Once upon a time, a thorn got stuck in a jackal’s paw. “Oh, Oh!” he cried as he walked through the forest. Suddenly, he saw an old woman passing by. “Please help me,” he said, “Pull the thorn out of my paw.” The old woman pulled the thorn out. The jackal thanked her and went away. After a few minutes, he came back and asked the old woman about his thorn. “I don’t know,” answered the old woman, “After all, who needs a thorn?” The jackal started crying, “Oh, where is my thorn?” He cried, “I need it.” The old woman felt bad for the jackal and said, “Don’t cry. Take this egg.” The jackal took the egg and went away. He reached a village and knocked at the first door he came across. A man opened the door. The jackal requested the man to allow him to stay for the night as it was late and cold. The man asked him to come in.
The Jackal and the Egg
The jackal went in. He asked the man if he could place his egg on a plate. “Yes, of course, you may,” said the man. At night, the jackal got up, ate up the egg and put the shell back on the plate. When he woke up in the morning, he cleverly asked the man, “Where is my egg?” The man did not know. The jackal began crying. “Oh, my big, big egg!” he said, “Your cat must have eaten it at the night. I am sure!” The man felt sorry for the jackal and gave him a hen instead of the egg. He took the hen and went to the next village. Again, he knocked at the first door and asked the woman who opened the door, “May I stay with you for the night, please? It is very cold outside!” The woman took him in. “And where can I put my hen?” the jackal asked. The woman asked him to place the hen with the goat.
The Jackal and the Goat
The jackal went in. He asked the man if he could place his egg on a plate. “Yes, of course, you may,” said the man. At night, the jackal got up, ate up the egg and put the shell back on the plate. When he woke up in the morning, he cleverly asked the man, “Where is my egg?” The man did not know. The jackal began crying. “Oh, my big, big egg!” he said, “Your cat must have eaten it at the night. I am sure!” The man felt sorry for the jackal and gave him a hen instead of the egg. He took the hen and went to the next village. Again, he knocked at the first door and asked the woman who opened the door, “May I stay with you for the night, please? It is very cold outside!” The woman took him in. “And where can I put my hen?” the jackal asked. The woman asked him to place the hen with the goat.
The Jackal’s End
In the morning, the Jackal woke up and asked the man, “Where is my little goat?” When they went to the son’s room, they saw only horns and bones on the bed. The jackal started crying and said, “Oh, my little goat! Your son ate it up at night.” The man said, “Don’t cry. I will give you a big goat.” “No, I don’t want the goat! Give me your son!” The man agreed. Then, the man brought him a big bag and giving it to the jackal he said that the boy was in the bag. The jackal took the bag. He could not run as the bag was too heavy. ‘This must be a very big boy,’ the jackal thought, ‘Or maybe it is not a boy. Possibly, the man had put stones into the bag! Let me open it and see.’ As soon as he opened the bag, two big dogs jumped out and attacked him. They killed the jackal and tore him into pieces.
