The Two Otters and the Wise Jackal

Two otters, working as a team, caught a large fish from the river — one had spotted it, the other had done the actual catching — and immediately fell into a bitter argument over how to fairly split their catch, each insisting his contribution mattered more.

A jackal, passing by and overhearing the dispute, offered smoothly to settle it fairly for them, and the exhausted otters, eager to finally eat, agreed at once. The jackal divided the fish into a head, a tail, and a middle section, declaring that the otter who had spotted the fish deserved the head for his sharp eyes, the otter who had caught it deserved the tail for his effort, and the fat, meaty middle section would go to himself — as fair payment for his time and wisdom in solving their dispute.

Before either otter could object, the jackal snatched the largest portion and trotted off satisfied, leaving the two otters with the two smallest, least appetizing pieces of the fish they had worked together to catch. Their inability to compromise between themselves had cost them the very best part of their own hard-earned meal.