The Jackal and the Alligator
Little Jackal was very fond of shellfish, especially crabs, clams and mussels. One time he put his paw right into the water to grab a shellfish without looking first, which you should never do!
Alligator lived in the mud on the river bank. His eyes were covered in mud. But, he felt something touch his tongue and, SNAP! Alligator caught Jackal's paw in its jaws. Jackal had seen the way that the Alligator caught its prey. It grabbed animals. Then it backed into the river and rolled over and over, drowning its catch in the muddy waters. It ate whatever it caught.
Jackal had to think very fast, or he would become dinner for the Alligator. He began to laugh, "Hee, Hee, Hee. Old Alligator is not very bright! I'm glad he grabbed that stick I put in the water instead of my paw! I hope he likes getting splinters in his mouth."
Alligator was hidden in the mud along the shore. He had not seen what he bit down on. "I don't want splinters in my mouth." So he opened his mouth. The Jackal got away.
Jackal laughed, "Hee, Hee, Hee."
"Thanks, Mr. Alligator, for letting me go.
How kind of you to be so slow!"
Jackal ran away as fast as it could. Alligator was very angry.
Little Jackal kept away from the river for a week. But he soon began thinking about eating shellfish. He had to go to the river and find one to eat. He looked around at the river's edge and did not see anything that looked like the old Alligator. But, he had learned not to take chances.
Jackal loudly said, "When I don't see any crabs on the shore, I usually see some sticking out of the water. Then I stick in my paw in the water to catch them."
Old Alligator was hiding in the mud at the bottom of the river. "I'll put my nose up and pretend it's a crab. When Jackal puts his paw in the water, I'll grab him and eat him" He put the end of his snout above the water and waited.
Jackal saw the snout and said, "Thanks, Mr. Alligator, for showing me where you are. I think I will go have dinner somewhere else. Jackal laughed, "Hee, Hee, Hee."
"Thanks, Mr. Alligator, for letting me go.
How kind of you to be so slow!"
Jackal ran away as fast as it could. Alligator lunged forward but could not catch him. He was so angry that he thrashed his tail back and forth and snapped his jaws up and down.
After this, Jackal kept away from the river for two weeks. But he soon began thinking about the shellfish by the river's edge. They were so delicious that he just had to go to the river and find one to eat. He looked around at the river's edge. He did not see anything that looked like old Alligator. But, he had learned not to take any chances.
Jackal said out loud, "When I don't see any crabs on the shore, or sticking up out of the water, I usually see them blowing bubbles from under the water. The little bubbles go pop, pop, pop, and they show me where the juicy crabs are. Then I stick in my paw in the water to catch them."
Alligator was hiding in the mud at the bottom of the river. "Ill just blow some little bubbles with my nose and pretend that Im a crab. When little Jackal puts his paw in the water to catch it, I'll grab him and eat him for my dinner." Then Alligator blew tiny bubbles out of his snout. "Pop, pop, pop."
Jackal saw the bubbles and said, "Thanks, Mr. Alligator, for showing me where you are. I think I will go have dinner somewhere else." Jackal laughed, "Hee, Hee, Hee."
"Thanks, Mr. Alligator, for letting me go.
How kind of you to be so slow!"
Jackal ran away as fast as it could. Alligator lunged forward, but he could not catch the Jackal. He was so angry that he thrashed his tail back and forth, and he snapped his jaws up and down, and this time he stamped his feet!
Little Jackal did not go near the water after that even though he liked to eat those crabs and mussels and clams. Instead, he found a garden where wild fig trees grew. The figs from the trees were delicious, so he went to that garden every day to eat figs that fell from the trees.
Old Alligator found this out amd went to the garden to wait for little Jackal. He crawled out of the river and dragged himself over the ground to the garden. There he made a huge pile of figs under the biggest fig tree, and he hid under the pile of figs.
Jackal came to the garden as he did every day. But he had learned to be careful. When he saw the huge pile of figs, he thought, "That pile of figs might be a good hiding place for Alligator. He said, "The little figs I like the best are the fat, ripe, juicy ones that drop off when the breeze blows. Then the wind blows them back and forth over the ground. The figs on that big pile are sitting so still that they must all be bad figs."
Alligator thought, "I will have to move and shake a little so it looks like the wind is blowing the figs around. Then little Jackal will come to eat the figs. I will grab him and eat him for my dinner." Alligator wiggled and shook and made the figs fly all over.
Jackal saw the figs moving and said, "Thanks, Mr. Alligator, for showing me where you are. I think I will go have dinner somewhere else." Jackal laughed" Hee, Hee, Hee."
"Thanks, Mr. Alligator, for letting me go.
How kind of you to be slow!"
Jackal ran away as fast as he could. Alligator lunged forward, but he could not catch the Jackal. He was so angry that he thrashed his tail back and forth, and he snapped his jaws up and down, he stamped his feet, and this time rolled his eyeballs!
Alligator was so angry and so hungry that he crawled through the brush all the way to Jackal's house. He pushed and pulled his big body through the tiny opening to Jackal's den. When he was inside, he turned around and opened his mouth and waited for little Jackal to get home and come inside.
Before long little Jackal came home. But he had learned to look before going anywhere. He looked at the ground outside his house. It looked like something heavy had been dragged over the ground. He looked at his doorway and saw it was smashed open on the sides. It looked as if something very big had gone through it. "I bet old Alligator is in my house," he thought to himself.
"How strange?" said the little Jackal out loud. "My house usually speaks to me. Why don't you speak to me and tell me hello like you always do?" asked little Jackal. "You always say, 'Hello, little Jackal.' Then I know everything is all right, and I come inside. I wonder if something is wrong with my little house."
Alligator thought to himself, "I had better pretend to talk like the house, so little Jackal will come inside." Then he said in a sweet voice, "Hello, little Jackal!"
Uh Oh! Little Jackal became frightened. He knew that old Alligator was inside his home. He also knew that old Alligator was not going to stop trying to eat him. "I have to make an end of him before he is the end of me," thought little Jackal. Then he said out loud, "Thank you little house for calling me. It's good to hear your voice. I will be inside in just a minute. I must gather some firewood so I can cook my dinner. Then I will invite all my friends to come for dinner."
"Yum," thought the old Alligator. "I will be able to eat little Jackal AND his friends." So he closed his eyes to nap while he waited for dinner time.
Little Jackal left his house. He gathered up firewood and more firewood and more firewood. He piled the wood against his doorway and on the roof and around the sides of his house. Then he set fire to it. As the fire began to burn he gave his Jackal laugh, "Hee, Hee, Hee."
"Thanks, Mr. Alligator, for letting me go.
How kind of you to cook so slow!"
The fire smoked and burned until it cooked that old Alligator all the way through. Then the little Jackal invited his friends over to have Alligator for dinner.
Dr. Mike Lockett is an educator, storyteller and children's author from Normal, IL. Dr. Lockett has given more than 4000 programs across the USA & as far away as eastern Asia. Contact Mike by writing to Mike@mikelockett.com in order to book him for a storytelling program or young authors program or to inquire about purchasing his books and CDs.