The Meeting at the Clearing near the Old Fort

Karadi sat as usual on the flat stone set upright against the tyrunk of an old teak tree. Juno sat next to him: his cloth bag heavy with books dangling from the brach of a tree. Henry the Hyena sat surrounded by a ring of uniformed guards holding a smart blackberry cell phone in his hands and was speaking in a loud and offensive manner. The other animals began looking at him, hoping that the raquet that he was making would come to an end.

Karadi began by saying that a large number of two legged creatures with heavy equipment have moved into a part of the jungle kingdom and were busy cutting down trees and setting up a camp. The spies had reported that a number of guns were also seen and that the two legfged creatures were building fortified bunkers. Kakadi asked the meeting: What can we do. Do we fight for our Jungle or do we make peace with those who have invaded our territory. Henry the Hyena was the first to spring to his feet and said in a loud voice "We will fight in the jungle, we will fight on the river and we will fight in the air and retain our freedom". Henry the Hyena had once heard these famous words of a large two legged white ape with a cigar in his mouth uttering some words which seemed to echo the sentiments Henry tried to communicate.

The animals listened to Henry the Hyena and fell silent. Karadi then asked for the opinion of the assembled group of animals. You are here to take a decision" said Karadi, " and I expect you to stand by your decision". Juno the Jackal rose from his seat. Silence desended and the animals leaned forward to hear him.

"friends" said Juno, "we cannot resist the invasion of the two legged creatures as they are armed with powerful weapons. Our weapons are old and our army is not trained to face such a situation. We cannot win a conventional war and we have to resort to strategy". Hearing this Henry the Hyena screamed loudly, "see even Juno has turned defeatist. He wants to surrender to the invaders". Juno replied' "do not distort what I have said. I only want to draw our attention to the practical detail with regard to our strenght. Caution is not cowardice".

Hearing these words Karadi spoke out in favor of a diplomatic solution to the problem. He said that he and Juno would try to negotiate a settlement with the two legged creatures.

The Meeting at the Old Fort

The animals came in their droves. A meeting at the clearing near the Old Fort was no ordinary event in the affairs of the Jungle Kingdom. Juno the Jackal was among the first to arrive. He had wrapped an old scarf round his neck and had worn the old tweed coat that he had inherited from his late father. A few moments later Henry the Hyena drove in with a swirl of dust raised by the wheels of the convoy of cars and SUVs which accompanied him. Henry the Hyena believed that the ruling class did not take the canine species very seriously and so raised the bogey of "backward" animals and was agitating for a certain fixed number of seats from the non-clawe, non-woofed denizens of the forest. Juno the Jackal found the politics of Henry extremely divisive, but there was little that he could do as Henry the Hyena could whip up the passions of his ilk.

A little later Karadi the Bear, the prime Minister of the Jungle Kingdom arrived o his old moto cycle, an army surplus vehile that karadi's uncle had once presented him. He did not ask for the use of a car and escorts as Karadi believed that his position was one of service and not of power and pelf. He stll lived in the old cave by the river and did not allow the Defence Minister of the Jungle Kingdom to post security guards saying that if he could not feel secure in his position he had no right to be the Prime Minister. Karadi had rather old fashioned views and he greatly admired Juno the Jackal.