Jackal of the Pilgrim’s Broken Bargain

Overview

The jackal finds the pilgrim stranded after a hyena eats his mare and abandons her promise to serve as his mount. After hearing the whole account, he takes the saddle, saddle-cloth, bit, halter, spurs and whip, obtains a piece of meat and lays the equipment at intervals toward the hyena’s hole. The cubs have been told to deny their mother’s presence. His announcement of a fat dead cow and the sample of flesh persuade her to emerge.

As the hyena hurries toward the supposed food, she offers to carry the slower jackal. He accepts and successively picks up the gear, explaining the saddle-cloth as protection for her back and the bit as an easier handhold. Near the pilgrim she tries another route, but he turns her toward the waiting man and uses the spurs to compel the final approach. He identifies her as the man’s debtor and hands her over, warning him to stay mounted until his destination and not send her to a stream. The later violation of that warning belongs to the boys at Mecca, not to a failure of his retrieval scheme.

Origins & earliest records

Malam Shaihu supplies the written Hausa material translated and transliterated by R. Sutherland Rattray. The compiler’s Author’s Note describes a mixed written and Arabic-manuscript mediation process; this tale is not labeled a verbatim oral field transcription by a separately named narrator.

Records & interpretation

Hausa Folk-Lore, Customs, Proverbs, etc., Volume I (1913), tale 9, complete pp. 186–198; compiler methodology p. xii.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Hausa Folk-Lore, Customs, Proverbs, etc., Volume I

   Malam Shaihu, manuscript contributor; R. Sutherland Rattray, transliterator and translator · 1913

   Hausa Folk-Lore, Customs, Proverbs, etc., Volume I (1913), tale 9, complete pp. 186–198; compiler methodology p. xii.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Bilingual manuscript tale; digitized primary OCRShaihu/Rattray 1913 — Jackal of the Pilgrim’s Broken BargainResearch access: 2026-10-05
2. Compiler methodologyAuthor’s NoteResearch access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

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