Once there was a man named Go'so, who taught children to read,
not in a schoolhouse, but under a calabash tree. One evening, while
Goso was sitting under the tree deep in the study of the next day's
lessons, Paa, the gazelle, climbed up the tree very quietly to steal
some fruit, and in so doing shook off a calabash, which, in falling,
struck the teacher on the head and killed him.
When his scholars came in the morning and found their teacher lying
dead, they were filled with grief; so, after giving him a decent
burial, they agreed among themselves to find the one who had killed
Goso, and put him to death.
After talking the matter over they came to the conclusion that the
south wind was the offender.
So they caught the south wind and beat it.
But the south wind cried: "Here! I am Koo'see, the south wind. Why
are you beating me? What have I done?"
And they said: "Yes, we know you are Koosee; it was you who threw
down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have
done it."
But Koosee said, "If I were so powerful would I be stopped by a
mud wall?"
So they went to the mud wall and beat it.
But the mud wall cried: "Here! I am Keeyambaa'za, the mud wall. Why
are you beating me? What have I done?"
And they said: "Yes, we know you are Keeyambaaza; it was you who
stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw
down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have
done it."
But Keeyambaaza said, "If I were so powerful would I be bored through
by the rat?"
So they went and caught the rat and beat it.
But the rat cried: "Here! I am Paan'ya, the rat. Why are you beating
me? What have I done?"
And they said: "Yes, we know you are Paanya; it was you who bored
through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south
wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash that struck
our teacher Goso. You should not have done it."