The Jackal and the Drum

A fierce battle had once been fought between two kings' armies. After the fighting ended, the battlefield lay deserted, scattered with broken weapons, torn banners, and abandoned military equipment. Among the debris lay a large drum that soldiers had once used during the fighting.

In the forest nearby lived a hungry jackal, wandering about in search of food. As he roamed, he stumbled upon the abandoned battlefield. There, he heard a strange sound — the wind was causing the drum's rope to strike against a nearby branch, producing a rhythmic "thump-thump" noise.

The jackal was terrified by this sound. "This must be some enormous and dangerous creature, roaring loudly," he thought. "I should flee from here at once." He backed away in fear, but his gnawing hunger wouldn't let him leave the area entirely.

After watching cautiously from a distance for a while, the jackal noticed that the sound kept coming from exactly the same spot, and no creature ever appeared to move. "If this were truly a living animal," he reasoned, "it would surely shift about or wander elsewhere. Perhaps this is something else entirely."

Drawing on his wit and caution, the jackal crept closer and discovered that it was merely an empty drum, its rope knocking against a branch in the wind. His fear vanished instantly, and he laughed at his own earlier foolishness.

Curious, the jackal tore open the drum with his claws and teeth to see what lay inside. He found nothing to eat, but his curiosity was satisfied, and his fear was completely gone. He realized that being frightened of something without understanding it first is simply foolish.

Moral: It is unwise to be frightened by unfamiliar sounds or things without first understanding them. Wisdom and careful investigation should always guide us before fear takes control.