The tale is found in West Africa also, in a form which is very close to the South Indian and Sinhalese one. In Contes Soudanais (C. Monteil), p. 53, a child found a tired Crocodile, and carried it back to water. The Crocodile asked if he knew how goodness was rewarded. “By evil,” the child said. The Crocodile was going to eat him, but referred the matter to an old horse and an old ass (both of which recommended it to do so), and lastly to a Hare, which refused to believe that the child could have carried it. When this was proved, and the Crocodile taken back, the Hare said to the child, “Doesn’t thy father eat Crocodile?” “Yes.” “And thy mother?” “Yes.” “Hast thou not an axe?” “I have one,” the child replied. “Then break the Crocodile’s head and eat it,” the Hare said. In many West African tales the Hare is the clever animal who outwits the others.
No. 64
The Heron and the Crab
There is a great big mountain. On the mountain there is a rock-hole [containing water]. In it there are some small fishes. At all other places a Heron[1] eats the small fishes. In this rock-hole the Heron cannot eat the small fishes; he goes along [in the air], above the rock cave.
On account of it, the Heron puts on a false appearance. “I am indeed an ascetic,” he said. “I do not kill living creatures,” he said.
Thereupon the small fishes came for a talk. After they came he said, “Being in this hole ye cannot go up and down,” he said. “Because it is so, I will take you and put you in a river possessing length and breadth,” he said.
After that, having taken them one by one he ate them. At the time when he was taking the Crab which remained over from them, the Crab took hold of the neck of the Heron. While on the way, when the Heron was preparing to kill the Crab, the Crab getting to know of it, cut the neck of the Heron with his claws and killed it.