There once lived upon the earth a poor man called Ohia, whose wife was
named Awirehu. This unfortunate couple had suffered one trouble after
another. No matter what they took in hand misfortune seemed to lie in
wait for them. Nothing they did met with success. They became so poor
that at last they could scarcely obtain a cloth with which to cover
themselves.
Finally, Ohia thought of a plan which many of his neighbours had tried
and found successful. He went to a wealthy farmer who lived near, and
offered to hew down several of his palm-trees. He would then collect
their sap to make palm wine. When this should be ready for the market,
his wife would carry it there and sell it. The proceeds would then be
divided equally between the farmer, Ohia, and Awirehu.
This proposal having been laid before the farmer, he proved quite
willing to agree to it. Not only so, but he granted Ohia a supply of
earthen pots in which to collect the sap, as the miserable man was far
too poor to buy any.
In great delight Ohia and his wife set to work. They cut down the trees
and prepared them—setting the pots underneath to catch the sap. Before
cock-crow on market-day, Ohia set off, with a lighted torch, to collect
the wine and prepare it for his wife to take into the town. She was
almost ready to follow.
To his great distress, on arriving at the first tree, instead of
finding his earthen pot filled with the sweet sap, he saw it lying in
pieces on the ground—the wine all gone. He went on to the second and
third trees—but there, and at all the others, too, the same thing had
happened.
His wife, in high spirits and ready for market, joined him at this
moment. She saw at once by his face that some misfortune had again
befallen them. Sorrowfully, they examined the mischief, and agreed that
some wicked person had stolen the wine and then broken the pots to hide
the theft. Awirehu returned home in despair, but Ohia set to work once
more. He fetched a second supply of pots and placed them all ready to
catch the sap.
On his return next morning, he found that the same behaviour had been
repeated. All his wine was again stolen and his pots in fragments. He
had no resource but to go to the farmer and tell him of these fresh
misfortunes. The farmer proved to be very kind and generous and gave
orders that Ohia might have as many pots as he should require.
Once more the poor fellow returned to the palm-trees, and set his pots
ready. This third attempt, however, met with no better result than the
two previous. Ohia went home in despair. His wife was of the opinion
that they should give up trying to overcome their evil fortunes. It was
quite evident that they could never attain success. The husband,
however, determined that, at least, he would find and punish the
culprit, if that were possible.
Accordingly, he bravely set his pots in order for the last time. When
night came, he remained on guard among the trees. Midnight passed and
nothing happened, but toward two o’clock in the morning a dark form
glided past him to the nearest palm-tree. A moment after he heard the
sound of a breaking pot. He stole up to the form. On approaching it he
found that the thief was a bush-deer, carrying on its head a large jar,
into which it was pouring the wine from Ohia’s pots. As it emptied them
it threw them carelessly on the ground, breaking them in pieces.
Ohia ventured a little nearer, intending to seize the culprit. The
latter, however, was too quick for him and escaped, dropping his great
pot on the ground as he ran. The deer was very fleet, but Ohia had
fully determined to catch him—so followed. The chase continued over
many miles until mid-day arrived, at which time they had reached the
bottom of a high hill. The deer immediately began to climb, and
Ohia—though almost tired out—still followed. Finally, the summit of the
hill was reached, and there Ohia found himself in the midst of a great
gathering of quadrupeds. The deer, panting, threw himself on the ground
before King Tiger. [10] His Majesty commanded that Ohia should be
brought before him to be punished for this intrusion into such a
serious meeting.
Ohia begged for a hearing before they condemned him. He wished to
explain fully his presence there. King Tiger, after consulting with
some of the other animals, agreed to listen to his tale. Thereupon Ohia
began the story of his unfortunate life. He told how one trial after
another had failed, and how, finally, he had thought of the palm wine.
He described his feelings on discovering the first theft—after all his
labour. He related his second, third, and fourth attempts, with the
result of each. He then went on to tell of his chase after the thief,
and thus explained his presence at their conference.
The quadrupeds listened very attentively to the recital of Ohia’s
troubles. At the conclusion they unanimously agreed that the deer was
the culprit and the man blameless. The former was accordingly sentenced
to punishment, while the latter received an apology in the name of the
entire conference. King Tiger, it appeared, had each morning given Deer
a large sum of money wherewith to purchase palm wine for the whole
assembly. The deer had stolen the wine and kept the money.
To make up to Ohia for his losses, King Tiger offered him, as a gift,
the power of understanding the conversation of all animals. This, said
he, would speedily make Ohia a rich man. But he attached one condition
to the gift. Ohia must never—on pain of instant death—tell any one
about his wonderful power.
The poor man, much delighted, set off for home. When it was reached, he
lost no time in setting to work at his palm-trees again. From that day
his troubles seemed over. His wine was never interfered with and he and
Awirehu became more and more prosperous and happy.
One morning, while he was bathing in a pool quite close to his house,
he heard a hen and her chickens talking together in his garden. He
listened, and distinctly heard a chicken tell Mother Hen about three
jars of gold buried in Ohia’s garden. The hen bade the chicken be
careful, lest her master should see her scraping near the gold, and so
discover it.
Ohia pretended to take no notice of what they were saying, and went
away. Presently, when Mother Hen and her brood had gone, he came back
and commenced digging in that part of the garden. To his great joy, he
soon found three large jars of gold. They contained enough money to
keep him in comfort all his life. He was careful, however, not to
mention his treasure to any one but his wife. He hid it safely inside
his house.
Soon he and Awirehu had become one of the richest couples in the
neighbourhood, and owned quite a large amount of property. Ohia thought
he could afford now to keep a second wife, so he married again.
Unfortunately, the new wife did not at all resemble Awirehu. The latter
had always been a good, kind, honest woman. The new wife was of a very
jealous and selfish disposition. In addition to this she was lame, and
continually imagined that people were making fun of her defect. She
took the idea into her head that Ohia and Awirehu—when together—were in
the habit of laughing at her. Nothing was further from their thoughts,
but she refused to believe so. Whenever she saw them together she would
stand and listen outside the door to hear what they were saying. Of
course, she never succeeded in hearing anything about herself.
At last, one evening, Ohia and Awirehu had gone to bed. The latter was
fast asleep when Ohia heard a conversation which amused him very much.
A couple of mice in one corner of the room were arranging to go to the
larder to get some food, as soon as their master—who was watching
them—was asleep. Ohia, thinking this was a good joke, laughed outright.
His lame wife heard him, and rushed into the room. She thereupon
accused him of making fun of her again to Awirehu. The astonished
husband, of course, denied this, but to no purpose. The jealous woman
insisted that, if he were laughing at an innocent joke, he would at
once tell it to her. This Ohia could not do, without breaking his
promise to King Tiger. His refusal fully confirmed the lame woman’s
suspicions and she did not rest till she had laid the whole matter
before the chief. He, being an intimate friend of Ohia, tried to
persuade him to reveal the joke and set the matter at rest. Ohia
naturally was most unwilling to do anything of the sort. The persistent
woman gave the chief no peace till he summoned her husband to answer
her charge before the assembly.
Finding no way of escape from the difficulty, Ohia prepared for death.
He first called all his friends and relatives to a great feast, and
bade them farewell. Then he put his affairs in order—bequeathed all his
gold to the faithful Awirehu, and his property to his son and servants.
When he had finished, he went to the Assembly Place where the people of
the neighbourhood were gathered together.
He first took leave of the chief, and then commenced his tale. He
related the story of his many misfortunes—of his adventure with the
deer, and of his promise to King Tiger. Finally, he explained the cause
of his laughter which had annoyed his wife. In so speaking he fell
dead, as the Tiger had warned him.
He was buried amid great mourning, for every one had liked and
respected him. The jealous woman who had caused her husband’s death was
seized and burnt as a witch. Her ashes were then scattered to the four
winds of heaven, and it is owing to this unfortunate fact that jealousy
and selfishness are so widespread through the world, where before they
scarcely existed.