THE NSHIEYS, OR FISH, AND THEIR ENEMIES
As the dry season was approaching, many of the fish of the sea said to
one another: “It is time for us to go to the rivers of the great forest
where we were born, for the dry season is at hand, and the time is
coming for us to lay our eggs.”
One of the habits of many fish of the sea is that throughout their lives
they always go back year after year to the river in which they were
born. This pilgrimage takes place during the dry season when the rivers
are clear, the current less swift, and the water lower. The fish know
the seasons as well as birds.
When the fish in shoals began their migration towards the coast, they
knew their way well through the depths of the sea to those rivers just
as if they had had a star to guide them. They also had landmarks, for
the bottom of the ocean has tall mountains, hills, narrow and broad
valleys, just like the surface of the earth; it has also varied forests
and growths such as seaweeds, coral trees, etc.
While the fish swam along the shore they recognized the rivers from
which they had originally come, and ascended these, while other fish
that followed in their wake continued to swim along the coast farther on
until they came to their own river. Not all that started reached their
destination. They were much diminished in numbers, the bigger fish
having gobbled up many on the way.
[Illustration: [Flamingos]]
When the fish were on their migration, many birds who prey on fish,
frogs, and other creatures, and who were in far away lands, said in
their turn: “Now it is about time for us to begin our yearly journey to
the rivers and lagoons of the great forest, for the fish are coming
there, and the ponds in the prairies by the sea are going to be dry or
shallow, and it will be easy for us to catch our prey.”
Among the birds that thus spoke were large long-legged cranes and
storks, also fishing eagles, herons, flamingoes, ibis, many pelicans,
and the ugly marabouts who have so many fine feathers.
They all rejoiced in advance at the prospect of future good meals.
The big cranes, storks, and herons said: “Our long, sharp, pointed
beaks, our long legs, and powerful wings are great possessions, for they
help us to get our living. With our legs we wade in the water to seek
our food; with our slender necks and long beaks we seize our prey, and
when our hunting grounds are far apart, our wings carry us swiftly to
them.
“We have also very good eyesight, but in spite of all the gifts we
possess, if we were not wary and intelligent, we should not be able to
get our living.”
The pelicans praised their big, webbed feet which allow them to swim
fast, their big pouches which could hold many fish, and their mighty
wings which enabled them to rise from the water and fly when they are
heavy with their pouches full of fish.
All these birds began their journey at about the same time. Those that
were farther away or who did not fly so fast started before those that
were swifter on the wing, for all knew exactly how long it would take to
make the journey, and all hoped to be the first to arrive on the
hunting-ground.
Many of the ibis had started from the shores of the Nile, where in
ancient days their kin was sacred among the Egyptians.
As one looked up into the sky he could see at times birds flying from
the east, north, and south (only gulls from the west, where the ocean
was), some following the shore, all on their way to the rivers, lagoons,
and prairies of the great forest. Some of them were in pairs, others in
larger numbers. Those who were in flocks had their leaders at their
heads.
How strange they looked as they flew through the air! The great cranes
and storks, with their long legs stretched back to their full length and
parallel with their bodies and protected by them, so that in their
flight they might not be impeded by the wind. How knowing they were!
The pelicans had their feet close to their bodies, for otherwise these
would have obstructed their flight if they had been hanging down.
Onward and onward they flew, covering an immense distance in a day,
resting here and there to feed or to sleep. At last they all reached
their destination.
The cranes, the storks, walked for prey in the prairies, where there was
water, or where it had almost disappeared. The flamingoes, the herons,
the ibis, and their kind were busy along the shores of rivers and
lagoons; the pelicans swam about majestically. All had a good time, but
the fish, the frogs, and other creatures had not, for their enemies, the
birds, had arrived in great numbers.