Told by HAR PRASÁD, Brahman, of Saráya Aghat,
District Etah, N.W.P.
Camel grazing, entangles nose-string in a tree--Confused in mind,
appeals to Jackal--"Brother, I will free you for one _seer_ of
flesh"--He agrees--Jackal asks the tongue--"Have you a witness?"--Jackal
tries all the beasts, offering half of all he gets--Wolf refuses--Jackal
explains that the Camel will die, and they will get all his body--He
then agrees, and swears it--Camel opens his mouth, curls back
tongue--Jackal cannot catch the tongue--Wolf tries--When the head is
well in, Camel closes his jaws--"O _Dâdâ_ (father), what is this?"--Says
Jackal, "The result of lying," and runs away--Wolf dies.
In Oriental folk-lore the jackal takes the place which the fox occupies
in the Western world, and numerous tales are told of his cunning. This
fact has formed the base of an argument to prove that the European Beast
tales originated from the East (Tawney, "Katha Sarit Ságara," ii. 28).