eed that which bird soever
should be the highest of us we will make king over us, and behold, the
Hawk is the highest of us: what say ye to him?” And they all cried out,
“We accept of him.” Accordingly they summoned the Hawk and said to him,
“O Father of Good,[90] we have chosen thee ruler over us, that thou
mayst look into our affair.” The Hawk consented, saying, “Inshallah, ye
shall win of me abounding weal.” So they rejoiced and made him their
King. But after awhile, he fell to taking a company of them every day
and betaking himself with them afar off to one of the caves, where he
struck them down and eating their eyes and brains, threw their bodies
into the river. And he ceased not doing on this wise, it being his
intent to destroy them all till, seeing their number daily diminishing,
the Crows flocked to him and said, “O our King, we complain to thee
because from the date we made thee Sovran and ruler over us, we are in
the sorriest case and every day a company of us is missing and we know
not the reason of this, more by token that the most part thereof are the
high in rank and of those in attendance on thee. We must now look after
our own safety.” Thereupon the Hawk waxed wroth with them and said to
them, “Verily, ye are the murtherers, and ye forestall me with
accusation!” So saying, he pounced upon them and tearing to pieces half
a score of their chiefs in front of the rest, threatened them and drave
them out sorely cuffed and beaten, from before him. Hereat they repented
them of that which they had done and said, “We have known no good since
the death of our first King especially in the deed of this stranger in
kind; but we deserve our sufferings even had he destroyed us one by one
to the last of us, and there is exemplified in us the saying of him that
saith, “Whoso submitteth him not to the rule of his own folk, the foe
hath dominion over him, of his folly.” And now there is nothing for it
but to flee for our lives, else shall we perish.” So they took flight
and dispersed 