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The Sultan of the crows sent a letter to the Sultan of the hawks, saying, “I want you to be my soldier.” The Sultan of the hawks replied, “I will not.” The Sultan of the crows told him, “If you refuse, you and I shall fight.” He answered, “Then let us fight. If you defeat me, I shall follow you; if I defeat you, you shall follow me.”

They fought, and the crows were defeated. Then an old crow rose and said to them, “Let us flee.” They fled from their town and went to another. When the hawks arrived and found no one there, they settled in the crows’ town.

After many days, the crows took counsel together. The old crow rose and said, “Pluck out my feathers and throw me into the hawks’ town.” They plucked him, took him there, and threw him down.

Some hawks passing by saw him and asked, “What are you doing here in our town?” He told them, “My companions beat me and drove me out of the town because I told them to follow the hawks.”

They picked him up and took him to their Sultan, saying, “We found this crow. Question him, and he will tell you his story.” The Sultan questioned him, and he said, “My companions beat me and drove me out of the town because I told them the truth. I said, ‘Follow the hawks, for theirs is the true Sultan,’ and they beat me.” The Sultan of the hawks told him, “Stay here.”

He stayed there for many days. Then one day they went to church and took him along, and they prayed together. When they came out, they asked him, “Between us and your people, who worships God more devoutly?” He told them, “You do.”

He remained there, and they grew very fond of him. When their feast day drew near, he went out at night to his companions and told them, “Tomorrow they will all go to church. Come to the church door and set it on fire.” They went out to gather firewood, while others brought fire.

In the morning the hawks went off to church, leaving no one in the town except the old crow. They asked him, “Why are you not going to church today?” He told them, “My stomach hurts terribly.” They said, “Very well.” Then he went and called his companions. “They have all gone into the church,” he told them.

The crows went and piled firewood against the church door, and the others set it alight. The fire blazed up. When the hawks saw smoke pouring into the church, they fled to the windows, but a great many died, and the Sultan died too. The crows took possession of the town.

To this day, the surviving hawks flee from the crows.