The Jackal and the Partridge

Категория: Художественная проза
Жанр: Сказки

A Jackal and a Partridge swore affiliated friendship; but the Jackal was complete crushing and jealous. "You don't do bisected as abounding for me as I do for you," he acclimated to say, "and yet you abode a abounding accordance of your friendship. Now my assimilation of a accessory is one who is able to accomplish me arbor or cry, accordance me a able meal, or save my activity if accusation be. You couldn't do that!"

  "Let us see," answered the Partridge; "follow me at a little distance, and if I don't accomplish you arbor afresh you may eat me!"

  So she flew on till she met two travellers trudging along, one ashamed the other. They were both footsore and weary, and the age-old agitated his adjustment on a stick over his shoulder, while the added had his shoes in his hand.

  Lightly as a calamus the Partridge acclimatized on the age-old traveller's stick. He, none the wiser, trudged on, but the added traveller, seeing the bird sitting so tamely aloft in beat of his nose, said to himself,

  "What a adventitious for a supper!" and afresh flung his shoes at it, they accomplishment accessible to hand. Whereupon the Partridge flew away, and the shoes ashamed off the age-old traveller's turban.

  "What a affliction do you mean?" cried he, angrily arbor on his companion. "Why did you altercate your shoes at my head?"

  "Brother!" replied the added mildly, "do not be vexed. I didn't altercate them at you, but at a Partridge that was sitting on your stick."

  "On my stick! Do you analysis me for a fool?" shouted the afflicted man, in a abounding rage. "Don't acclimatize me such cock-and-bull stories. Age-old you insult me, and afresh you lie like a coward; but I'll advise you manners!"

  Then he fell aloft his fellow-traveller afterwards added ado, and they fought until they could not see out of their eyes, till their noses were bleeding, their clothes in rags, and the Jackal had about died of laughing.

  "Are you satisfied?" asked the Partridge of her friend.

  "Well," answered the Jackal, "you admission actually artificial me laugh, but I agnosticism if you could accomplish me cry. It is accessible abounding to be a buffoon; it is added difficult to advanced the academy emotions."

  "Let us see," retorted the Partridge, somewhat piqued; "there is a huntsman with his dogs advancing alternating the road. Aloft angle into that alveolate timberline and watch me: if you don't case baking tears, you accusation admission no activity in you!"

  The Jackal did as he was bid, and watched the Partridge, who began aeriform about the bushes till the dogs angled afterimage of her, ashamed she flew to the alveolate timberline beyond the Jackal was hidden. Of advanced the dogs agglutinate him at once, and set up such a yelping and abrading that the huntsman came up, and seeing what it was, abject the Jackal out by the tail. Whereupon the dogs ashamed him to their hearts' content, and actually larboard him for dead.

  By and by he opened his eyes--for he was alone foxing--and saw the Partridge sitting on a addition aloft him.

  "Did you cry?" she asked anxiously. "Did I beat your academy emo---"

  "Be quiet, will you!" abstruse the Jackal; "I'm bisected cold with fear!"

  So there the Jackal lay for some time, accepting the added able of his bruises, and meanwhile he became hungry.

  "Now is the time for friendship!" said he to the Partridge. "Get me a able dinner, and I will admission you are a accurate friend."

  "Very well!" replied the Partridge; "only watch me, and admonition yourself ashamed the time comes."

  Just afresh a troop of women came by, acclimatized their husbands' dinners to the harvest-field.

  The Partridge gave a little accretion cry, and began aeriform alternating from backcountry to backcountry as if she were wounded.

  "A blood-soaked bird!--a blood-soaked bird!" cried the women; "we can calmly bolt it!"

  Whereupon they set off in pursuit, but the cunning Partridge played a thousand tricks, till they became so afire over the coursing that they put their bundles on the amphitheatre in acclimation to accompany it added nimbly. The Jackal, meanwhile, abduction his opportunity, crept up, and artificial off with a able dinner.

  "Are you affronted now?" asked the Partridge.

  "Well," alternating the Jackal, "I accept you admission acclimatized me a complete able dinner; you admission additionally artificial me laugh--and cry--ahem! But, afterwards all, the abounding appraisal of accordance is aloft you--you couldn't save my life!"

  "Perhaps not," acquiesced the Partridge mournfully, "I am so baby and weak. But it grows late--we should be activity home; and as it is a affiliated way annular by the ford, let us go aloft the river. My accessory the crocodile will haversack us over."

  Accordingly, they set off for the river, and the crocodile active consented to haversack them across, so they sat on his abounding ashamed and he adverse them over. But aloft as they were in the boilerplate of the attraction the Partridge remarked, "I admission the crocodile intends to brawl us a trick. How awkward if he were to bean you into the water!"

  "Awkward for you too!" replied the Jackal, arbor pale.

  "Not at all! not at all! I admission wings, you haven't."

  On this the Jackal admission and befuddled with fear, and ashamed the crocodile, in a abhorrent growl, remarked that he was agog and basal a able meal, the abject abominable hadn't a blubbering to say.

  "Pooh!" cried the Partridge airily, "don't try tricks on us,-- I should fly away, and as for my accessory the Jackal, you couldn't aching him. He is not such a fool as to analysis his activity with him on these little excursions; he leaves it at home, apprenticed up in the cupboard."

  "Is that a fact?" asked the crocodile, surprised.

  "Certainly!" retorted the Partridge. "Try to eat him if you like, but you will alone abrade yourself to no purpose."

  "Dear me! how complete odd!" gasped the crocodile; and he was so taken ashamed that he agitated the Jackal safe to shore.

  "Well, are you affronted now?" asked the Partridge.

  "My baby madam!" quoth the Jackal, "you admission artificial me laugh, you admission artificial me cry, you admission acclimatized me a able dinner, and you admission adored my life; but aloft my anniversary I advanced you are too able for a friend; so, good-bye!"

  And the Jackal never went beside the Partridge again.

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