PukhtunWomen

Once there was a very hungry fox and though he knew the consequences of entering the village, his hunger negated his common sense. He made his way to the hen coop of the closest farmer and crawled in through a small space between the door and the post.

The farmer had grown wiser over the years had made a very high roost for the hens. The fox tried jumping as high as he could and just as he thought he had got hold of one of the hens he felt himself falling down. The fox ended up in a barrel of white wash and all the hens just laughed at him. He could feel his front paw throbbing from where it had hit the side of the barrel.

Slinking out, he was now not only hungry, his spirits were down too and his paw hurt like crazy. He picked up a stick and started to walk on his hind two legs to keep pressure off his hurt paw, and tried to get away as fast as he could before the farmer woke up with the coming dawn.

As he hurried a long a rooster called out

Mama, Mama cherta zay? (Uncle, uncle where are you going?)

Charta nazam ( I am going nowhere), said the angry fox.

You must be going somewhere all dressed in white, and carrying a stick, I think you are going on a pilgrimage, said the rooster.

The fox assessing the situation quickly said.

Zu Hajj la zum (I am going for the Hajj)

Mama, Mama, ma da zan sara na biya yey (Uncle, Uncle, wont you take me with you)

Wagey ba shey, tagey ba shey bya ba rata jarey. ( you will get hungry and thirsty and then you will cry)

Na ba wagey kaygama, na ba tagey keygama aw na ba derta jaram. ( I wont get hungry and I wont get thirsty, and nor will I cry). said the rooster

Dey mla tha mi radanga (hop onto my back then) said the fox.

The rooster happily complied.

A little further down they met a hen, who on seeing the rooster on the fox's back immediately asked where they were going.

Zu Hajj la zum (I am going for the Hajj)

Mama, Mama, ma da zan sara na biya yey (Uncle, Uncle, wont you take me with you)

Wagey ba shey, tagey ba shey bya ba rata jarey. ( you will get hungry and thirsty and then you will cry)

Na ba wagey kaygama, na ba tagey keygama aw na ba derta jaram. ( I wont get hungry and I wont get thirsty, and nor will I cry). said the hen.

Dey mla tha mi radanga (hop onto my back then) said the fox.

With the hen and rooster on his back, the fox tried to get home as quickly as possible, but walking on two legs and having to carry the hen and rooster made it a hard job.

As he hurried along, a Mullah Chargak ( a bird with a beautiful crown of feathers) called out

Zu Hajj la zum (I am going for the Hajj)

Mama, Mama, ma da zan sara na biya yey (Uncle, Uncle, wont you take me with you)

Wagey ba shey, tagey ba shey bya ba rata jarey. ( you will get hungry and thirsty and then you will cry)

Na ba wagey kaygama, na ba tagey keygama aw na ba derta jaram. ( I wont get hungry and I wont get thirsty, and nor will I cry). said the bird.

Dey mla tha mi radanga (hop onto my back then) said the fox.

Adding a goose to his retinue too, the fox finally reaches his den. The birds are all a little surprised at this stop, but they accept the explanation of the fox having to rest a while and make further preparations for the long journey ahead. Meanwhile the fox tries to think of how to and which one to eat first.

A little later the rooster not able to contain his excitement any longer lets out a cock-a-doodle-doo.

The fox pounces on him and swallows him in one gulp and explains to the shocked birds that it was necessary, because how would they continue on such a long journey with some one so disruptive.

The fox promptly falls asleep, while the three birds try to be as quite as possible.

The hen who has not laid an egg all day starts clucking and tries to make a place to nest and lay an egg. The fox who is awake again, claims that the hen is mocking him by all that clucking and eats her, as he explains to the other two birds why it is important not to have some one so disrespectful going with them for such a long journey.

The goose who has sat quietly all day desperately needing to take a quick swim asks permission to do so, but the fox eats her too, saying that how can someone who can not make it one day without water expect to go along on such a long journey.

The Mullah Chargak who has assessed the whole situation quickly says,

you must be thirsty uncle let us go and I will get you some milk to drink.

They go back towards the village and on seeing some Gujran women taking milk to the market, the mullah chargak pretending to be hurt jumps a few steps ahead of them. the women on seeing this beautiful bird obviously injured and easy to catch put down their milk and start chasing after the bird. The bird leads them as far away from the milk as it can and the fox drinks his fill.

The bird then flies back to the fox and says

Uncle rest, while I go and find some more milk.

The fox who is very full and sleepy happily complies.

Mean while the bird goes and finds a farmer working in his fields and playing injured leads him to the sleeping fox. The farmer kills the fox and the bird flies off happily knowing his friends have been avenged.