The Quail And The Elephant
Once, a pair of quails built their nest on a tree in a forest. The she-quail had just laid her eggs when a herd of elephants entered the grove. Afraid that her eggs would be destroyed when the elephants pulled on the branches; the quail fell at the feet of the herd leader and begged him to protect her eggs.
The kind elephant
took pity on her and kept watch over her eggs while the herd fed on the leaves
and fruits of the trees nearby. When it was time to leave, he cautioned her
that a rogue elephant was on the loose in the forest.
“What shall I do if
he comes this way?” wailed the mother quail.
“Appeal to him for
mercy,” said the leader and left.
Soon the rogue
elephant came along, but he paid no heed to her pleas. Pulling out her nest
from the tree, he dashed it on the ground and trampled on her eggs. The
distraught quail grieved for a long time and finally decided to teach him a
lesson. She went to her friends, the ant, the crow and the frog and narrated
her plight to them. They readily agreed to help her.
When the rogue
elephant went on a rampage, the four friends put their plan into action. The
crow pecked at the elephant’s eyes, gouging them. The ant quickly entered the
eye sockets and laid her eggs in them. When the eggs hatched, the baby ants
began biting him. Almost blinded with pain, the elephant rushed through the
forest, looking for water to wash his eyes with. Meanwhile the frog stood close
to a steep precipice and croaked loudly. This led the elephant to believe that there
was water nearby. He hurtled over the precipice and dashed to his death.
