The Porcupine and the Jackal's Shared Meal

A Porcupine and a Jackal went hunting together and managed to kill a small antelope. They roasted the meat and agreed to share it. But the greedy Jackal wanted it all. "Before we eat," the Jackal said, "it is our custom to go and wash in the river." The Porcupine agreed. As soon as the Porcupine had waddled off towards the river, the Jackal quickly ate all the best parts of the meat. When the Porcupine returned, all that was left were bones. The Porcupine knew he had been tricked but said nothing. The next time they hunted, the Porcupine was in charge of the meal. "Before we eat," said the Porcupine, "it is our custom to have a nap to aid digestion." As soon as the Jackal was asleep, the Porcupine took all the meat and hid it. He then took his sharpest quills and stuck them all around the sleeping Jackal. When the Jackal awoke, he was surrounded by a wall of painful spines and could not move without hurting himself. The Porcupine, eating his meal from a safe distance, said, "It seems, friend Jackal, that your nap has put you in a prickly situation."