“That is not my tail that you have got.” The jackal gleefully said from inside the tree. “It is the root of the tree.”
The lion roared angrily. “You lie!”
The jackal’s voice came from inside the tree. “If you do not believe me, bring a stone and strike the thing that you think is my tail. You can see for yourself whether any blood comes from it or not.”
Now that the seed of doubt had been planted in the Lion’s mind, the lion hesitated. The lion stepped back to find a stone and within the time the Jackal went deeper into the hole.
The Lion waited outside the hole because now the Jackal could not be found.
A little while later the Jackal wanted to come out. He went to the entrance of the hole and looked around but the jackal could not see the lion who was hidden.
Expecting the lion to be there, the Jackal muttered loudly . “I see that you are waiting for me.”
The lion did not move and stayed hidden.
The little Jackal carefully went out and the lion pounced on it. However the jackal was faster and escaped.
Another day, the Lion waited for the jackal when the little Jackal would come out for hunting.
The Lion found that the little Jackal had gone hunting and the lion was about to pounce on it.
The little Jackal had seen the lion and murmured softly. “I can see you lion. There is a bushbuck on the other side of this rock. I am so happy that you have come to help me to take down the bushbuck. Stay here while I run around and drive the bushbuck towards you and you can attack it.”
The foolish lion believed the jackal and waited there.
The jackal went to the other side of the rock and escaped.
Adapted from South African Folktales
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