that are coming over the hill. Lie down here, and I will
throw these sacks over you; and keep still for your life, whatever
happens.'

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.)

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.'

But it was not sacks that the sheep wanted; for as soon as the jackal
could no longer see her she set forth at her best pace to the home of
the greyhound, where she arrived panting with the haste she had made.

'Oh, good uncle, help me, I pray you!' she cried, as soon as she could
speak.

'Why, what is the matter?' asked the greyhound, looking up with
astonishment.

'I beg you to return with me, and frighten the jackal into paying me
what he owes me,' answered the sheep. 'For months we have lived
together, and I have twice every day drawn the water, while he only
poured it into the trenches. Together we have reaped our harvest; and
now, when the moment to divide our crop has come, he has taken seven
parts for himself, and only left one for me.'

She finished, and giving herself a twist, passed her woolly tail across
her eyes; while the greyhound watched her, but held his peace. Then he
said:

'Bring me a sack.' And the sheep hastened away to fetch one. Very
soon she returned, and laid the sack down before him.

'Open it wide, that I may get in,' cried he; and when he was
comfortably rolled up inside he bade the sheep take him on her back,
and hasten to the place where she had left the jackal.

She found him waiting for her, and pretending to be asleep, though she
clearly saw him wink one of his eyes. However, she took no notice, but
throwing the sack roughly on the ground, she exclaimed:

'Now measure!'

At this the jackal got up, and going to the heap of grain which lay
close by, he divided it as before into eight portions—seven for
himself and one for the sheep.

'What are you doing that for?' asked she indignantly. 'You know quite
well that it was I who drew the water, and you who only poured it into
the trenches.'

'You are mistaken,' answered the jackal. 'It was I who drew the water,
and you who poured it into the trenches. Anybody will tell you that!
If you like, I will ask those people who are digging there!'

'Very well,' replied the sheep. And the jackal called out:

'Ho! You diggers, tell me: Who was it you heard singing over the work?'

'Why, it was you, of course, jackal! You sang so loud that the whole
world might have heard you!'

'And who it is that sings—he who draws the water, or he who empties
it?'

'Why, certainly he who draws the water!'

'You hear?' said the jackal, turning to the sheep. 'Now come and carry
away your own portion, or else I shall take it for myself.'

'You have got the better of me,' answered the sheep; 'and I suppose I
must confess myself beaten! But as I bear no malice, go and eat some
of the dates that I have brought in that sack.' And the jackal, who
loved dates, ran instantly back, and tore open the mouth of the sack.
But just as he was about to plunge his nose in he saw two brown eyes
calmly looking at him. In an instant he had let fall the flap of the
sack and bounded back to where the sheep was standing.

'I was only in fun; and you have brought my uncle the greyhound. Take
away the sack, we will make the division over again.' And he began
rearranging the heaps.

'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, for my mother the sheep, and
one for the jackal,' counted he; casting timid glances all the while at
the sack.

'Now you can take your share and go,' said the sheep. And the jackal
did not need twice telling! Whenever the sheep looked up, she still
saw him flying, flying across the plain; and, for all I know, he may be
flying across it still.