"Now then, booby!" the Jackal said, "look sharp, the God is waiting."

The Ox opened a big mouth, and in a very hoarse voice he sang--

"A nasty dirty thatch I found,
With dried-up Frogs hung all around;
And see! the mangy Jackal here,
With two dead Frogs in either ear."

You may imagine the rage of the Jackal to hear this! He fairly foamed at
the mouth. "You blasphemous beast!" screamed he, "I'll teach you to
abuse a God!" And with that he jumped down off his seat, and gave chase.

Away scuttled the Ox; and as he ran, the water he had been drinking went
gurgling inside him, flippity-flop, flippity-flop.

This sound rather frightened the Jackal. "What's that?" he cried.

"A dog at your heels," said the Ox.

The Jackal was so scared at the very name of dog,
that he turned about in no time, blind with terror,
and away he scampered as hard as he could pelt.
He was so frightened, that he did not see where
he was going; so he ran straight into
the midst of a pack of hounds, who
made short work of the
conceited Jackal.

[Illustration]

The Kid and the Tiger

A NANNY-GOAT and a Tigress were near neighbours in a certain wood, and
fast friends to boot. The Tigress had two tiger-cubs; and the family of
the Nanny-goat were four frolicksome kids, named Roley, Poley, Skipster,
and Jumpster.

But the Tigress was jealous of her friend the Nanny-goat, because Nanny
had four young ones, while she had only two. One day, as she was musing
on the injustice of her fate, she thought to herself, "What if I eat up
two of Nanny's kids, and then things will be equal? They do say, friends
have all things in common." So to Nanny-goat she hied, and said she--

"Sister Nanny, my little ones have gone out, and I am very lonely at
home. Do let one of your dear kiddies come and sleep with me, for
company. Will you, please?"

"Gladly will I, sister," said honest Nanny-goat, thinking no evil of her
friend. Then she ran out to the fields, where Roley and Poley were
rolling over each other, and Jumpster was jumping over the back of
Skipster.

"Children, children!" said Nanny-goat, "a treat for you! A kind friend
has asked one of you out to spend the night."

"Baa baa baa!" cried the Kids, running up; and then three of them called
out all together, dancing about old Nanny, "Let me go! Let me go! Let me
go!"