In the scorching heart of the African wilderness, where the sun blazed mercilessly across endless plains and the earth cracked like broken pottery, a terrible drought descended upon the land. Rivers dried to dust, watering holes became barren craters, and every creature great and small faced the grim specter of thirst. It was during this desperate time that Lion, the mighty king of beasts, called together a council of animals to devise a plan for survival.
The assembly was impressive, gathering some of the most resourceful creatures of the savanna. There was Baboon with his clever hands and quick wit, Leopard with his silent strength, Hyena with his powerful jaws, the swift footed Hare, the patient Mountain Tortoise, and lastly, the cunning Jackal whose reputation for cleverness was matched only by his selfishness.
Lion’s proposal was both simple and brilliant: they would work together to scratch out a large hole in a suitable location, creating a dam that could capture and hold the precious rainwater when it finally returned to bless the land. The gathered animals nodded in agreement, understanding that their very survival depended on this cooperative effort.
When the morning sun rose the next day, casting long shadows across the chosen site, the animals began their backbreaking labor. Baboon’s strong arms pulled away rocks and debris, Leopard’s powerful claws tore through packed earth, Hyena dug tirelessly with determined persistence, Hare darted about clearing smaller obstacles, and Mountain Tortoise, despite his slow pace, worked steadily without complaint. The air filled with the sounds of scraping, digging, and the heavy breathing of creatures united in common purpose.
All except one. Jackal prowled around the work site like a restless shadow, his golden eyes watching the others’ efforts with calculated indifference. Occasionally, workers would catch him muttering under his breath, complaining that he had no intention of scratching his precious nails off for the sake of making water holes. While his neighbors labored under the burning sun, Jackal sought shade and comfort, contributing nothing to the vital project.
Days of exhausting work finally paid off when the rains arrived in torrential sheets, filling the carefully constructed dam with crystal clear water. The animals who had toiled so hard gathered around their achievement with joy and pride, their thirst finally quenched by the fruits of their labor. The water sparkled like liquid diamonds in the sunlight, promising life and hope for the harsh days ahead.
But their celebration was short lived. The very first creature to approach the dam for a drink was none other than Jackal, who had contributed absolutely nothing to its creation. Not content with simply drinking his fill, the selfish trickster filled his clay pot with the precious water, then proceeded to leap into the dam itself. He splashed and swam deliberately, stirring up mud from the bottom and turning the once pristine water murky and contaminated.
When news of this outrageous behavior reached Lion’s ears, the king’s roar of fury echoed across the plains. His golden mane bristled with righteous anger as he summoned Baboon and armed him with a massive knobkirrie, a heavy wooden club that could deliver devastating blows. Baboon was instructed to hide in the thick bushes near the dam and guard it against further abuse by the ungrateful Jackal.
The next morning, Baboon concealed himself in the dense foliage, gripping his weapon tightly and watching the approaches to the water with keen eyes. But Jackal’s cunning mind had already anticipated such measures. As he approached the area, his sharp senses detected Baboon’s presence immediately, and his devious brain began working on a plan to turn the situation to his advantage.
Knowing well the legendary weakness that all baboons possessed for sweet honey, Jackal began an elaborate performance. He marched back and forth within sight of Baboon’s hiding place, periodically dipping his fingers into his clay pot and licking them with exaggerated expressions of pure bliss. In a voice just loud enough for Baboon to hear, he muttered to himself, “I don’t want any of their dirty water when I have a pot full of delicious honey.”
The deception worked perfectly. Poor Baboon’s mouth began to water uncontrollably as he watched Jackal’s apparent enjoyment of the imaginary honey. Hours passed as Baboon maintained his guard duty, growing increasingly hungry, tired, and desperate. Finally, unable to resist any longer, he called out from his hiding place, begging Jackal to share just a small portion of the honey that seemed so wonderfully sweet.
At first, Jackal pretended not to notice Baboon’s pleas, continuing his theatrical performance. Then, with masterful timing, he looked around as if surprised to discover he was being watched. With a tone of patronizing pity, he told Baboon that he felt sorry for such an unfortunate creature and would be willing to share his honey, but only under certain conditions. Baboon would have to give up his knobkirrie and allow himself to be tied up by Jackal.
Blinded by hunger and the promise of honey, Baboon foolishly agreed to these terms. Within moments, Jackal had bound him so tightly that he could move neither hand nor foot. Once Baboon was completely helpless, Jackal revealed the cruel truth of his deception. There was no honey in the pot, only water, and now Jackal proceeded to drink freely from the dam, refill his vessel, and swim mockingly in full view of his captive.
To add insult to injury, Jackal spent considerable time taunting poor Baboon, calling him a fool for being so easily duped and occasionally striking him on the head with his own knobkirrie. The proud guard had become a prisoner, humiliated and helpless.
When the other animals arrived to check on the dam, they found Baboon in this pitiful state, the very picture of misery and shame. Lion’s fury knew no bounds. Not only had Baboon failed in his duty, but he had been made a laughingstock by the very creature he was supposed to capture. The king ordered severe punishment for Baboon and denounced him as a complete fool before the entire assembly.
It was then that Mountain Tortoise, who had been quietly observing the situation, stepped forward with surprising confidence. He offered his services for the capture of the elusive Jackal, a proposal that initially struck the other animals as absurd. How could such a slow, seemingly defenseless creature succeed where the strong and armed Baboon had failed?
But when Tortoise explained his ingenious plan, even Lion had to admit its cleverness. The strategy involved covering Tortoise completely with bijenwerk, a thick, sticky black substance found on beehives that would trap anything that touched it. Tortoise would then position himself at the entrance to the dam, right at water level, disguising himself as a convenient stepping stone.
The plan was put into action immediately. Tortoise was coated from shell to head with the adhesive substance and took his position at the water’s edge, looking for all the world like a large, black rock that someone had thoughtfully placed there for easy access to the water.
The following day, Jackal approached the dam with his usual caution, his sharp eyes scanning for any sign of guards or traps. Finding no obvious threats, he grew confident and ventured closer to the water’s edge. Upon seeing what appeared to be a perfectly placed stepping stone, he actually complimented the other animals on their thoughtfulness, remarking how considerate they had been to provide such a convenience.
The moment Jackal’s front paws touched the supposed stone, he realized his terrible mistake. His feet stuck fast to the adhesive surface, and to his horror, the “rock” began to move as Tortoise revealed his head with a satisfied expression.
Panic seized Jackal as he struggled against the sticky trap, but his violent movements only made his situation worse. Still having his hind feet free, he threatened to smash Tortoise with them if he was not released immediately. Tortoise’s calm reply was simply, “Do as you like.”
True to his threat, Jackal made a violent leap backward, only to discover with mounting horror that his hind feet were now also firmly stuck to Tortoise’s shell. Desperation drove him to make increasingly wild threats, including a promise to eat Tortoise alive with his teeth and mouth, which remained free.
Once again, Tortoise gave his maddeningly calm response: “Do as you like.”
In a final, desperate attempt to free himself, Jackal lunged forward to bite Tortoise, sealing his own fate as his head became stuck alongside his feet. He was now completely trapped, unable to move any part of his body.
Tortoise, feeling justly proud of his successful capture, began a slow, triumphant march up the bank with Jackal stuck firmly to his back. The sight was both ridiculous and satisfying, the cunning trickster finally caught by his own greed and overconfidence.
When the other animals arrived at the dam, they found this incredible scene: Jackal completely helpless, attached to Tortoise like an unwilling passenger. The assembly erupted in amazement and praise for Tortoise’s cleverness, while poor Baboon was once again reminded of his failure and disgrace.
Lion, acting in his role as king and judge, immediately condemned Jackal to death for his crimes against the community. Hyena was appointed as executioner, his powerful jaws and ruthless nature making him perfect for the task. But even facing certain death, Jackal’s cunning mind continued to work, searching for one last opportunity to escape.
He pleaded desperately for mercy, his voice filled with false remorse and promises of reform. When these appeals fell on deaf ears, he made what appeared to be a final, reasonable request. Addressing Lion with elaborate flattery about his fairness and justice, Jackal asked only that his death be quick rather than prolonged suffering.
Lion, curious about this request, asked Jackal to specify exactly how he wished to die. The condemned prisoner requested that his tail be shaved smooth and rubbed with fat to make it slippery, and that Hyena should then swing him around twice before dashing his brains out on a rock.
This method seemed reasonable enough to Lion, who ordered it to be carried out in his presence to ensure proper execution of the sentence. As requested, Jackal’s tail was shaved and thoroughly greased with fat until it was as slippery as could be achieved.
Hyena, eager to complete his grim task, grasped Jackal’s prepared tail with tremendous force and began to lift him for the fatal swing. But the cunning prisoner had planned for exactly this moment. Before Hyena could properly lift him from the ground, Jackal twisted and slipped from the executioner’s grasp like water flowing through fingers, his greased tail providing the perfect escape mechanism.
In an instant, Jackal was free and running for his life across the savanna, his legs carrying him with desperate speed while behind him the outraged animals gave chase. Lion led the pursuit, his powerful legs eating up the ground as he sought to recapture the escaped prisoner.
The chase continued across rocky terrain until Jackal, his strength beginning to fail, spotted salvation in the form of an overhanging cliff. Reaching the precipice just ahead of his pursuers, he positioned himself beneath the rocky overhang and assumed a pose of extreme strain, pressing his shoulders against the stone and standing on his hind legs as if supporting tremendous weight.
When Lion arrived, breathing hard from the chase, he found Jackal in apparent distress, calling out urgently for help. The trickster claimed that the rock above was falling and would crush them both unless Lion immediately helped him hold it up. The deception was so convincing, and Lion’s instinct to preserve life so strong, that the king immediately put his own powerful shoulders against the cliff face and began straining with all his might.
After some time passed with both animals apparently supporting the rock, Jackal suggested that he should carefully creep out from under the overhang and fetch a large pole that could be used to prop up the stone permanently. This would allow Lion to escape safely from the dangerous situation.
Lion, focused entirely on preventing the imaginary catastrophe, agreed to this plan. Jackal slowly and carefully extracted himself from beneath the cliff, promising to return quickly with help. But once free from the supposed trap, the cunning trickster simply ran away, leaving Lion pressed against solid rock, straining against weight that existed only in his deceived mind.
There Lion remained, a victim of his own noble instincts and Jackal’s final, masterful deception, holding up a cliff that was never in danger of falling, until exhaustion and starvation would eventually claim even the mighty king of beasts.
Moral Lesson
This powerful African folktale teaches us that selfishness and greed ultimately lead to isolation and conflict with one’s community. While Jackal’s cunning allows him to escape immediate consequences, his actions destroy the trust and cooperation essential for survival in harsh environments. The story also demonstrates that those who refuse to contribute to the common good often end up taking advantage of others’ hard work, but such behavior eventually catches up with them. True wisdom lies in working together for mutual benefit rather than seeking personal advantage at others’ expense.
Knowledge Check
Q1: What problem prompted the animals to work together in this African folktale? A1: A great drought had struck the land, drying up all water sources. Lion called the animals together to devise a plan for retaining water when the rains returned, leading to their decision to dig a large dam to hold rainwater for the community.
Q2: How did Jackal avoid contributing to the dam construction while benefiting from it? A2: Jackal refused to work on the dam, claiming he wouldn’t scratch his nails off making water holes. However, he was the first to use the completed dam, not only drinking from it but also filling his pot and swimming in it, deliberately making the water muddy and dirty.
Q3: How did Tortoise successfully capture Jackal when Baboon had failed? A3: Tortoise covered himself with bijenwerk, a sticky black substance from beehives, and positioned himself at the dam’s entrance disguised as a stepping stone. When Jackal stepped on him, he became stuck fast to the adhesive coating and couldn’t escape.
Q4: What was Jackal’s final escape method from his death sentence? A4: Jackal requested that his tail be shaved and greased with fat, then asked Hyena to swing him by the tail before killing him. The slippery tail allowed him to slip from Hyena’s grasp and escape. He then tricked Lion into holding up a cliff that wasn’t actually falling, leaving the king trapped while he fled.
Q5: What does the dam represent symbolically in this African folktale? A5: The dam symbolizes community cooperation and shared resources essential for survival. It represents how collective effort benefits everyone, while also showing the consequences when individuals take advantage of communal work without contributing their fair share.
Q6: What cultural values does this folktale promote about community and individual responsibility? A6: The story emphasizes the importance of contributing to community projects for mutual survival, especially during hardships like droughts. It warns against selfishness and freeloading, showing that while cunning may provide short term advantages, it ultimately leads to conflict and isolation from the community support system.
