The Cock replied: “We did not go to sleep very early last night, as we quarrelled over who should shut the door. I told one to do it, and he told another, and at last we became so angry with each other that no one would shut the door, so we went to sleep leaving it open.”
The owner snapped his fingers in speechless surprise at the Fowl’s excuse, and walked away.
Another day the chief went to see his wives’ farms and found them all clean and well weeded, but the road leading to the farms, which was nobody’s work, was choked with tall grass and weeds. That evening the chief called out loudly so that all the town could hear: “You women, I went to your farms to-day, and found the road covered with tall grass and weeds. Truly you are near relatives of the fowls, who sleep with open door because each tells the other to shut it. To-morrow all of you go and clear the road.”
When the Fowls heard these remarks they were very vexed, and the Cock said: “You have heard what our owner has shouted out to the whole town. He has held us up as a bad example to all in the place, yet when I went to a neighbouring town the day before yesterday I saw a buffalo rotting by the roadside.”
“Why was it rotting there?” asked the Black Hen of her husband.
The Cock replied: "When I reached the town the other day I heard that Don’t-care, who is the son of Peter Pay-if-you-like, went outside his house and saw a buffalo; he aroused his companions and told them to go and shoot it; but they said: ‘Go and shoot it yourself.’ ‘What! am I to see the buffalo and shoot it also?’ he asked. Thereupon Wise-man fired at the buffalo, and told another to go and see if it were killed. He came back and said it was wounded; so another went and killed it; but he would not cut it up; and another went and cut it into pieces. Then each thought that the other should carry the flesh into the town; consequently it was left in the bush, and that was why the buffalo meat rotted at the roadside."
The Black Hen said: “Indeed, is that so?” But the Speckled Hen observed: “That it would be better for human beings if they looked better after their own business, instead of poking their noses into affairs belonging to Fowls, and holding them up as a bad example to their women.”
The Head Cock said: “That from that day neither he, nor his children, nor his grandchildren should ever shut the doors of their houses, no matter how cold it might be, or what risks they might run of being eaten by wild animals.” Thus it is that Fowls never shut their doors at night. They are angry that human beings, who conduct their own affairs so badly, should find fault with the way in which Fowls look after theirs.
V
Why the Dog and the Palm-rat hate each other
One day the Dog, the Palm-rat, the Hawk, and the Eagle arranged to take a journey together, but before starting they agreed not to thwart each other in any matter.