Narrative Text

THE LITTLE JACKAL AND THE CAMEL

Once upon a time, there lived a young little jackal. The little Jackal likes to eat river crabs. He had eaten all the crabs to be found on his own side of the river. He knew there must be plenty on the other side, if he could only get to them, but he could not swim.

   One day he thought of a plan. He went to his friend the Camel, and said,

   ``Friend Camel, I know a spot where the sugar-cane grows thick; I'll show you the way, if you will take me there.''

   ``Indeed I will,'' said the Camel, who really likes sugar-cane. ``Where is it?''

   ``It is on the other side of the river,'' said the little Jackal; ``but we can manage it nicely, if you take me on your back and swim over.''

   The Camel was agreed, so the little Jackal jumped on his back, and the Camel swam across the river, carrying him. When they were safely over, the little Jackal jumped down and showed the Camel the sugar-cane field; then he ran swiftly along the river side, to hunt for crabs; 

The Camel began to eat sugar-cane. He ate happily, and noticed nothing around him. The little Jackal had no mind to wait for his slow friend; he wanted to be off home again. So he ran to the sugar-cane field, and as he ran he sang and shouted, and made a great voice. Of course, the villagers heard him at once.

   ``There is a Jackal in the sugar-cane,'' they said; ``he will dig holes and destroy the roots; we must go down and drive him out.'' 

So they came down, with sticks and stones. When they got there, there was no Jackal to be seen; but they saw the Camel, eating away at the juicy sugar-cane. They ran at him and beat him, and stoned him, and drove him away half dead. 

When they had gone, leaving the poor Camel dying, the little Jackal came dancing back from somewhere or other. 

   ``I think it's time to go home, now,'' he said; ``don't you?''

   ``Well, you are a pretty friend!'' said the Camel. ``The idea of your making such a noise, with your shouting and singing, had brought this upon me! What makes you want to do such a crazy thing? Why did you shout and sing?''

   ``Oh, I don't know why,'' said the little Jackal, -- ``I always sing after dinner!''

   ``Ah, very well, let us go home now.'' said the Camel.

He took the little Jackal kindly on his back and started into the water. When he began to swim he swam out to where the river was the very deepest. There he stopped, and said,

   ``Oh, Jackal!''

   ``Yes,'' said the little Jackal.

   ``I got a strange feeling,'' said the Camel, -- ``I think I must roll over.''

   `` `Roll over ?!'' cried the Jackal. ``Don't do that! If you do that, you'll drown me! What makes you want to do such a crazy thing? Why should you roll over?''

   ``Oh, I don't know why,'' said the Camel slowly, ``but I always roll over after dinner!''

   

So he rolled over. And the little Jackal was drowned, for his sins, but the Camel came safely home.

So, the lesson that we can get from the story is, the way people treat you depend on the way you treat people. If  you do good things too others, they will do good things to you too. And so do if you do bad things.