THE JACKAL AND THE GUANA
A jackal once made itself a throne of bones near the river-side, and levied toll on all the animals that came there to drink water, making each say in turn these words:
“Golden is your throne,
Silver is its plaster,
In your ears are golden earrings,
And you sit like a Rajah.”
This praise pleased the jackal, and he was puffed up with his own importance.
One day a guana, or iguana, a very large lizard, called by the natives “Go,” came to the river, but when the jackal asked it to repeat the words, it said: “Let me drink first, for I am dying of thirst;” so he let it drink, and when it had finished, it said:
“Bones are your throne,
With cow dung are they plastered,
In your ears are shoes,
And you sit like a jackal.”
This made the jackal wild with anger, so he ran after the Go to kill it, and caught its tail in his teeth, just as the Go was getting into a hole. “Hoo hoo,” said the jackal.
“Don’t say Hoo, say Ha,” called the Go; so the jackal said “Ha!” and in order to say it, had to open his mouth, so the Go escaped!