Wandering outside of town, a dog met a fox.
"Come with me to town!" said Dog.
"Why?" asked Fox.
"For the food!" said Dog excitedly. "We'll take what we want and have a feast."
Fox followed Dog to town. "Let's start with some chicken!" said Dog, grabbing a big, fat hen.
The people shouted and beat Dog with a club.
Fox and Dog both ran.
When Fox noticed Dog was crying, she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Education is painful," replied Dog. "They beat me to teach me lessons, but I never learn!"
Fox left the town and didn't ever go back.
[a Shilluk story from the southern Sudan]
Inspired by: "Dog and Fox" in The Shilluk people, their language and folklore by Diedrich Westermann, 1912.
Notes: You can read the original story online. The book also contains the Shilluk text; you can find out more about the Shilluk people of South Sudan at Wikipedia. This story resembles Aesop's fable about the dog inviting the wolf to come live in town, but the wolf prefers his freedom to the dog's chain.
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