All the animals of the jungle were having a meeting. There was a crisis. Word had spread like a cold chill through the forest that some rogue lion had gone mad. At least that was what every jungle dweller thought. The citizens of the animal kingdom lions were killers alright, but that they only killed for food or to defend territory against their cousins the leopard and the cheetah; and yes, quite often the king of the jungle, the male, maned lion had to set the record straight with the mangy hyena when it attempted to grab a meal from the lion's family dinner platter. The majority of the animals knew that some of them could end up on the lion dinner table but that was once in a lifetime and there was safety in numbers. A lot of other animals carnivorous predators who were partial to the vegetarian diet of the herbivores killed for the pot too. So, the current fear sweeping across the jungle had little to do with fear of being eaten by the anti-social lion on the loose. This particular lion seemed to kill for fun. It was, in the view of the shocked jungle inmates, a serial killer who killed senselessly and without remorse. The lion on the prowl appeared to kill and gore its prey mercilessly, often leaving its mauled victim on the verge of a long and agonizing death, uncared for by relatives.
The animals recalled that just a week ago, Mmutlenyana the hare, had been killed in this gruesome manner and left uneaten to rot and make the jungle smell of death and a foreboding sense of peril. The previous day, Phokoje the jackal, had suffered the same fate although it was known that lions did not eat members of the dog or cat family; and the jackal was not so much of a nuisance around the lion's dining area. Phokoje with his pointy mouth did not eat much and usually dashed away from a lion feeding frenzy with unwanted entrails of a kill. This jackal had, therefore, perished for no apparent reason. It was clear, upon wildlife investigation, that the culprit was the rogue lion because, as it were, Kgabo, the monkey and setlhora the squirrel had, during their sentry duties, witnessed some of the killings. Setlhora and Kgabo were trusted sentries who never lied.
It was in this mood of fear and despair that a voice squeaked a suggestion:
"I think we must hunt this mad lion down and kill him instantly. He is a menace to the animal society."
All the animals turned to scrutinize the speaker. It was the voice of petit Peba, the mouse.
"And do you want to lead the lion hunt, eh, Peba?"asked Thutlwa , the giraffe.
"Well," Peba replied nervously. "I may be small and helpless folks but I am a citizen too. And I feel threatened too. With everybody scared silly, my family is the target of every meat-eater who wants a snack. Look fellows. United we can do a lot. Take you Thutlwa. You have a kick powerful enough to kill a lion; and you Nare, the buffalo, your horns may be facing all directions but you are strong and powerful, with a demolishing forehead. You, Phiri, the hyena. I don't care much for your jeering giggles and laughter but your families have often cornered lionesses and forced them to flee, leaving a fresh kill. Your jaws are formidable."
Peba went through the rest of the animals identifying their various traits and strengths. the animals knew he was telling the truth; united they could either kill the rogue lion or at least cause it to flee their territory. The key word was united. How do they unite when they were such a variety of different species? Who would start the attack when they confronted the lion? Mmutlenyana whose family had been killed by the lion, cleared his voice loudly before speaking, pricking his long ears to attract attention and knowing that his big round eyes on a small face made up for his tiny frame; and also aware that the animals considered him clever... virtually declared the think tank of the jungle.
"I think Peba has a point. We're cousins-twice-removed, that's why he's often smart. But Peba thinks small as always. We've got to think big and that means tricking the lion. If we don't trick him, at just the first roar, Phiri the hyena will spray us all with his diarrhoea and the battle would be won by the lion."
Despite the tension of the moment, the animals laughed. Mmutlenyana continued:
"I've survived many attacks not just because I'm fast but mainly due to the tricks I play on my attackers."
The animals, groaned impatiently this time, though respectful of Mmutlenyana's intelligence and fully aware of the lion's claws and jaws.
There was a massive movement and a high pitched voice broke in:
"Well," said Tlou, the elephant, moving into the centre of the meeting. "My family and I can easily crush this lion of yours. What's the fuss all about? I don't like shortcuts; and when I do take shortcuts my weight just can't take it. So we crush the lion. do you want me to do it?"
Every animal respected Tlou's physical prowess and imposing structure, but the animals also distrusted Tlou's traditional strategy of brute force, most times without using common sense even where such strategy would have worked. The animals also knew that if they sat Tlou and his family on the enemy hunt, the elephants would merely runover every lion on sight and that could upset the balance of power in the animal kingdom and wreak havoc. Cornered lions could be dangerous and their rage could easily spark a civil war in the kingdom. No one wanted a situation where hyenas might emerge victorious due to their large numbers and sheer love for fun and a good fight. Hyenas did not mind wars because they ate virtually everybody in the kingdom and so the battle ground would provide them with plenty of fuel to win the war.
Mmutlenyana spoke again:
"No. we must think of ways that will not set animal against animal. Our survival lies in togetherness. I'm for a trick on the lion. Something that will disarm the lion and allow us to win only over him; not to antagonize the rest of his species. Those fellows are mean and I'm their favourite snack when they don't have enough food. I am to lions what Peba is to Phokoje the jackal."
The animals thought and thought again but they could not come up with either trick or strategy. When they began to worry that there was a stalemate, a tiny voice floated from the rear of the crowd.
"
"Fellows, fellows, fellows! I know that some of us have been killed mercilessly, but why did that happen? Let's find the reason for the lion's unusual behaviour and then we can address the problem."
It was Khudu, the tortoise. The rest of the animals were annoyed. Tortoise had this way of slowing down everybody and at that particular time the animals were even more annoyed at the thought that tortoise was probably the safest among all of them because of his hard-shelled mobile home. He could afford to be theatrical.
"If you're so smart, Khudu, why don't you go after the lion?" It was Nare, the buffalo. He was irritable because he knew that the animals may end up nominating him to take the lead in the attack. Jungle comrades bragged about his intelligence apart from strength. He was thought to be almost as intelligent as a human child of eight years and that put him way ahead of other citizens of the jungle.
At the thought of Khudu the tortoise going after the lione, the rest of the animals lughed and for a moment the tension subsided.
"I'll do it!" That was Khudu the tortoise, to everyone's shock. "I will go after the lion."
"I'll help him," said Mmutlenyana the hare.
"What?" All the animals asked in a chorus. It was incredulous that the smallest of the animals, one too slow for everything, should have been the first to volunteer in this deadly pursuit. The animals were even more amazed when the tortoise and the hare refused to divulge their plan. Nonetheless, for lack of a better plan, the animals dismissed the hare and the tortoise as touched individuals but allowed them to proceed with their shemes.
As it turned out, Mmutlenyana and Khudu evolved a plan. First Mmultlenyana looked for the lion. He found it. As he had suspected, he found that it was an old and severely injured beast hiding in a thicket. When the hare approached the lion he saw that it had a great deal of diffculty moving. the lion grimaced and roared at the slightest motion, sending animals in the vicinity, running helter-skelter, not knowing from which direction the road came. Mmutlenyana studied the injured lion carefully before getting closer to its hiding place in the thicket. On closer scrutiny, Mmutlenyana saw that a broken piece of a cruel human metal trap for animals still clutched the lion's right paw , blocking its blood circulation. The pain had driven the lion beserk. Rushing back to the tortoise, the two animals confided and the toroise approached the lion and said:
"Lion, oh, old lion. If you will put your paw close to my shell you pain will ease."
Irritated, the lion roared, but the sharp pain that bit into his paw made him soften a bit, seeking any type of help. the toroise approached the lion. mmutlenyana cautiously pushed the lion's paw towards the toroise. Khudu squirmed a little, spraying the lion's paw with his smelly urine. The lion roared in anger, but seeing the small animals unimpressed by his antics, the lion relaxed. Khudu, with Mmutlenyana's help put the lion's paw between his neck and the shell; twisting his head to the left, the tortoise held the lion's paw in a ight grip. As the lion growled in pain and outrage, the hare bit the lion's tail. The old lion swung around flicking the tortoise into the air, as he did. When that happened the manacled trap jaws slipped over the sticky toroise urine and came off. the toroise was thrown off and landed on his back. Laughing, despite the gravity of the situation, the hare helped the toroise back on his feet and the two of them watched the whimpering lion as it nursed a bruised but less paining paw.
During the subsequent days, the tortoise kept on urinating on the lion's paw. The ammonic acid in the urine acted as a pain killer and disinfectant. Soon the lion was extremely hungry and weak in the thicket, but could once again step on his paw. A relieved lion old the hare and the tortoise about his plight:
"I could not hunt and so my pride through me out. My sons took over the pride. Even antelope herds started teasing me. you know how springboks are. I was livid with rage and frustration. the pain made me want to kill everything on sight."
"And you did, said the hare. "You killed my family."
"I'm sorry Mmutlenyana, "said the lion. "Whatever can I do for you?"
Tortoise retorted:
"The jungle knows no cruelty. Eat or be eaten. We live through the deaths of others."
Hard as it were, the hare nodded philosphically.
It was at that moment that a group of pronking antelope passed by. Seeing the lion in the thicket with a toroise and a hare, the head of the flock approached the thicket with a mocking shake of his horns.
"Dear oh dear! Lion, you've seen your worst days. In your dying moments your last meal will be a stinking tortoise and this morsel of fur called hare. Pathetic, I say. You are pathetic."
As the pronking springbok started his ritual, the lion pounced and made the easiest kill of his life. Toroise and hare left the lion feeding and went to report to the rest of the animals that there was no mad lion in their jungle. Peace reigned. In the antelope herd, the next strongest young male took over, and re-wrote the law of the jungle to add "wittest" after "fittest"!
THE END
Author: Andrew Sesinyi
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