[From African Folktales in the Fairy Books of Andrew Lang, originally published
[From African Folktales in the Fairy Books of Andrew Lang, originally published in The Pink Fairy Book (1897), based on a story in Contes populaires des Bassoutos by Édouard Jacottet, 1895. See item #121 in the Bibliography. The illustration is by Henry Justice Ford.]
There was once a dove who built a nice soft nest as a home for her three little ones. She was very proud of their beauty and perhaps talked about them to her neighbours more than she need have done, till at last everybody for miles round knew where the three prettiest baby doves in the whole countryside were to be found.
One day a jackal who was prowling about in search of a dinner came by chance to the foot of the rock where the dove’s nest was hidden away, and he suddenly bethought himself that if he could get nothing better, he might manage to make a mouthful of one of the young doves.
Now, the dove was nearly driven distracted at the jackal’s words but, in order to save the lives of the other two chicks, she did at last throw the little one out of the nest. The jackal ate it up and went home to sleep.
But the heron replied, “You should not have believed him. He could never have jumped so high. He only deceived you because he wanted something for supper.” And with these words, the heron flew off.
He had hardly got out of sight when again the jackal came creeping slowly round the foot of the rock. And when he saw the dove, he cried out a second time, “Ohe, ohe, mother dove!
This time the dove knew better, and she answered boldly, “Indeed, I shall do nothing of the sort,” though her heart beat wildly with fear when she saw the jackal preparing for a spring.
However, he only cut himself against the rock and thought he had better stick to threats, so he started again with his old cry, “Mother dove, mother dove! Be quick and give me one of your little ones, or I will eat you all up.”
But the mother dove only answered as before, “Indeed, I shall do nothing of the sort for I know we are safely out of your reach.”
The jackal felt it was quite hopeless to get what he wanted and asked, “Tell me, mother dove, how have you suddenly become so wise?”
“It was the heron who told me,” replied she.
“And which way did he go?” said the jackal.
“Down there among the reeds. You can see him if you look,” said the dove.
Then the jackal nodded good-bye and went quickly after the heron. He soon came up to the great bird, who was standing on a stone on the edge of the river and watching for a nice fat fish. “Tell me, heron,” said he, “when the wind blows from that quarter, to which side do you turn?”
“And which side do you turn to?” asked the heron.
The jackal answered, “I always turn to this side.”
“Then that is the side I turn to,” remarked the heron.
“And when the rain comes from that quarter, which side do you turn to?”
And the heron replied, “And which side do you turn to?”
“Oh, I always turn to this side,” said the jackal.
“Then that is the side I turn to,” said the heron.
“And when the rain com