In many of these old tales, the little Jackal is the hero, and, like Reynard the Fox of European folk lore, and our own Bre’r Rabbit in the “Uncle Remus” tales, we find the Jackal through his wit and strategy overcoming the larger, stronger animals.
For example, in the stories of “Singh Rajah and the Cunning Little Jackals,” “The Alligator and the Jackal,” and “The Brahmin and the Tiger,” the Jackal wins his victories by his cunning. These stories of the little Jackal have been retold from “Old Deccan Days” by M. Frere, a most interesting book of tales collected from oral tradition. “The Valiant Chattee-Maker” is also from the same book.
The pictures drawn by our artist, Frederick Richardson, will delight you. Mr. Richardson always makes each illustration true to life: his people dress in the costumes of the country, and his animals are real animals; you can almost hear the big beasts roaring with rage when the little jackal tricks them.
All these tales I have told to you many times over the radio; now I am glad to place them in your own hands to read and retell yourselves.
Once upon a time there stood on the banks of a river, near a large forest, a village of Woodcutters. These Woodcutters would go in their boats to the forest and there they would chop down trees. Then they would roll the logs down to the river, and the river would carry the logs to the village, where they were cut into boards and used by the carpenters in building houses and temples.
One day, when the Woodcutters were all busily at work chopping down trees, they heard a great bellowing. A huge Elephant came limping along on three legs, and every little while he gave a great snort.
One of the Woodcutters went up to the Elephant and examined his sore foot. “Come here and help me pull out this big splinter in the Elephant’s foot!” he called to the other men. “No wonder the poor fellow is crying with pain.”
The Woodcutters all helped. They pulled the splinter out of the Elephant’s foot and they brought water from the river and washed the wound carefully. They brought mud from the river banks and spread a mud plaster upon it, and one man tore up his scarf and bound it about the sore foot. Then the men gave the Elephant some food, and he stretched out under the trees to rest.