A ram once decided to make a clearing in the woods and build himself a
house. A leopard who lived near also made up his mind to do the very
same thing.
Unknown to each other they both chose the same site. Ram came one day
and worked at the clearing. Leopard arrived after Ram had gone and was
much surprised to find some of his work already done. However, he
continued what Ram had begun. Each was daily surprised at the progress
made in his absence, but concluded that the fairies had been helping
him. He gave them thanks and continued with his task.
Thus the matter went on—the two working alternately at the building and
never seeing one another. At last the house was finished to the
satisfaction of both.
The two prepared to take up their abode in the new home. To their great
astonishment they met. Each told his tale, and after some friendly
discussion, they decided to live together.
Both Leopard and Ram had sons. These two young animals played together
while their parents hunted. The leopard was very much surprised to find
that every evening his friend Ram brought home just as much meat or
venison from the hunt as he himself did. He did not dare, however, to
ask the other how he obtained it.
One day, before setting out to hunt, Leopard requested his son to find
out, if possible, from young Ram, how his father managed to kill the
animals. Accordingly while they were at play, little Leopard inquired
how Father Ram, having neither claws nor sharp teeth, succeeded in
catching and killing the beasts. Ram refused to tell unless young
Leopard would promise to show his father’s way also. The latter agreed.
Accordingly they took two large pieces of plantain stem and set out
into the woods.
Young Leopard then took one piece and placed it in position. Then,
going first to the right, then to the left—bowing and standing on his
hind legs and peeping at the stem just as his father did—he took aim,
sprang toward the stem and tore it.
Young Ram then took the other piece and placed it in position. Wasting
no time he went backward a little way, took aim, then ran swiftly
forward—pushing his head against the stem and tearing it to pieces.
When they had finished they swept the place clean and went home.
In the evening the leopard obtained all the information about the hunt
from his son. The latter warned him that he must always be careful when
he saw the ram go backward. He kept this in mind, and from that day
watched the ram very closely.
Some time afterward it rained, making the floor of the house very
slippery. The leopard called the ram, as usual, to dine with him. As he
was coming, the ram slipped backward on the wet floor. The leopard,
seeing this, thought the other was about to kill him. Calling to his
son to follow, he sprang with all his might over the wall of the house
and fled to the woods. The ram called him back, but he did not listen.
From that time leopards have made their abode in the woods while rams
have remained at home.