The Sa'-Zada Tales

by Burt L. Standish

  THIRD NIGHT

  THE STORIES OF GIDAR, THE JACKAL, AND COYOTE, THE PRAIRIE WOLF

  "To-night," commenced Sa'-zada, "we are to have the interesting lifestory of the two half-brothers, Gidar and Coyote."

  "A thief's tale of a certainty," chuckled Magh.

  "In my land, which was Burma, there were none so useful as we," beganGidar. "Not of high repute our mission, perhaps, but still useful,being scavengers; and to this end we are all born with a fair appetite;but useful always, even Bagh knows that. I was Lieutenant to one of hiskind--a great killer he was--for a matter of two years. Then he came byway of a dispute with the Men-kind, and they finished him in shortorder.

  "Now, you know, Brothers, our kind have steadily worked southward fromIndia, pushing into new lands from all time, even like the Sahibs,until we are now half down through Burma. It must be a dull land thathas not our sweet song at night. If there were but a Pack here now we'dsing you a rare chorus."

  "I've heard the song," quoth Bagh; "it's wretched."

  "How goes it?" asked Wolf. "Our Pack has a cry of great strength; the'bells of the forest,' the Redmen call it."

  "It's somewhat this way," said Jackal, and sitting on his haunches heraised his long, sharp nozzle high in air, stretching his lean throattoward the moon that glinted fretfully through the swaying trees; andon the still, quiet night air floated his cry of far-off India:

  "'_Oo-oo-oo-oo-oo-o-o-o-o-o! I smell a dead Hindoo-oo!_'

  "That would be my cry, Brothers. Then from all quarters of the junglethe Pack would take up the song and sing back:

  "'_Where, where, where, where, where, where?_'

  "And I would answer back cheerily:

  "'_Here, here, here, here, here, here!_'

  "Then all together we would sing with all our lungs:

  "'_Oo-oo-oo-o-o-o-o-h Mussulman or Hind-oo? Here, there, or anywhere, All flesh is flesh, we do not care._'"

  "A charming song," sneered Magh.

  "Ah, I cannot give it right; you should have heard it, littleEater-of-sour-fruit, in the dead closeness of a Burman jungle, from themany throats of a hungry Pack.

  "The people of that land liked the song full well, and they nevermolested us. But life was one continuous struggle for food. We were notslayers like Chita, or Bagh, or Python; or stealers of crops like Boarand Rogue Hathi; almost as simple in our way of life as Mooswa.

  "I remember once a fat Dog-pup of the Terrier kind, which I bagged. Itwas all the fault of the Pup's master; he tried to kill me."

  "You had probably been singing to him," said Sa'-zada.

  "We had, I admit," answered Jackal. "It was on Borongo Island; two men,Sahibs they were called there, you know, lived in a bungalow built onhigh posts, after the manner of all houses in that land. The bungalowwas built on the shore, and every day the water came up under it, andthen went back again. This was a most wise arrangement of the water'straveling, for it threw up many a dead Fish and Crab for our eating.

  "Well I remember the cook-house was a little to one side from thebungalow, with a poor, ill-conditioned bamboo door to it. Regularly,doing our scavenger work, we used to clean up that cook-house, eatingeverything the servant-kind had not devoured. Several times I made agreat find in that very place, for the cook, it appears, was a mostforgetful fellow. When there was nothing left for us in the way offood, we'd carry off the pots and pans into the jungle grass; why, Ihardly know, but it seemed proper to do so.

  "Neither do I know which of the Pack first started singing under thebungalow; but this also afforded us much content. Many hours on in thedark we'd all steal gently down from the jungle, and gather under thehouse. Then, as one, we'd give voice to the hunger cry together, untileven the Sahibs would shout in fear. It was good to make the Men-kindafraid; but also we would flee swiftly, for the two Sahibs would rushout like a jackal that had suddenly become possessed of much poisonedmeat, and 'bang, bang, bang' with the guns.

  "I had much to do with Men, and just when I thought they were fullcross because of our serenade, what was my surprise to find eachevening a full measure of rice put in a certain place for me. 'It isfull of the datura' (poison), I thought, and watched while a leanPariah Dog from the village ate it. But there was nothing wrong withit. So the next evening I made haste to get a full share of it myself.As I ate, hurriedly I must say, twang-g! came a mighty Boar-spear.

  "But only the shaft of it struck my back, so I made off with greatdiligence. I heard the Sahib say as he picked up the spear, 'Missedhim, by Jove!' You see, he had been hiding in a corner of the bungalow.But I was hungry, and the rice was good--most delicious--so I creptback with two comrades, and keeping to the thick grass, stalked thebungalow most carefully. I saw the Sahibs all at their eating, for thedoor was open, it being hot; you see, he thought I wouldn't come backso soon.

  "'I will eat with you,' I said, and made straight for the rice; but itwas nearly all gone; the Terrier Pup of which I have spoken, and whichbelonged to this very Sahib who had thrown the spear, was justfinishing his Master's bait.

  "'Oh, you wicked Dog!' I said, 'to steal my supper this way,' andknowing that his master was in the habit of throwing spears at thatvery spot, I picked him up and carried him to the jungle for safety.

  "'Oh, oh E-u-u-h!' how he squealed, and the Men-kind left their eating,and came rushing after us with much shouting, but it was dark and theyhad no chance of catching us."

  "And you ate the poor little fellow?" asked Mooswa.

  "Horrible!" cried Magh, "to eat a Dog."

  "Not at all bad stuffed with rice, I assure you," declared Gidar. "Fora day or two I kept more or less out of the way; I was afraid theSahibs might be very angry.

  "It was two nights after this I discovered more rice some distance fromthe bungalow in a pail which was sunk in the ground, and over thisstood a couple of posts that had not been there before. I rememberedthat, so I sat by quietly watching this new thing, and trying to decidewhat it might be.

  "Now the Sahibs had two pigs, and as I watched, along came these two,grunting, and shoving things about with their long noses, and presentlyone of them discovered the rice in the pail.

  "'Ugh, ugh, ugh!' said he, 'just a mouthful of this will do me good.'You know, of course, a pig eats first and thinks after, so in this casehe plunged his big head in the pail, and 'zip! whang!' went something,and before I could jump to my feet he was dangling in the air hung bythe neck; he didn't even have a chance to squeal. Of course his matetook to his heels and cleared out, while I finished the rice, knowingthe evil was in the custody of my Squeaker friend. In the morning thePig was dead."

  "It's a fine thief's tale," commented Magh, "but in the end they caughtyou right enough."

  "Not there," corrected Gidar; "that was another place. A Sahib who hadcome to the jungle seeking dwellers for such places as this, made thetaking; but with him one might as well be caught first as last, for heknew more of our ways than we knew of his. Now let Coyote speak; I amtired."

  "Does Coyote come from Burma, too, O Sa'-zada?" queried Magh.

  "No, he's from Mooswa's country; from the great plains away in the farWest. There is not much in The Book about Coyote; that is, not muchthat's good."

  "I knew it," laughed Magh; "I've watched him there in his cage which isopposite mine, day after day, and I never saw a smile on his face."

  "You should be put in the cage with Hyena," declared Coyote, "if youthink an animal has got to grin all the time to be of fair nature. Orof what use are you, little pot-belly, or the whole of yourtribe--Hanuman, Hooluk, or Chimpanzee--none of you worth the nuts youeat; and yet you're always grinning and chattering, and playing fooltricks about the cage. You're a fine one to judge your fellowcreatures."

  "Coyote just sits there and scratches Fleas, and growls, and snaps athis mate--he's a low-born sort of Wolf," continued Magh.

  "He's not of our kind," declared Wolf; "it's all a lie."

  "Never mind, never mind," cried Sa'-zada, "no dou
bt like all the restof us he has his good and bad qualities."

  "I was once starving," resumed Coyote. "You who have lived in a warmland where something is growing all the year round, know nothing of thehunger that comes when the fierce blizzard blots out everything, andthere is only snow, snow, everywhere. Can one eat snow? It's all veryfine for you with a paunch full of candy to sit there and prate aboutstealing, but if Wie-sak-ke-chack puts the hunger pains in one'sstomach and the fat bacon--Ghurr-h-h! but the juice of it is sweet whenone is near dead--puts the fat bacon behind log walls, what is one todo, eh? Does a fellow dig, dig, dig through earth so hard that he mustbite it out with his teeth, dig deep under the log walls for sport asthe Cubs play in the sunshine, or just to steal? Bah, you who havenever known hunger know not of this thing. Why, once when the groundwas frozen hard, and I was dying inch by inch, some fierce-toothedAnimal inside me biting, biting--only of course it was the hungerchewing at my stomach--I dove fair through the window of a log shack toget at the meat inside. The glass cut me, to be sure, but that wasnothing to the hunger pain that goes on, on, never ceasing until thereis food, or one is dead.

  "I saved a man's life once at a post called Stand-Off. The place cameby its name in the days of a mighty fight when my Man and his comradesstood off the Mounted Police. These Men had been given as bad a name asCoyotes even. My Man may have been bad, too; but how was I to know,being only a Coyote? He was always throwing me bones and pieces ofbread, and whistling to me, and calling me Jack.

  "Now this place Stand-Off was on the river flat, and one night inspring-time I heard a great flood coming down the Belly River. It was astill night, and the noise of the rushing water came to my ears formiles, but the Men heard it not, for they were all in the Shacks. FastI galloped down over the flat near to the Shack where was this Man whohad often thrown me a bone. I whimpered, and whistled, and barked thedanger call, and howled the death-coming song, and finally my friendcame to the door and threw a stick of wood at me, and spoke fierceoaths. Then he shut the door. I could hear the roaring getting louderand louder, and knew that soon it would be too late for all theMen-kind; not that I cared, except for this one. On one side of thetown was the swift-running Belly River, and beyond a high-cut bank; onmy side was the flat land that would soon be many feet deep with iceand rushing water. So I howled louder than ever, and he came out andstrove to kill me with a Firestick, but I only ran a little piece intothe darkness, and howled again.

  "Being a Man of much temper he chased me, and the noise brought out theothers, for they thought it was Indians. I sought to lead him over tothe side of the flat land which was next the sloping hill, knowing fullwell that the new water would flow there first.

  "All at once he ceased running behind me, and I, who was listening,knew that he scarce breathed he was that still. Now, he will hear it,I thought; and in an instant I heard him cry to the others: 'Boys, wemust pull out from this--there's a devil of a freshet coming.' That wasthe way of the Men from Stand-Off; many strange words of a uselessneed.

  "I tell you, Comrades, it was soon an awful night; here and there theMen ran trying to save something--their Horses and guns for most part,even some of the evil firewater; and the strong swearings they usedsounded but just as the whimpering of Wolf Pups, the wind was thatfierce, carrying the dreadful roar of the Chinook flood.

  "You who have heard Bagh and Hathi scolding at each other, with perhapsBlack Panther and Bald Eagle taking part, may know somewhat the like ofthat night's noises.

  "Seeing that my Man was coming riding swiftly on his Cayuse, I, too,ran quickly for the upland; but, as I have said, just in the hollowwhich was there, being the trail where once had run the river, theflood was rushing even as I have seen it in the foot-hills--the flatland was surrounded.

  "As the Men galloped up they stopped, and spoke evil words at theflood, rushing up and down looking for a ford. I also was afraid tocross.

  "Suddenly I thought me of a place I knew well lower down, wondrous likea Beaver dam, though I think there had been no Beavers in the landsince Chief Mountain was a hole in the ground. I barked, to call my Manfriend, and ran toward this spot.

  "I HEARD MY MAN SAY ... 'STRIKE ME DEAD IF HEHASN'T ...'"]

  "'There goes that locoed Coyote,' I heard him say; 'he's trailing for acrossing; damned if I don't follow him. Come on, you fellows,' andafter me they galloped like madmen.

  "Just below the place that was like a dam the water was not too bad,for the ice had jammed up above, and it was spreading out all over theflat. I plunged in, for, Comrades, it was a time of great hurry.Swimming a river is not of my liking--none of my kind like it--but thisseemed an evil night altogether, with no choice but to reach theuplands.

  "'Sure thing! the Coyote's dead to rights on this outfit,' I heard myMan say; and wallow, wallow, in the bronchos came, splashing andsnorting. And so we crossed just as the ice broke in the jam, and sweptdown like the swift rolling of many stones. I heard my Man say as theyall got down from the horses to empty the water out of their longboots, 'If I ever clap peeps on to that Coyo again, I'll shove grubpile into him till he busts. Strike me dead if he hasn't saved thewhole outfit of us.'

  "Anyway I knew there would be much feeding and no harm if I kept closeto these evil Men-kind, for they were great givers.

  "I sought to save the one man, and if there be any credit it comes tome because of that; the others followed him, and even they said _he_had saved them."

  "I think it is a true tale," declared Mooswa, "for I once had ahappening in saving the life of a Boy who had been good to me."

  "What happened to the Men's place, Dog-Wolf?" queried Sa'-zada.

  "In the morning there was nothing--nothing but great pieces of ice allover the flat. Then the Men trailed for a place called Slideout, wherewere more evil men of the firewater way of life, and I followed,arranging it so that my Man saw me, and that day when he killed anAntelope, he left a sweet piece of the eating for me; and I might havelived all my life close to their camp in great fatness, but for theevil chance that drew the Men-kind close to a place called MacLeod. Andit was there, being pursued by ferocious yellow-haired Dogs, I hid in aHen-house and was caught. At first they were for killing me, but therehappened a Man-Pup of that house who cried for me as his Doggie, andlater came one of the Men-kind, gave blankets in exchange for me, and Iwas sent here to the place where is Sa'-zada."

  "He is either a great liar, or not so bad as is written in The Book,"commented Sher Abi, the Crocodile; "but in my land where was hisBrother, the Jackal, I never heard good of his kind."

  "I am sure it is a true tale," declared Sa'-zada; "Coyote could nothave made it up."

  Fourth Night

  The Story of Raj Bagh, the King Tiger