THE LITTLE JACKALS AND THE LION[12]


Once there was a great big jungle; and in the jungle there was a great
big Lion; and the Lion was king of the jungle. Whenever he wanted
anything to eat, all he had to do was to come up out of his cave in the
stones and earth and _roar_. When he had roared a few times all the
little people of the jungle were so frightened that they came out of
their holes and hiding-places and ran, this way and that, to get away.
Then, of course, the Lion could see where they were. And he pounced on
them, killed them, and gobbled them up.

He did this so often that at last there was not a single thing left
alive in the jungle besides the Lion, except two little Jackals,--a
little father Jackal and a little mother Jackal.

They had run away so many times that they were quite thin and very
tired, and they could not run so fast any more. And one day the Lion was
so near that the little mother Jackal grew frightened; she said,--

"Oh, Father Jackal, Father Jackal! I b'lieve our time has come! the Lion
will surely catch us this time!"

"Pooh! nonsense, mother!" said the little father Jackal. "Come, we'll
run on a bit!"