certain mountain, behold, the day was done and he set out to
return when he fell in with another Jackal who saw him on the
tramp, and each began to tell his mate of the quarry he had
gotten. Quoth one of them, "The other day I came upon a wild Ass
and I was an hungered, for it was three days since I had eaten;
so I rejoiced in this and thanked Almighty Allah for bringing him
into my power. Then I tare out his heart and ate it and was full
and returned to my home. That was three days ago, since which
time I have found nothing to eat, yet am I still full of meat."
When the other Jackal heard his fellow's story, he envied his
fulness and said in himself, "There is no help but that I eat the
heart of a wild Ass." So he left feeding for some days, till he
became emaciated and nigh upon death and bestirred not himself
neither did he endeavour to get food, but lay coiled up in his
earth. And whilst he was thus, behold, one day there came out two
hunters trudging in quest of quarry and started a wild Ass. They
followed on his trail tracking him all day, till at last one of
them shot at him a forked[FN#80] arrow, which pierced his vitals
and reached his heart and killed him in front of the Jackal's
hole. Then the hunters came up and finding him dead, pulled out
the shaft from his heart, but only the wood came away and the
forked head abode in the Ass's belly. So they left him where he
lay, expecting that others of the wild beasts would flock to him;
but, when it was eventide and nothing fell to them, they returned
to their abiding places. The Jackal, hearing the commotion at the
mouth of his home, lay quiet till nightfall, when he came forth
of his lair, groaning for weakness and hunger, and seeing the
dead Ass lying at his door, rejoiced with joy exceeding till he
was like to fly for delight and said, "Praised be Allah who hath
won me my wish without toil! Verily, I had lost hope of coming at