Funday Times

A Sri Lankan folk tale retold by J.B. Disanayaka

The jackal and the crocodile
Once upon a time there lived in a jungle a jackal. One day when he was going in search of food, he came to the bank of a river. He got the smell of a dead elephant. His mouth began to water. He looked around to see where the smell came from. It came from the other side of the river. He felt sad because he had no way to cross the river to get to the other bank.

He sat under a tree and began to think. How can I get to the other bank? A wonderful thought came to his head. There is a crocodile in this river. He is as large as a boat. If I could use him to cross the river, then I can enjoy the meat of the elephant. The jackal came to the edge of the bank and cried, "Mr. Crocodile, Mr. Crocodile, where are you?"

The crocodile, who was under water, heard this voice. "Who can be calling me at this time?", he wondered. He rose to the surface and saw the jackal smiling at him. "Good Morning, Mr. Crocodile. How are you today?", asked the jackal. "I am fine. Did you call me?", asked the crocodile. "Yes, I did", said the jackal. "I called you because I came across a she-crocodile living on the other bank. She is very pretty and she will make an ideal wife for you".

The crocodile became very happy. How nice to have a pretty she-crocodile for a wife. "Mr. Jackal, how can I see her?" asked the crocodile. "That's simple", said the jackal. "I will first speak to her parents and get their permission. To do that, I have to go to the other side of the river. Can you take me across?", asked the jackal. The crocodile, in his excitement, agreed to take the jackal to the other bank.

The crocodile swam across the river taking the jackal on his back. The jackal said, "Wait here till I come back". The jackal went in search of the dead elephant. He ate a good part of the meat but couldn't finish it all. When he returned to the bank, the crocodile was waiting for him.

"Mr. Crocodile, I have good news for you", said the jackal. "The young bride is willing by I could not meet her parents today because they have gone somewhere. I'll have to come again tomorrow to meet them. Can you bring me back tomorrow?"

"Of course, I will bring you back", agreed the crocodile. So on the next day, the crocodile took the jackal to the other bank again. The jackal was able to finish all the elephant meat that was there. He could hardly walk because his stomach was so full. The crocodile was eagerly waiting for him. "Mr. Crocodile, I am so happy", said the jackal. "I can't wait till I break the news to you. Let's go to the other side to tell you the whole story.

The crocodile was delighted. He could not wait to hear the good news. He swam across the river as fast as he could with the jackal on his back. As soon as he jackal got off his back, the crocodile spoke to the jackal. "Mr. Jackal, now tell me what has happened".

The jackal smiled and said, "Well, the parents said they don't have brides for foolish crocodiles like you. Do you believe that there are crocodiles on land? Do you not think that I wanted to cross the river to eat the meat of a dead elephant? You are indeed a foolish crocodile. What brides for you my dear!" Before the crocodile could say anything, the jackal disappeared into the jungle.

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