The Judgment of the Vulture

Bouki the Hyena and Leuk the Hare were arguing over a field of peanuts. Bouki claimed he had done all the work of clearing the land, so the harvest was his. Leuk claimed he had done all the work of planting and weeding, so it was his. They decided to go to the Vulture, who was a respected elder, for a judgment. The Vulture listened to both sides. Then he said, "I cannot decide based on your words alone. We will have a test. You will both run to that distant tree and back. The one who arrives first is the true owner of the field." Bouki, being much larger and stronger, was sure he would win. As they ran, Leuk, being small, stayed right behind Bouki, so close that his footprints fell exactly inside the Hyena's larger ones. When Bouki reached the tree and turned, he saw only his own tracks leading from the start. "Aha!" he thought, "Leuk has given up!" He loped back slowly and boastfully. When he arrived, he found Leuk already there, relaxing. "How did you get here?" Bouki cried. "I saw no tracks but my own!" Leuk replied, "I traveled so fast that I left no tracks at all." The Vulture, who had seen the whole trick, smiled and awarded the field to Leuk, not because he was faster, but because his cleverness proved he was the one who had truly worked the field with his mind, not just his muscles.