THE CAMEL AND THE JACKAL
Once upon a time a camel and a jackal lived together by the side of a river.
One fine morning the jackal said:
"There is a big field of sugar cane over on the other side of the river. Take me on your back, Brother Camel, and I will show you where it is. You may eat all the sugar cane, and I will find some crabs or fish on the shore."
This pleased the camel very much. So he waded through the river and carried the jackal on his back.
The jackal could not swim.
The camel found the sugar cane, and the jackal found some crabs.
The jackal ate much faster than the camel and soon had enough.
"Now, Brother Camel," he said, "take me back. I have had enough."
"But I haven't," said the camel.
So the camel went on eating.
The jackal tried to think how he could make the camel go home.
At last he thought of a way.
He began to bark and to cry and to make such a noise that all the men from the village ran out to see what was going on.
There they found the camel eating the sugar cane, and at once they beat the poor beast with sticks and so drove him out of the field.
"Brother Camel, hadn't you better go home now?" asked the jackal.
"Yes, jackal, jump on my back," said the camel.
The jackal jumped on his back, and the camel waded through the river with him.
As he went, he said to the jackal:
"Brother Jackal, I think you have not been very good to me to-day. Why did you make such a noise?"
"O, I don't know," said the jackal. "It's a way I sometimes have. I like to sing a little, after dinner."
The camel waded on.
When they got out where the water was deep, the camel stopped and said, "Jackal, I feel as if I must roll a little in the water.
"O, no, no!" said the jackal. "Why do you want to do that?"
"O, I don't know," said the camel. "It's a way I sometimes have. I like to roll a little, after dinner."
With that, he rolled over, and the jackal fell into the water.
