Of course, the villagers heard him at
once.
"There is a Jackal in the sugar-cane,"
they said; "he will dig holes and destroy
the roots; we must go down and drive him
out." So they came down, with sticks and
stones. When they got there, there was no
Jackal to be seen; but they saw the great
Camel, eating away at the juicy sugar-
cane. They ran at him and beat him, and
stoned him, and drove him away half
dead.
When they had gone, leaving the poor
Camel half killed, the little Jackal came
dancing back from somewhere or other.
"I think it's time to go home, now," he
said; "don't you?"
"Well, you ARE a pretty friend!" said the
Camel. "The idea of your making such
a noise, with your shouting and singing!
You brought this upon me. What in the
world made you do it? Why did you shout
and sing?"
"Oh, I don't know WHY," said the little
Jackal,--"I always sing after dinner!"
"So?" said the Camel, "Ah, very well,
let us go home now."
He took the little Jackal kindly on his
back and started into the water. When
he began to swim he swam out to where
the river was the very deepest. There he
stopped, and said,--
"Oh, Jackal!"
"Yes," said the little Jackal.
"I have the strangest feeling," said the
Camel,--"I feel as if I must roll over."
"`Roll over'!" cried the Jackal.
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