Posted by Childe on May 02, 2003 at 21:49:07:
One day Mr. Jackal stood looking across the river where the crabs lay in the sun on the sand.
“Oh,” said Mr. Jackal, “if only I could swim, I’d go over across the river and eat lotsa crabs. But I got not boat or hands to row with.” And Mr. Jackal was very said until he sees Ms. Camel coming outta the woods.
“Now f only I can get that stupid Camel to take me across the river,” he thought, “I might not be able to row but I can ride high up on her hump, and she will be just as good as a boat..”
“Good morning, friend,” said Mr. Jackal to Ms. Camel. “Are you hungry? I know a place where the sugar cane grows higher and sweeter than anywhere else.”
“Where? Where?” cried Ms. Camel. “Tell me and I will go there at once.”
“I could take you to the place,” said Mr. Jackal, “but it is across the river and I cannot swim.”
“Oh,” said Ms. Camel, “that’s all right. Get up on my back and I’ll take you across and you can show me where the sugar cane is.”
“All right,” said Mr. Jackal, “and I will look along the bank of the river and see if I can find any nice fat crabs on that side.”
“Jump up quickly,” said Ms Camel, “it makes me hungry just to think of sugar cane.”
So Mr. Jackal jumped up on Ms Camel’s back, and Ms. Camel swam across the river, and Mr. Jackal did not get even the tiniest bit wet, even to the tip of his tail.
When they were across the river, Ms Camel went off to the patch of sugar cane, and Mr. Jackal ate a buncha crabs which lay out in the sun on the sand. It was not long until he had eaten so many crabs that his stomach stuck out. Now he wanted to go back across to the other side of the river. So he went to Ms. Camel who stood in the cane patch.
“Why, have you finished your crabs?” asked Ms. Camel.
“Yes. I cannot eat another one. Let us go back.”
“Oh,” said Ms. Camel, “I have hardly begun to eat yet.”
“Very well,” said Mr. Jackal, “I will go out to the edge of the patch and lie down and wait for you.”
But Mr. Jackal was not nice and, being in a hurry now that he had eaten all the crabs he wanted, decided that he didn’t want to wait. “I think I’ll sing a little song that will make that stupid Camel hurry.”
So Mr. Jackal began to sing. Of course Ms. Camel didn’t pay attention. But Mr. Farmer heard as Mr. Jackal knew he would and came out to chase him away with sticks. But Mr. Jackal hid and Mr. Farmer could not find him. But he did spy Ms. Camel and calling his boys, they took big sticks and beat on Ms Camel driving her away. When Mr. Farmer and his boys had gone, Mr. Jackal came out of his hiding place and found Ms Camel lying on the sand bruised with the beating she had gotten.
“Oh, friend,” he exclaimed with a sly smile, “where have you been? I have been hunting for you in the cane.”
“Do not call me ‘friend’,” said Ms. Camel. “Why did you sing that song that made that farmer and his boys come out and beat me?”
“Oh,” Mr. Jackal said, “did Mr. Farmer come out and beat you? That is too bad. But I always sing a song after dinner.”
“Ah, do you?” said Ms Camel. “I did not know that. Very well. Let’s go home. Climb up while I’m lying down.”
And so Mr. Jackal climbed upon Ms Camel’s back, and as she entered the water and began to swim across the river, Mr. Jackal riding high on the hump didn’t get even the tip of his tail wet.
But when they were about the middle of the river, Ms Camel said, “I believe that I shall roll over.”
Mr. Jackal got upset a bit and exclaimed, “Do not do that for I shall get wet and be drowned.”
“Maybe you will,” said Ms Camel, “but you see I always roll over after dinner.”
So Ms Camel rolled over in the water and Mr. Jackal got wet, first the tip of his tail, and then all over, and was indeed drowned.
Better to be hungry than to chance eating crabs and drowning over a hump.
Bye, Bye,
Childe