Dove built her nest on a high rock.
Jackal came and shouted, “Give me one of your chicks!”
“No,” Dove replied, “I won’t!”
“Yes, you will!” Jackal insisted. “Otherwise, I’ll fly up there and eat you and all your chicks.”
Terrified, Dove threw a chick to Jackal, who gobbled it up and went away.
Heron saw Dove crying. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Jackal took one of my chicks,” she replied.
“How could he possibly do that?”
Dove told Heron what Jackal said.
“Foolish Dove!” shouted Heron. “Jackals can’t fly.”
The next time Jackal came, Dove laughed and said, “Go away!”
[a Khoekhoe story from Namibia]
Inspired by: "The Dove and the Heron" in Reynard the fox in South Africa; or, Hottentot fables and tales by W. Bleek, 1864.
Notes: You can read the original story online. This is another one of the stories that Bleek translated from Kroenlein's manuscript. You can read about about jackal's revenge in this story: Jackal and Heron.
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