The Tiger and the wily Jackal

Once upon a time there lived a tiger on the banks of a river. The river flowed through a thick forest.  The banks of the river were, therefore, covered with tall trees and dense vegetation.

The Tiger lived in a cave in the forest.  He lived alone.  He hunted deer and other animals which lived in the forest.  Situated on the banks of the river, the forest was extremely fertile.  The plants and trees grew profusely.  They were good food for deer, bison and other animals which fed on them.

Among the many animals in the forest was a jackal.  The Jackal was a sly creature.  He sometimes hunted small animals such as rats and frogs.  But he mostly lived  on the leftovers of the kill of other larger predators.

One day, the tiger was out hunting.  It spotted a herd of deer a small distance away.  He slouched low among the tall grass. He moved stealthily closer to where the herd of deer was grazing, ignorant of his approaching presence.

He moved closer within striking distance.  The deer had still not noticed him.  Then, it happened.  He had unknowingly stepped on a dry twig lying on the ground.  The stick had snapped under his weight.  The sound alerted the deer which took to their heels.

The tiger was forced to launch his attack.  He ran towards the deer as fast as he could.  But, they were too quick for him.  However, he managed to capture a small deer.  The deer had been injured and could not flee like the others.  It was a small animal.  The tiger was disappointed at his catch. "It is better than catching nothing", he said to himself.

From a distance, the jackal was watching.  He was happy to see the tiger fail in the hunt.  A crooked plan occurred to him.  He approached the tiger.  The tiger stood by the dead deer.  He was panting and catching his breath after the chase.

"Your moves are indeed quick and magnificent, O Tiger.", he said.  The tiger was pleased at the compliment.  Sensing this, the jackal continued,  "But, what is such a small deer to an animal with an appetite as yours.  You need to hunt bigger game which can provide you with more meat."

The Tiger looked at the jackal.  The jackal said, "O, Tiger.  There are plenty of bison a few miles downriver.  A single kill will last you for many weeks".  The Tiger thought over this. Hunt for a day and take rest for weeks.   It seemed to be a good idea.  He wondered why no one told him about this earlier. 

The jackal was pleased that the tiger was considering his suggestion.  "I will take care of this dead deer till you return.", he said.   The Tiger was pleased to hear this.  The Tiger set off in search of the bison.  He soon reached the spot.  The bison were grazing heartily.  They were in their hundreds.  They were large animals.  "The jackal was right.", the tiger told himself, "a kill could feed me for a long time".

The tiger hid himself behind some bushes.  This time, he would allow the animals to come near him. Sure enough, the herd was moving closer to where he had concealed himself.  He just had to pounce on them.

The herd came closer within reach.  The tiger came out of his hiding place.  He pounced on the bison.  What the tiger did not think of was the strength of the bison.  The bison was large and powerful.  Besides, the tiger was alone.

As he jumped on a bison, the bison shook him off to the ground.  The tiger was on the ground and the angry herd around him.  The herd rushed at him, gored him with their sharp horn and trampled him with their heavy hooves.

The tiger tried to fight back with his claws and sharp teeth.  But he was no match for the herd of hundreds of animals.  When the dust settled, he lay on the ground wounded and bloodied.  The herd had lost interest in him and wandered off.

He could barely get up.  His whole body was aching.  He managed to pull himself together and slowly made his way upriver where his cave was.

There, at a distance, he could see the wily jackal eat the deer he had managed to capture.  The jackal gave him an insolent smile.  The tiger roared in fury.  But he could hardly move.  The jackal knew that.  The tiger reached his den and lay down.  It was many weeks before he could walk and run as before.

Children, this story teaches us not to take others’ advice at its face value.  We should always think over suggestions and ideas given by others.  People can trick us into doing things for their own advantage.

The Old Tiger and the Merchant

The Old Tiger woke up from his sleep.  It was mid afternoon.  The day was hot.  He tried to get up but could not.  He was weak.  The tiger had not eaten in days.  The animals of the forest were too fast for him to catch.  He was growing old.  When he was younger, he could chase even the fastest deer and bring it down.  Almost every chase got him something.

He could feel the hunger inside him.  He had to do something.  Turning to the right, he saw an animal lying down.  He walked towards the animal.  If he was lucky, he would move close to the animal before he could take it by surprise.  He moved closely – cautiously.  He soon discovered that it was a half-eaten body of a deer.  He had to be content with this.  He ate fast as he had not eaten for a long time.

He then drank water from a pond nearby and lay down in the shade of a tree nearby.  He thought of his future and how he could survive.  Suddenly, he hit upon an idea.  He would not starve.
A river flowed through the forest.   In the middle of the river was a rock.   The tiger swam through the river and reached the rock.  He swam across the river and reached it.  The day was just beginning.  On one side of the river was a town and on the other side was a busy market.  People sometimes used to cross the forest to visit the market.

The tiger sat on the river with a large box of jewels.  He had found the box of jewels in the forest.  A careless traveller had dropped it as he rode his horse.  The jewels in the box glistened in the sun.
A merchant was crossing the forest.  He wanted to go to the market with some vegetables which he could sell.  As he was crossing the forest, he saw the river and the tiger sitting on the rock.  He walked faster on seeing the tiger.  But the tiger called out to him.  “Do not be afraid”, he said, “I am a harmless old tiger. I no longer kill animals and people”.

The merchant wanted to run away but his eyes caught the jewels in the box as they gleamed in the sun.  He stopped to investigate.   The tiger continued “I had committed many sins in my younger days.  I had killed animals and men without mercy.  Now I am growing old and may not live long.  I need to atone for my sins”, he said with a voice full of remorse.  “A holy man said that I can earn merit If I give away wealth to others.  Hence, I have decided to give away all my possessions to others and to help animals and people as much as I can."

The merchant was still doubtful.  The tiger showed the anklet to the merchant. “I had decided to give away the anklet to the first person I see this morning”, he said. “Now that I have seen you, you can have it yourself”.  The merchant was very happy.  There was not need to carry his vegetables to the market everyday.  He would be a rich man.  He would sell the anklet and get a lot of money.  He imagined what he could do with that.  He would buy a fine horse.  He would get his wife a beautiful gift.   But there was one problem.  How could he get the jewels from the tiger.  He could not go near the tiger to get the jewels.  Neither could he allow the tiger to come near him.   The tiger could pounce on him.  The tiger sensed his hesitation. “You don’t have to worry” he said. “I am old now.  My claws and teeth have fallen off.  I cannot hurt anyone”.

There merchant was in a dilemma.  Though he feared the tiger, the lure of the jewels was too much for him. The tiger said “Come halfway into the river.  I will through the box towards you.  You can catch it and go your way”.

The merchant felt a bit reassured.  He cautiously removed his shoes and waded into the river, cautiously taking each step.  However, as he moved further into the river, suddenly he caught in the deep mud.  He struggled but could not get out.  This was the opportunity the tiger was waiting for.  It quickly swam towards the merchant and pounced on him.  The merchant was dead.  The tiger put his box of jewels away and waited for his next victim.

Children, this story tells us the danger of greed.  Greed blinds us to danger.  Many people who are greedy for money get into danger.    No matter how tempting a thing may be, we must always check whether it is real.   You must never accept sweets or gifts from strangers.  If you are in doubt, always ask your parents whether something is true.