THE JACKAL AND THE HARE.
Once there was a jackal and a hare living together as friends in a house. One day when the jackal went out into the open air and rubbed himself in the grass he found a pumpkin seed. He took it home and planted it. The hare then went out into the open air and rubbed himself in the grass. Hare also found a pumpkin seed. He took it home and planted it.
The seed that the jackal planted did not have water; so it died. The hare daily brought water in his ears and watered the seed. The seed sprouted, grew big and bore fruit.
When the fruit became large, Jackal and Hare decided to make Pumpkin- rice pudding. But they did not have the rice the coconuts and the rest of the things they needed to make the pudding. Hare then thought for a while and said to Jackal, “Friend let’s go down to the road leading to the shops. I will lie down on the grass by the road.
The men carrying their goods to the shops will lay them by the road and come to catch me. You then go and take the goods and come and hide in the bushes.” Jackal agreed.
The two friends went down to the road as planned. A man came by carrying a bag of rice. Hare lay down on the grass as if dead and Jackal hid himself in the bushes.
The man came near the hare and thought, “There is good meat for me today for a meal.” Then he placed his bag of rice on the road and hurried to get Hare. Jackal came running and carried off the bag of rice and hid in the bushes, As the man approached Hare, he got up and ran away.
The next day as Jackal and Hare were looking out, they saw a man carrying a pingo (carrying stick) load of coconuts. Hare went and lay down on the grass by the road as if dead, Jackal hid himself in the bushes.
The man came up to Hare and thinking he was dead, laid his pingo down and went to get Hare. Jackal hurried and took away the coconuts and hid himself in the bushes. As the man came near Hare, he got up and ran away.
The next day likewise, when Jackal and Hare were looking out, they saw a Potter carrying a pingo load of pots. Hare went and lay down on the grass by the road as if dead and Jackal hid in the bushes. The Potter laid his pingo down and went to get Hare, he got up and ran away and Jackal carried away the load of pots and hid in the bushes. Jackal and Hare then took the bag of rice, the pingo load of coconuts and the load of pots and went home. They plucked the pumpkin and cut it up. Then washed the rice and putting it in a pot placed it on the fire.
Jackal now hungry and greedy, secretly thought he would eat all of the Pumpkin-rice pudding. Whilst cooking, Jackal said to Hare, “I will prepare the pudding, in the meantime, you go and pluck two leaves, that have no point at its tip and bring them for us to use as plates.”
While Hare went to look for the leaves, Jackal ate all of the Pudding and left a wee bit for Hare at the bottom of the pot. Then he thought, “I will take a Good long Nap!” and lay down on the ash heap.
Hare in the meantime tired and hungry returned and said, “Friend, there is not a single leaf in the jungle without a point at the tip. I walked all over and found none.” Saying this he gave Jackal two leaves with ends bitten off.
Jackal stroking his hands and feet as if he was in great pain leaned towards Hare and said, “Friend what is the use of these leaves now, the Rice folk, Coconut folk and Potter folk all came and ate all of the pudding, and beating me up also rolled me over on this ash heap. There might be a little left over at the bottom of the pot. Scrape it as best as you can and put a little in your mouth and a little in mine also,” he said very cunningly. Hare then scraped the left over in the bottom of the pot, and putting a little in his mouth, put a little in Jackal’s mouth also and went to sleep.
Then Jackal said, “Friend, a tick is biting my nose, please rid me of it.” When Hare came near Jackal to kill the tick, Jackal was feeling uneasy, because he had eaten too much. Then he threw up, and vomited all over Hare’s body. Hare quickly bounded off to the river jumped in and thoroughly washed himself clean. And went back to where Jackal was still sitting.
Jackal then anxious to get cleaned asked Hare, “Friend how did you get so clean?”
Hare then said, “I went to a place where Washer-man Uncle was washing clothes, and asked him to wash me.”
Jackal then replied, “Please can you show me also the place where Washer-man Uncle is washing clothes?”
Hare then pointing to a washer-man at the river said, “Look there! he is over by the river.”
Jackal then ran to the river and said to the washer-man, “Ane! Washer-man Uncle will you wash me up a little too.”
When Washer-man Uncle saw Jackal, he put him in a gunny bag beat him up and struck him down on the washing stone a couple of times saying, “Will you eat my fowls? Will you eat my fouls again?”
The Jackal then cried out, “That will do, that will do, I am very, very, clean now.” But the Washer-man uncle kept on strikng Jackal down on the stone. Then the washer-man having washed his clothes went away.
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From that day onwards Jackal and Hare became unfriendly and the jackal said that whenever he found a hare he would eat him up.
Text from (FAVORITE FOLKTALES OF SRI LANKA
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