In times past there was a man who had two wives, and one was wise and one
was foolish. They owned a cock in common. One day they quarrelled about the
cock, cut it in two, and each took half. The foolish wife cooked her part.
The wise one let her part live, and it walked on one foot and had only one
wing. Some days passed thus. Then the half-a-cock got up early, and started
on his pilgrimage. At the middle of the day he was tired and went toward a
brook to rest. A jackal came there to drink. Half-a-Cock jumped on his
back, stole one of his hairs, which it put under its wing and resumed its
journey. It proceeded until evening and stopped under a tree to pass the
night there. It had not rested long when it saw a lion pass near the tree
where it was lying. As soon as it perceived the lion it jumped on its back
and stole one of its hairs, which it put with that of the jackal. The next
morning it got up early and took up its journey again. Arrived at the
middle of a forest, it met a boar and said:
"Give me a hair from your back, as the king of the animals and the
trickiest of them have done--the jackal and the lion."
The boar answered, "As these two personages so important among the animals
have done this, I will also give you what you request." He plucked a hair
from his back and gave it to Half-a-Cock. The latter went on his way and
arrived at the palace of a king. It began to crow and to say:
"To-morrow the King will die, and I will take his wife."
Hearing these words the King gave to his negroes the command to seize
Half-a-Cock, and cast him into the middle of the sheep and goat-pen to be
trampled upon and killed by them, so that the King might get rid of his
crowing. The negroes seized him and cast him into the pen to perish. When
he got there Half-a-Cock took from under his wing the jackal's hair and
burnt it in the fire. As soon as it was near the fire the jackal came and
said:
"Why are you burning my hair? As soon as I smelled it, I came running."