No. 183
The Lion and the Bull’s Trust in Him
A Jackal having seen that a Lion and a Bull are friendly, the Jackal went and asked the Bull, “Friend, how am I also to be friendly with you two?” Concerning it the Bull said, “You cannot.”
The Jackal being angry with the Bull because of it, thinking, “I must break the friendship of the Bull and the Lion,” went one day, and said to the Lion, “O Lord, Your Majesty, your friend the Bull said at my hand regarding you, ‘However much ability of that Lion there should be to do things, [after] taking and sifting out my share of it, should it be taken away the Lion will be destroyed.’ ”
After that, the Jackal, having gone again near the Bull, said, “Anē! Friend, the Lion says of you, ‘However much prowess and might of that one’s there should be, should I once make the Lion’s roar the other animals die, putting that one [out of consideration].’ ”
Thereupon the Bull having said, “When we have remained on good terms such a time, if he says that of me I also am willing to fight with him.”
Having come near the Lion he said, “We two remained on good terms such a time. Because of [what you have said], to-day we must die.”
When he was fighting with the Lion the Lion made the Lion’s roar. When he was making the Lion’s roar the Bull came and gored him. In this way, on account of the Lion’s roar the Bull died,[1] and the Bull having gored him the Lion died.
After that, having said these false slanders and pushed the quarrel, the Jackal who had caused them to be killed having come after these two died, and having said, “He was unable through haughtiness to take me as his friend; how about it now?” ate the mouth from that one and the mouth from this one. While eating them, having summoned still [other] Jackals, and said, “I did such a clever deed; what did ye?” he laughed. “If ye also want, eat ye,” he said.
Central Province.