A Lesson At A Price
A merchant was leading his caravan through a forest. While going along a narrow pass that went zigzag across a hill, one of his camels slipped and fell into a ditch. The merchant had neither the time nor the desire to attend to the unfortunate animal. He left it to die and went his way. A pack of hungry jackals, while descending the hill, saw the delicious heap of food that was the camel. They danced around it for some time and getting even more hungry, went closer to it to have their bites of the food. "Hey, I have fixed my mind on that part of the camel from the very moment I saw it," a jackal warned the other who was near the camel's belly. "How did you know that I had fixed my mind elsewhere?" retorted the other jackal. Soon it became clear that they would not be able to enjoy the food in peace, for each had his preference about the area of camel's body that was to be his and also about the quantity.
"Let us appoint an arbitrator who would apportion each one his share. Nobody should question his decision," proposed the oldest jackal in the pack. This sounded quite sensible. Someone suggested that let the oldest jackal do the work. But others did not approve of it. A jackal was a jackal, old or young. He was only one of the pack. The prestige of the pack would go up if they could convince a beast higher in rank to arbitrate. So they went to a wolf who lived nearby. The wolf looked at them with a twinkle in his eyes and went near the camel. "I am too hungry myself to take up the work you assign me!" he said with a yawn. "Why not satisfy your hunger first? We can wait!" said the jackals out of courtesy. One of them even added, "You are our guest, after all!" The wolf ate up the best part of the camel as the jackals looked on. He continued eating for two hours and then looked at the anxious pack and said, "I am too full to do the work you wish me to do now. Wait till tomorrow." And he crouched beside the camel. The jackals looked at each other and retreated. With great eagerness and greater hunger, they collected there in the next morning. The wolf got up and said, "Wait!" The jackals were hopeful of getting their share now. But the wolf quietly resumed eating the camel and continued doing so as if he was performing a sacred duty! The jackals waited for a full hour. Then one of them took a step forward and stuttered out, "Sir Wolf, er-er, have you forgotten us by any chance?" "No!" said the wolf with a sneer and concentrated on the camel again.
Yet another hour passed. Two jackals stepped forward and, murmured, "Sir Wolf! It is we who..." The wolf looked at them in such a way that two leaders of the pack slank back immediately. Thereafter there was no exchange between the wolf and the jackals. "It was stupid of us to invite him" observed the oldest jackal. "We should have depended on our own judgment. It should not have been difficult had we been a bit less selfish" Nobody dared to comment on the observation. After a moment one of them asked, "But must we look on while the wolf continues in his treachery?" "Either we bear the humiliation, or, if act we must, we should appeal to a nobler creature," said the oldest jackal. After a little discussion, they went and met a lion and narrated their woe to him. The lion reached there in a few bounds and gave out a roar. The wolf sprang up and left the camel and ran. But he had not gone far when the lion pounced upon him and tore him to pieces. Without a word he went back to his cave, leaving the half-eaten camel to the grateful jackals. They did not quarrel any more, for they had learned a lesson at the cost of half of their food.
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