“The jackal spoke first, as he had devised the stratagem; he had told his fellow conspirators what to do.  Said he, ‘Your Majesty, because it was I who made this mistake in your presence, it behooves me to offer my abject apologies, and to give you my body to eat as atonement for my sin.’ ‘No, sire,’ spoke the hyena. ‘Jackals are not permissible food for a lion.  It would be better if you would take me instead.’

“ ‘With your permission,’ interrupted the vulture, ‘the Holy Book prohibits the flesh of hyenas.  May I offer myself instead?’ ‘I do not think that vultures are recommended either,’ squeaked the rat, “but may I offer my humble self instead of my winged friend?’

“After that, they all looked at the camel, who trusted that one of them would say something to save him as well.  So he ventured, ‘I am told, sire, that rats, too, were forbidden as food by the Prophet.  So instead of a small animal that would almost certainly be too little for you to eat, may I sacrifice myself, seeing how kind you have been to me by letting me eat your grass all this time.’

“No sooner had the camel said this than the other animals fell on him.  The hyena quickly bit his throat, after which they all feasted on fat camel meat.  As you see, the camel was the only good character among those six, and he was the one who was killed unjustly by the lion’s parasites.”

Gathering of Fruit from the Lubya Tree, from Aja'ib al-Makhluqat (Book of marvels of the world), Baghdad, 1388.

A very good question

Following a period of reflection, the king said, “A very good story, that one.  But how can a king distinguish between good counsel and bad? This jackal had a treacherous but clever nature, but the other jackal, the one that bit a bowstring, was stupid.  How can one discern between them, seeing that they all look alike?” “A very important question, Your Majesty,” said the storyteller.  “Your answer can be found in this next tale.”

The two parrots. “Once upon a time a parrot had laid two eggs, which hatched in its nest in the forest.  Before they could fly a bird dealer came through the forest, spotted the nest, climbed the tree, and stole the two young parrots.  He put the nestlings in his basket and took them to his shop in the city.  When they were full grown, he sold one to a sailor and the other to a scholar.