In a town not very far from Anansi’s home lived a great king. This king
had three beautiful daughters, whose names were kept a secret from
everybody except their own family. One day their father made a
proclamation that his three daughters would be given as wives to any
man who could find out their names. Anansi made up his mind to do so.
He first bought a large jar of honey, and set off for the bathing-place
of the king’s daughters. Arrived there, he climbed to the top of a tree
on which grew some very fine fruit. He picked some of this fruit and
poured honey over it. When he saw the princesses approaching he dropped
the fruit on the ground and waited. The girls thought the fruit dropped
of its own accord, and one of them ran forward to pick it up. When she
tasted it, she called out to her sisters by name to exclaim on its
sweetness. Anansi dropped another, which the second princess picked
up—she, in her turn, calling out the names of the other two. In this
fashion Anansi found out all the names.
As soon as the princesses had gone Anansi came down from the tree and
hurried into the town. He went to all the great men and summoned them
to a meeting at the King’s palace on the morrow.
He then visited his friend the Lizard, to get him to act as herald at
the Court next day. He told Lizard the three names, and the latter was
to sound them through his trumpet when the time came.
Early next morning the King and his Court were assembled as usual. All
the great men of the town appeared, as Anansi had requested. Anansi
stated his business, reminding the King of his promise to give his
three daughters to the man who had found out their names. The King
demanded to hear the latter, whereupon Lizard sounded them on his
trumpet.
The King and courtiers were much surprised. His Majesty, however, could
not break the promise he had made of giving his daughters to the man
who named them. He accordingly gave them to Mr Lizard. Anansi was very
angry, and explained that he had told the names to Lizard, so that he
ought to get at least two of the girls, while Lizard could have the
third. The King refused. Anansi then begged hard for even one, but that
was also refused. He went home in a very bad temper, declaring that he
would be revenged on Lizard for stealing his wives away.
He thought over the matter very carefully, but could not find a way of
punishing Lizard. At last, however, he had an idea.
He went to the King and explained that he was setting off next morning
on a long journey. He wished to start very early, and so begged the
King’s help. The King had a fine cock, which always crowed at daybreak
to waken the King if he wished to get up early. Anansi begged that the
King would command the cock to crow next morning, that Anansi might be
sure of getting off in time. This the King readily promised.
As soon as night fell Anansi went by a back way to the cock’s
sleeping-place, seized the bird quickly, and killed it. He then carried
it to Lizard’s house, where all were in bed. There he quietly cooked
the cock, placed the feathers under Lizard’s bed, and put some of the
flesh on a dish close to Lizard’s hand. The wicked Anansi then took
some boiling water and poured it into poor Lizard’s mouth, thus making
him dumb.
When morning came, Anansi went to the King and reproached him for not
letting the cock crow. The King was much surprised to hear that it had
not obeyed his commands.
He sent one of his servants to find and bring the cock to him, but, of
course, the servant returned empty-handed. The King then ordered them
to find the thief. No trace of him could be found anywhere. Anansi then
cunningly said to the King: “I know Lizard is a rogue, because he stole
my three wives from me. Perhaps he is the thief.” Accordingly, the men
went to search Lizard’s house.
There, of course, they found the remnants of the cock, cooked ready to
eat, and his feathers under the bed. They questioned Lizard, but the
poor animal was unable to reply. He could only move his head up and
down helplessly. They thought he was refusing to speak, so dragged him
before the King. To the King’s questions he could only return the same
answer, and his Majesty got very angry. He did not know that Anansi had
made the poor animal dumb. Lizard tried very hard to speak, but in
vain.
He was accordingly judged guilty of theft, and as a punishment his
wives were taken away from him and given to Anansi.
Since then lizards have always had a way of moving their heads
helplessly backward and forward, as if saying, “How can any one be so
foolish as to trust Anansi?”