Story 75 - The Crocodile And The Jackal

IN a river in a certain country a Crocodile stayed, it is said. While it was living there, the Crocodile having become friendly with a Crab, the Crocodile said to the Crab,

“Friend, you call the Jackal to drink water, so that I may seize and eat the Jackal after he has come.”

The Crab said “Ha.”

On the bank of that river there were Muruta ^[1] trees, and there were flowers on those Muruta trees. The Crocodile said to the Crab,

“I will lie down on the high ground. You bring flowers that have fallen below those Muruta trees and cover me.”

Having said [this], the Crocodile lay down on the high ground near the water, and the Crab having brought the Muruta flowers covered the Crocodile.

Having covered him, the Crab, calling the Jackal, came to drink water. The Crocodile stayed as though dead. Then the Jackal having come near the Crocodile said,

“In our country, indeed, dead Crocodiles wag their tails. This Crocodile, why doesn’t he wag his tail ? Maybe he isn't dead.”

Then that Crocodile which remained as though dead, wagged his tail. After that, the Jackal, without stopping even to drink water, bounded off, and went away.

Afterwards the Crocodile said to the Crab,

“Friend, tomorrow I will stop at the bottom of the water. You come there with the Jackal. Then I will seize and eat him.”

The Crab having said “Ha,” on the following day came with the Jackal to the place where the Crocodile was. Then the Crocodile seized the Jackal by the foot [as he was going to drink water].

The Jackal said—

Kimbulundae raewatundae	“Are the Crocodiles cheated quite,
Ketala ale dae gandae ?	Thus the Ketala yam to bite ?”

Then the Crocodile let go. After that, on that day also without drinking water he bounded off, and went away.

From that day, the Jackals having become angry with the Crabs, and having seized and bitten the Crabs in the rice fields, place the Crabs' claws on the earthen ridges in the fields.

Kinnara. North-western Province.

 

Note:

In The Orientalist, vol. ii, p. 46, there is a story of a Jackal and a Crocodile, in the latter part of which the first incident is given, the tree being a Veralu (Elaeocarpus serratus). The Crab is not introduced into it.

In the Jataka story No. 57 (vol. i, p. 142) a Crocodile endeavoured to entrap a Monkey by lying still on the top of a rock. The Monkey, suspecting some trick, from the unusual height of the rock, addressed the rock and inquired why it did not reply as usual. The Crocodile then spoke.

In Indian Folk Tales (Gordon), p. 63, the God Mahadeo (Siva) took the place of the Crocodile, in order to be revenged on the Jackal for cheating him in the matter of the dead elephant (see No. 39, note); and the two incidents of the shamming death and seizure of the root are related.

In Old Deccan Days (Frere) p. 310, a Jackal escaped from an Alligator [Crocodile] in the same manner.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Lagerstroemia flos-reginae