XXVIII.--HOW THE FROG BEAT THE BUSH BUCK IN A RACE, AND WON HIS
DAUGHTER AS A WIFE.
Long ago, when the men, animals, and birds were living together, there
was a bush buck who was fine and strong; he was also a very quick
runner. This bush buck had a daughter whose skin shone like a bright
red stone. She was much admired by all the men and animals, and many of
them wanted to marry her, and spoke to her father on the subject, but
he placed such a high dowry on his daughter that no one was rich enough
to pay it.
At last some of the young men, who were very anxious to possess the
pretty daughter of the bush buck as a wife, asked the father to reduce
the amount of dowry to such an amount as they would be able to pay.
As the bush buck was very fond and proud of his daughter and did not
want to part with her, he refused to reduce the dowry, but told the
young men and animals that he would give them all another chance of
winning his daughter, and that was, if any one could beat him in a
race he would hand his daughter over to the winner as his wife without
any dowry at all. In making this offer the bush buck thought he was
perfectly safe, as it was well known that he was a faster runner than
anyone in the country.
A day was appointed for the races to be held, and a long straight
course was cut. It was decided that the races should be run from one
end of the course to the other and back again to the starting-point,
and the first one to get back would be declared the winner.
When the day for the race arrived a large number of men and animals
met, and the course was lined with spectators on both sides as far as
the eye could see. Several young men who were noted for their speed and
many swift-running animals competed for the bush buck’s daughter, but
they were all beaten by the bush buck. After several races of this kind
had been held, the fame of the pretty daughter of the bush buck spread
far and wide, and many other men and animals came from distant parts to
try and win her, but without success.
One day, when the bush buck’s daughter went down to the spring to get
drinking-water, she met a young frog, who fell in love with her and
decided to ask her father’s consent to their marriage. But before
he did so the frog called all his company, who were very numerous,
together, and told them that he intended to try and win the bush buck’s
daughter, and that he would race her father. At this all the other
frogs laughed, and said that the bush buck would have finished the
course before the frog had jumped one pace.
The young frog allowed his companions to enjoy their laugh, and when
they were quiet again he said, “I have a plan, and if you will all
help me I am certain to win the race, and when I have got the bush
buck’s daughter for my wife I will give you a big feast, and it will
be a great score to us to win her where everybody else has failed.” He
then said to his company, “Are we not all alike?” And they answered
all together, with one croak, “Yes.” The young frog then told them his
plan. As they all knew, the conditions of the race were that the two
competitors were to start together and run to the end of the course,
and then return to the starting-point, and the one who returned first
would be the winner. All the young frogs were to go out in the early
morning and hide themselves in holes at intervals along the whole of
the course and one frog was to be at the turning point. Whenever the
bush buck called out, one of the frogs was to answer him and pretend he
had been running all the time.
All the frogs agreed that the plan was a good one, and promised to
help their companion to win the race. When he had thus arranged
everything to his satisfaction, the young frog went to the bush buck
and challenged him to race for his daughter. But, although the bush
buck laughed at the idea, he had to consent to run, and the race was
arranged for the following day along the usual track, and the first
home to be the winner.
Early in the morning all the frogs took up their positions along
the course, and the young frog jumped on to the course where the
starting-place was and waited for the bush buck to arrive. By this
time many people had arrived to watch the race, and soon the bush buck
joined the frog, and the signal to start having been given they both
jumped off together. But the frog returned to his hole, and the bush
buck raced off alone as fast as he could go. When he had gone about
half the distance the bush buck called out, “Where are you, frog?”
and one of the frogs at once answered, “I am here, are you tired of
running?” And the bush buck said, “Yes, I am tired. Let us run back,
and the first in shall be the winner.” So he turned round and started
off again. When the bush buck got near the starting-place the frog
came out of his hole, and directly the people saw that he had got back
before the bush buck they declared the frog to be the winner, much to
the disgust of many of the young men, who were watching the race, and
who cursed the frog for his luck in winning such a fine wife. When
the bush buck arrived he was much out of breath from running, and was
greatly surprised at being beaten by the frog, but as he had passed his
word that he would give his daughter to the winner, he handed her to
the frog.
The frog then took his beautiful wife to his house near the spring,
where they had a big play; and after the dancing was over the frog
gave all the members of his company who had helped him to win the race
quantities of food and tombo, which had been prepared for them. The
young frog then went into the water, and called upon his wife to follow
him. She went into the stream until the water came up to her neck,
but, being naturally very timid, she was afraid to go further, and
struggled back to the bank, where she said to her husband, “If you wish
to live with me you will have to come on to the land, as I cannot live
in the water.” So the frog came out and joined his wife, but he only
lived with her for a very short time, as the pretty bush buck walked so
fast he could not keep up with her. Very soon she strayed away into the
forest, where she met a fine young bush buck, and, forgetting all about
the frog, went off with her young lover. One day when she went to the
spring to draw water the frog called out to her to return to him, but,
as she refused to do so, the frog lost his wife for ever whom he had
won so cleverly.