THE KAMBIS, OR ANTELOPES, THE NCHERIS, OR GAZELLES, AND THE BONGO
A herd of beautiful kambis with long spiral horns were one day running
through the forest for their lives, and never stopped until they had
gone many miles, and thought themselves out of danger. They were panting
for breath, for they had run a long way and were much frightened.
When they had rested, they exclaimed: “It is a wonder that we have been
able to grow to our full size. Just think of the enemies we have
prowling in the forest, and all the time seeking to kill us! We never
know if we are safe. We have to be all the time on the lookout. The
wicked and blood-thirsty njego is always trying to take our lives. Think
of the number of kambis the njegos kill every rainy and dry season. Only
a few days ago one of these horrid njegos sprang upon us and killed one
of our number.
“There is the huge ombama; he is just as sly as, and even more so than,
all our other enemies. He coils round trees of his color, so that we
cannot see him, then darts upon us when we pass near him and squeezes us
to death.
“The mboyos [jackals] corral us, then precipitate themselves upon us and
kill us. The hyenas are also our enemies, and are just as bad as the
mboyos. The crocodiles sometimes catch us. We do no harm to any of these
wicked creatures. We are not blood-thirsty. We live on the leaves of
trees. We kill none of their prey. It is fortunate that we are
fleet-footed.”
Then a wise old kambi said: “Our greatest enemies are the human beings.
They kill more of us than all the njegos, ombamas, crocodiles, hyenas,
and jackals put together. These human beings are full of evil devices
and tricks, and have mboua [dogs] to hunt us. They spread long lines of
nets in the forest to catch us, drive us within them, and then come and
kill us.”
“Yes,” assented all the kambis. “These human beings are indeed our worst
enemies, though we do not do them any harm whatever; we do not eat their
plantains or their other food.”
As they had done speaking, and were beginning to nip at the leaves,
there came up at full speed a herd of graceful little ncheris with heads
ornamented with short, pointed little horns, and stopped.
“Good-morning, kambis,” said the little ncheris to the big kambis, who
were giants compared to them.
“Good-morning, dear little ncheris,” replied the big kambis.
“We have had a great escape,” said the ncheris. “We did not fall into
the nets the human beings had laid to ensnare us with; but we saw many
of your kind and many of ours caught by those horrid nets and dogs, as
we passed by; and other beasts also,—some of them our enemies.”
“Glad to hear it. That is good news to us, for there will be fewer of
these horrid creatures after us.”
The gazelles also wondered how they could have grown to their present
size without being killed and devoured, as they had more enemies than
the kambis, for they were smaller, and some of the night prowlers that
did not attack the big kambis attacked them.
“We are more unfortunate than you are, big kambis,” said they, “on
account of our small size. Only the biggest of the omembas can take your
lives.”
“It is fortunate,” replied the big kambis, “that the ichneumon and some
of the night prowlers kill these horrid omembas before they are full
grown.”
“Yes,” answered the little ncheris, “for if these horrid snakes were not
destroyed by them more of us would be killed every day.”
Then in a chorus all shouted: “How we hate and fear the omembas! How we
wish they and the dreadful njegos had more enemies, and that the
ichneumons were more numerous!”
As the gazelles and the antelopes were nipping at the leaves, there
appeared among them a bongo, the rarest and most beautiful antelope of
the forest. They all looked at the new-comer with amazement, and riveted
their big black eyes upon him.
Their astonishment was great, for they never had seen one like him
before. No wonder, for there were so few bongos. His graceful shape and
long spiral horns told them he was an antelope.
“How beautiful you are!” cried all the kambis and ncheris at once. “You
are the loveliest kambi we have ever seen. The bright yellow orange
color of your skin, and the many milk-white stripes on your sides are a
delight to look at!”
[Illustration: [Antelope]]
“My beauty is my curse, dear kambis and ncheris,” replied the bongo; “my
yellow color and my white stripes are my bane, for my enemies, which are
also yours, can spy me farther and quicker than they do you.”
The kambis and the ncheris could not take their eyes away from the
bongo. They admired him more and more, and proclaimed him the most
charming creature of the forest.