ide, thought, "If that is the case I
had better call out, that he may fancy all is right in his house." And
in as gentle a voice as he could, he said, "Sweet little Jackal."

At hearing these words the Jackal felt quite frightened, and thought
to himself: "So the dreadful old Alligator is there. I must try to
kill him if I can, for if I do not he will certainly catch and kill me
some day." He therefore answered: "Thank you, my dear little house. I
like to hear your pretty voice. I am coming in in a minute, but first
I must collect firewood to cook my dinner." And he ran as fast as he
could, and dragged all the dry branches and bits of stick he could
find close up to the mouth of the den. Meantime, the Alligator inside
kept as quiet as a mouse, but he could not help laughing a little to
himself as he thought: "So I have deceived this tiresome little Jackal
at last. In a few minutes he will run in here, and then won't I snap
him up!"

When the Jackal had gathered together all the sticks he could find and
put them round the mouth of his den, he set them on fire and pushed
them as far into it as possible. There was such a quantity of them
that they soon blazed up into a great fire, and the smoke and flames
filled the den and smothered the wicked old Alligator and burned him
to death, while the little Jackal ran up and down outside dancing for
joy and singing:

"How do you like my house, my friend? Is it nice and warm? Ding-dong!
ding-dong! The Alligator is dying! ding-dong, ding-dong! He
will trouble me no more. I have defeated my enemy! Ring-a-ting!
ding-a-ting! ding-ding-dong!"

* * * * *

THE FARMER AND THE MONEY-LENDER

There was once a Farmer who suffered much at the hands of a
Money-lender. Good harvests or bad the Farmer was always poor, the
Money-lender rich. At the last, when he hadn't a farthing left, the
Farmer went to the Money-lender's house and said, "You can't squeeze
water from a stone, and, as you have nothing to get by me now, you
might tell me the secret of becoming rich."

"My friend," returned the Money-lender piously, "riches come from
Ram--ask _him_."

"Thank you, I will!" replied the simple Farmer; so he prepared three
girdle-cakes to last him on the journey, and set out to find Ram.

First he met a Brahman, and to him he gave a cake, asking him to point
out the road to Ram; but the Brahman only took the cake, and went on
his way without a word. Next