"We never thought of that before," said they; "we must get rid of these things. Who cut off yours?"
"A kind Farmer's wife," said the first Jackal. Then he told them where the Farmer's wife lived.
That evening, a knock came at the Farmer's door, as the Farmer and his wife were sitting at tea.
"Come in!" said the Farmer.
The door opened, and in trooped a number of Jackals. "Please, Mr. Farmer," said they, "we want you kindly to cut off our tails."
"Willingly," said the Farmer; whipt out his knife, and in a jiffy slish! slish! slish! off came the Jackals' tails.
"Yow-ow-ow!" went the Jackals, capering about, "we didn't think it would hurt!" Away they went, and all the woods echoed that night with yowling and howling.
When they all got home, they found the first Jackal waiting for them. He laughed in their faces. "Now we're all alike," said he, "all in the same boat."
"Are we?" said the other Jackals, and set on him and tore him to pieces.
"Now we must have our revenge on the Farmer," said the Jackals when they had eaten up their friend. So next morning they scampered off to the Farmer's house.