The Undertakers by Rudyard Kipling. Short summary

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Crocodile Ogre Megger is at least a hundred years old. He has seen a lot in this life — war and many deaths. But one day the crocodile meets death at the hands of his unfortunate victim.

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In India, there were three grave-dwelling animals living near a village. The huge old crocodile Megger had killed many people in his lifetime. The villagers feared and revered him. The jackal was cowardly, always hungry and always cunning. He cleared the garbage heaps and ate carrion. The jackal fawned and fawned over the ugly crocodile. The bird scavenger Adjutant also showed deference to Megger, but had a high opinion of himself.

One day the jackal and the Adjutant got together to listen to the old crocodile’s stories. First he complained that people no longer respected him, and then he told them how he had first met white people and almost dragged a child to the bottom. The crocodile told of the war he had witnessed. The number of corpses in the water frightened even the old ogre.

The jackal and the bird parted with the crocodile. But then they noticed white men walking toward the river to kill the predator. The scavengers did not warn the crocodile of the danger. Each thought that the crocodile’s remains, would make a good delicacy.