Jackal's Bride
:
South-african Folk-tales
Jackal, it is said, married Hyena, and carried off a cow belonging to
the ants, to slaughter her for the wedding; and when he had slaughtered
her, he put the cowskin over his bride; and when he had fixed a pole (on
which to hang the flesh), he placed on the top of the pole (which was
forked) the hearth for the cooking, in order to cook upon it all sorts
of delicious food. There came also Lion, and wished to go up. Jackal,
/>
therefore, asked his little daughter for a thong with which he could
pull Lion up; and he began to pull him up; and when his face came near
to the cooking-pot, he cut the thong in two, so that Lion tumbled down.
Then Jackal upbraided his little daughter with these words: "Why do you
give me such an old thong?" And he added, "Give me a fresh thong." She
gave him a new thong, and he pulled Lion up again, and when his face
came near the pot, which stood on the fire, he said, "open your mouth."
Then he put into his mouth a hot piece of quartz which had been boiled
together with the fat, and the stone went down, burning his throat. Thus
died Lion.
There came also the ants running after the cow, and when Jackal saw them
he fled. Then they beat the bride in her brookaross dress. Hyena,
believing that it was Jackal, said:
"You tawny rogue! have you not played at beating long enough? Have you
no more loving game than this?"
But when she had bitten a hole through the cowskin, she saw that they
were other people; then she fled, falling here and there, yet made her
escape.