The Fox's Trick
- Lamhui gi Tat -
- Animal Fables-
Fungawari Singbul by B. Jayantakumar Sharma *
Art Work - Phurailatpam Banti
Animal Fables:
Funga Wari Singbul: Page 10
Lamhui gi Tat
Once upon a time in a jungle, there lived a clever fox and a python with her babies.
One fine day, the fox saw the python and her well fed healthy babies. Seeing the healthy babies, the fox wanted to eat it so much so he started making plans already.
He sat down and started scribbling on the ground making it believe that he was studying when the python and the babies came. Seeing it, the Python asked what he was doing. The fox said he was practicing astrology.
The Python always dreamed of making its babies astrologer so she requested the fox to teach her babies astrology so that they too can became astrologers. The fox was so happy inside but he didn't reveal that he was happy. He slowly said, "Okay I will see to it".
So the next morning, the python babies came for the tuition. The fox taught some useless things and told them to come early tomorrow. As the babies go out from his narrow door one by one, the fox caught the last one and ate it up.
So in a few days, all the babies were eaten by the clever fox. The foolish python started realizing the fox's trick only after she lost all her babies.
One day, the python thought of killing the fox so she came and hide herself in his burrow. When the fox returns, he sense danger so he started calling out, "Ho Home, Ho Home".
The python didn't response at once but she thought it was a usual routine so she replied, "Yes I am here, please come in". The clever fox knowing the python was inside ran away.
Again, another day, the python saw the fox on a river bank. She really plans to kill the fox.
She thought, "Fox likes dead animals so I will act like a dead cow and swim towards him".
The python came floating like a dead cow and when the fox saw it, she called out, "Oh dead cow, please swim towards me". The python started to swim towards the fox and seeing that, the fox ran away.
One day, when the fox came out searching for food, he met the python face to face. He started running for his life but the python caught him by his tail.
He thought for one last trick and said, "It's not my tail, it's a Toura".
The python really believe what the fox said and released the tail.
The fox fled for some distance and turned towards the python and said, "It's not a Toura, it's my tail". The python chased him again but in vain.
Motto: Those who do bad things will always live with it.
* This is a Manipur folk tale translated from a Book in Manipuri "Fungawari Singbul" compiled by B. Jayantakumar Sharma. E-pao.net thanks B. Jayantakumar Sharma for giving permission to be reproduced in this website. Translation done by Team e-pao. This was webcasted on October 15, 2011.
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