"Beautiful Music" is a folk tale from Ethiopia.

Once long ago, Desta, a happy-go-lucky jackal, joined Teshale the leopard in a hunt. The day was beautiful, and the two decided to hunt separately for a while.

Then Teshale caught a goat. Overjoyed, he hurried to show off his prize to Desta, but when he saw the jackal strutting toward him, his eyes opened wide and his heart sank. The jackal had captured a cow.

"How on earth can a jackal out-hunt a leopard?" the irritated Teshale wondered to himself, but he pretended not to mind. And so the two hunters put their prizes in two separate pens and, as the light was fading, off they went to sleep.

When Teshale was certain the jackal was asleep, he went to check on the size of this cow. There, under a shining moon, stood Desta's cow, and beside her stood a calf, for she had just given birth.

Teshale was furious. "A jackal does not need a cow and a calf," he said to himself. He slipped into the pen and took the calf to the enclosure where his goat slept and tethered the calf to the goat.

At dawn Teshale woke Desta. "Come look!" he cried. "My goat gave birth to a calf in the night!"

Desta followed the leopard, and when he saw the calf tethered to the goat, he shook his head. "Impossible," he said "A goat can only give birth to a kid. Only a cow can give birth to a calf. That calf is mine."

Teshale growled. "Yours? See my proof. They stand together, calf and goat. The calf is mine!"

Desta shook his head. "Proof or no, this cannot be," he said, and they argued until Teshale said, "We'll ask a judge to determine whose calf this is."

"I wish to ask three," Desta said, and the leopard agreed. "Three it is."

So they went to seek the judgment of three wise creatures.

Before long they came to a herd of gazelles. "Is anyone in this group wise?" Desta asked, and an old female bowed her head. "I'm the judge for our disputes," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"We want you to settle a dispute," Teshale said, and the two creatures told their story.

Now of course the gazelle judge knew that a goat cannot give birth to a calf, but she also knew the leopard was a dangerous fellow, so she looked straight into Teshale's eyes and said: "It is true that in our youth, only cows could give birth to calves, but times have changed, and it seems that these days a goat can give birth to a calf. It is my judgment that this calf belongs to the leopard."

"What?" Desta asked, astonished. "This cannot be. Come, Teshale, we'll find a second judge."

Before long they came upon a group of hyenas, and they asked the wisest of them to judge. Once again they told their story.

"Ahh, yes," said the hyena judge, and he nodded cautiously, recalling the harm leopards had inflicted on many of his friends. "You see, while ordinary goats can give birth only to kids," he said, "extraordinary goats can do most anything. This is an extraordinary goat. The calf belongs to the leopard."

"You cannot be serious," Desta cried. "Have you gone mad?"

"Come," Teshale said calmly, "we'll ask a third judge."

They walked until they came to a wise old baboon climbing among the rocks. "Excuse me," Desta said, tapping the baboon's broad shoulder. "Would you judge our case for us?"

The old baboon agreed. He listened as Desta and then Teshale told their stories.

When Desta finished his side of the tale, the baboon began to pick up and discard little rocks, as if he were searching for something.

"Are you looking for grubs to eat now?" Desta asked, exasperated. "Won't you judge our case before you eat?"

Just at that moment the baboon picked up a long, flat rock, and with his clumsy fingers, he began to pluck at it.

"What are you doing?" Teshale roared. "Give us your verdict. I'm hungry, and I want to get home to my calf."

"Patience, patience," Baboon said, "I'm very busy here."

"Busy?" Teshale growled. "Doing what?"

"Playing music," Baboon said casually. "I always play a little music before I judge."

"What?" Teshale cried. "You fool! You're plucking a stone. Everyone knows music doesn't come from a stone!"

Baboon looked up and nodded slowly. "But leopard," he said, "if a calf can come from a goat, then music can come from a stone. Surely you hear it."

Now Teshale understood, and though he could feel a growl rising in his throat, he nodded too. "Ah, yes, and it is lovely music."

But other creatures had gathered round, and emboldened by the baboon's wisdom and courage, they shouted together, "Baboon has proven this case. Only a cow can give birth to a calf. That calf belongs to the jackal."

Now that the other animals had turned against him, Teshale knew he had been defeated, and he returned the calf to Desta.