is always a hole in the ground; and, as he was hard pressed in his
flight, he dashed into the first hole he came to, which happened to
be a small opening into a cave. But his tail was not yet drawn in and
Leopard was so near that he seized it. Projecting from the mouth of
the hole there was also the small root of a tree. Rat called out,
"Friend Njegâ! what do you think you have caught hold of?" "Your
tail!" said Leopard. Said Rat, "That is not my tail! this other thing
near you is my tail!" So Leopard let go of the tail, and seized the
root. Rat slid quickly to the bottom of the hole, and called out,
"O! Njegâ! I did not think you were so silly! You had hold of my
tail, and you let me go! You just look at your hand; you will see my
tail-hairs clinging to it!"
Leopard went away in wrath; and, finding Frog at a near-by brook, he
said to him, "Rângi! you just watch. I do not want Ntori to escape
from that hole. Watch, while I go to get some fire, with which to
burn him out."
Shortly after Leopard had gone, Rat began to creep out. Seeing Frog
standing on guard, he said, "Good Rângi! let me pass!" But Frog
replied, "No! I have my orders to watch you here." Then said Rat,
"If that is so, why don't you come close here, and attend to your
duty? You are too far from this hole. If a person is set to watch,
he should be near the thing he watches. As far as you are there, I
could, if I tried, get out without your catching me. So, it is better
for you to have a good look down this hole." While Rat was saying
all this, he was near the mouth of the hole; but, as Frog approached,
he receded to the bottom, and went to the back end of the cave, where
cayenne pepper bushes were growing. Frog came to the edge of the hole,
and looking down, saw nothing.
During this while, Rat was plucking pepper-pods and chewing them,
retaining them in his mouth. Returning again to the entrance, he
saw Frog still watching, and he said, "Rângi! get out of my way,
and let me pass. Let me out!" Frog replied, "I will not!" Rat asked,
"Do you know me?" Frog replied, "Not very well." Then Rat said, "Come
near! Open your eyes wide, and take a good look at me!" As soon as
Frog's eyes were wide open, Rat blew the pepper into them. This so
startled Frog that he fell back, his eyes blinded by the smarting;
and Rat jumped out and ran away. Frog, heedless of his prisoner,
was jumping about in pain; and, abandoning his post, crawled to the
water of the brook not far away, and tumbled into it to wash his eyes.
Now, by this time, Leopard had returned with his fire. Seeing no
one on guard, he called out, "Rângi! Rângi! where are you?" Frog, at
the bottom of the brook, was still in agony with his eyes. He knew
well that Rat was gone; but, in his vexation, he answered, "Ntori
is there! Put in your fire!" So, Leopard put fire into the hole,
and made a great smoke, but there was no sign of Rat.
After a long time, Leopard became tired at not finding Rat, and
called out, "Rângi! Rângi! Where indeed is Ntori? He has not come
out by this fire!" Then Frog answered, "Ntori is not there. I just
lied to you in vexation of the pain I got through serving you." So,
Leopard was very angry and said to Frog, "You have deceived and fooled
me! I will just come and eat you up!" Said Frog, "Good! come on!"
Leopard ran to the brook, but, as Frog was at the bottom, Leopard
had first to drink all the water, before he could reach him. Leopard
drank and drank. But, as soon as the water was nearly drunk up,
Frog jumped out, and hopped away to an adjacent pond. There Leopard
followed, and began to drink up that water also. He drank, and drank,
and drank, until he became so full and his belly so swollen that
his feet no longer touched the ground; and he fell over on his back,
before he had entirely emptied the pond. He was in such great pain, in
his swollen belly, that he was helpless, and cried out to passersby,
"Please, open a little hole in my body, and let out this water!" But
each of the passersby said, "No! I am afraid that after I have helped
you, then you will eat me."
At last, among those who passed by, came Crab. Leopard pleaded with
him, "Igâmbâ! please! open my skin. Let out this water, so that I may
live!" At first, Crab replied as the others, "No! I fear that after I
help you, you will eat me." But Leopard begged so piteously that Crab
consented, and scratched Leopard's skin with one of his claws. And
the water spurted out! It came in so fast a current that it began
to sweep Crab away. So Leopard cried out, "Igâmbâ! Please! do not
let yourself be taken away! Catch hold on some root or branch!" Crab
did so, holding on to a projecting root. When the water had subsided,
and Crab was safe, Leopard was able to rise; and he said, "Igâmbâ! you
have been kind to me; let me take you home, and I will be good to you;
I will cook dinner, so we can eat together." Crab agreed, and they
went together.
Leopard began to cook a kind of yam called nkwa, making a pot full
of it. (When it is thoroughly cooked, it is soft and sticky.) The
yam being finally ready to be eaten, Leopard said, "We do not put
this food out on plates, but we bring the entire pot, and every one
will help himself from it with his hands." Leopard thereupon began
to take out handfuls of the nkwa, and to eat it. Crab tried to do
the same, putting a claw into the sticky mass. But its heat burned
his tender skin, and, in jerking his claw away, it stuck fast in the
nkwa, and broke off. As soon as that happened, Leopard snatched up
the claw and ate it. Crab protested, "Ah! Njegâ! you are eating my
claw!" Said Leopard, "Excuse me! No, I thought it was nkwa." So the
dinner went on; Leopard greedily eating, Crab trying in vain to eat,
and losing claw after claw, which Leopard in succession promptly ate.
Now, when Leopard had finished eating all the food, Crab's claws
were all gone, and he had not been able to eat at all, and was left
hungry. So Leopard says to Crab, "Now, as you are so helpless, what
must I do for you?" He hoped that Crab, in despair, would tell him
to eat him. But Leopard really was not hungry just then; and, when
Crab said, "If you will just put me into some shallow water for two
months, then all my claws will grow all right again," Leopard replied,
"Good!" and he took Crab and placed him in a small stream of water.
The next day, Leopard, being now hungry to eat Crab, came to the water
and called out, "Igâmbâ! Igâmbâ! have you your claws grown now?" The
reply was, "Why! No! I told you two months yesterday, when you put
me in here."
On the third day, Leopard came again to the water, and cried out to
Crab, "Have your claws sprouted? Have they grown again?" "No!" said
Crab curtly.
Leopard continued thus day by day, vexing Crab with inquiries, as if
anxious about his health, but really desirous of an excuse to eat him,
yet ashamed to do so by violence, because of Crab's kindness to him
when he had the water-colic.
At last, Crab became tired of Leopard's visits. Hopeless to defend
himself if Leopard should finally use force, he gave up in despair,
and said, "So! I see why you ask me every day. You know that I told
you two months. If you are determined to eat me, come on, and end
the trouble at once!" With this permission as an excuse, Leopard was
glad. He stepped to the edge of the water and took away Crab for his
dinner. That was the return for Crab's kindness to him. After this,
Leopard went out again to try to find Rat, but he never found him.
TALE 7
"NUTS ARE EATEN BECAUSE OF ANGÂNGWE"; A PROVERB
Places
Kingdom of the Hogs; The Forest; and Towns
Persons
Angângwe, King of Hogs
A Hunter
Ingowa (Hogs; singular Ngowa)
Njina (Gorilla)
Nyare (Ox)
Nkambi (Antelope)
Njâgu (Elephant)
NOTE
"Inkula si nyo o'kângâ 'Ngângwe."
This is a proverb expressing the obligation we all owe to some superior
protecting powers.
The Hogs had cleared a space in the forest, for the building of their
town. They were many; men and women and children.
In another place, a Hunter was sitting in his town. Every day, at
daybreak, he went out to hunt. When he returned in the afternoons with
his prey, he left it a short distance from the town, and entering his
house, would say to his women and children, "Go to the outskirts of
the town, and bring what animal you find I have left there."
One day, having gone hunting, he killed Elephant. The children went
out to cut it up and bring it in.
Another day, he killed Gorilla.
And so, each day, he killed some animal. He never failed of obtaining
something.
One day, his children said to him, "You always return with some animal;
but you never have brought us Ngowa." He replied, "I saw many Ingowa
today, when I was out there. But, I wonder at one thing; that, when
they are all together eating, and I approach, they run away. As to
Ingowa, they eat nkula nuts and I know where the trees are. Well, then,
I ambush them; but, when I go nearer, I see one big Ngowa not eating,
but going around and around the herd. Whether it sees me or does not
see, sure when I get ready to aim my gun, then they all scatter. The
reason that Ingowa escape me, I do not know."
The Hogs, when they had finished eating, and were returning to their
own town, as they passed the town of Elephant, heard mourning; and
they asked, "Who is dead?" The answer was, "Njâgu is dead! Njâgu is
dead!" They inquired, "He died of what disease?" They were told, "Not
disease; Hunter killed him." Then another day, when Ox was killed,
his people were heard mourning for him. Another day, Antelope was
killed; and his people were mourning for him. All these animals were
dying because of Hunter killing them.
At first, the Hogs felt pity for all these other Beasts. But, when
they saw how they were dying, they began to mock at them, "These are
not people! They only die! But, as to us Ingowa, Hunter is not able
to kill us. We hear only the report that there is such a person as
Hunter, but he is not able to kill us."
When Hogs were thus boasting, their King, Angângwe, laughed at them,
saying, "You don't know, you Ingowa! You mock others, that Hunter kills
them?" They answered, "Yes, we mock at them; for, we go to the forest
as they do, but Hunter does not touch us." Angângwe asked, "When you
thus in the forest eat your inkula-nuts, you each one eat them by his
own strength and skill?" They answered, "Yes; ourselves we go to the
forest on our own feet; we ourselves pick up and eat the inkula. No one
feeds us." Angângwe said, "It is not so. Those inkula you eat si nyo
o'kângâ wa oma (they are eaten because of a person)." They insisted,
"No, it is not so. Inkula have no person in particular to do anything
about them." Thus they had this long discussion, the Hogs and their
King; and they got tired of it, and lay down to sleep.
In the morning, when daylight came, the King said, "A journey for
nuts! But, today, I am sick. I am not able to go to gather nuts with
you. I will stay in town." The Hogs said, "Well! we do not mistake
the way. It is not necessary for you to go."
When they went, they were jeering about their King, "Angângwe said,
'Inkula si nyo o'kângâ w' oma'; but we will see today without
him." They went to the nkula trees, and found great abundance fallen
to the ground during the night. The herd of Hogs, when they saw all
these inkula, jumped about in joy. They stooped down to pick up the
nuts, their eyes busy with the ground. They ate and ate. No one of
them thought of Hunter, whether he was out in the forest.
But, that very morning, Hunter had risen, taken his gun and
ammunition-box, and had gone to hunt. And, after awhile, he had
seen the Hogs in the distance. They were only eating and eating,
not looking at anything but nuts.
Hunter said in his heart, "These Hogs, I see them often, but why
have I not been able to kill them?" He crept softly nearer and
nearer. Creeping awhile then he stood up to spy; and again stooping,
and again standing up to spy. He did not see the big Hog which,
on other days, he had always observed going around and around the
herd. Hunter stooped close to the ground, and crept onward. Then,
as he approached closer, the Hogs still went on eating. He bent his
knee to the earth, and he aimed his gun! Ingowa still eating! His
gun flashed! and ten Hogs died!
The Hogs fled; some of them wounded. Those who were not wounded,
stopped before they reached their town, and said, "Let us wait for
the wounded." They waited. When the hindmost caught up and joined
the others, they showed them their wounds, some in the head, some in
the legs. These wounded ones said, "As we came, we saw none others
behind us. There are ten of us missing; we think they are dead." So,
they all returned toward their Town; and, on their way, began to mourn.
When they had come clear on to the town, Angângwe asked, "What news,
from where you come?" They answered, "Angângwe! evil news! But we
do not know what is the matter. Only we know that the words you
said are not really so, that 'nuts are eaten because of a certain
person.' Because, when we went, each one of us gathered by his
own skill, and ate by his own strength, and no one trusted to any
one else. And when we went, we ate abundantly, and everything was
good. Except that, Hunter has killed ten of us. And many others
are wounded."
The King inquired, "Well! have you brought nuts for me who was left
in Town?" They replied, "No; when Hunter shot us, we feared, and could
no longer wait." Then Angângwe said, "I told you that inkula are eaten
because of a person, and you said, 'not so.' And you still doubt me."
Another day, the Hogs went for inkula; and the King, remained in
town. And, as on the other day, Hunter killed them. So, for five
successive days, they went, the King staying in town; and Hunter
killing them.
Finally, Angângwe said to himself, "Ingowa have become great
fools. They do not consent to admit that nuts are eaten by reason
of a certain person. They see how Hunter kills them; and they still
doubt my words. But, I pity them. Tomorrow, I will go with them to
the nuts. I will explain to them how Hunter kills them."
So, in the morning, the King ordered, "Come all to nuts! But when
we go for the nuts, if I say, 'Ngh-o-o!' then every one of you who
are eating them must start to town, and not come back, because then I
have seen or smelt Hunter; and I grunt to let you know." All the Hogs
agreed. They went on clear to the nkula trees, and ate, they stooping
with eyes to the ground. But Angângwe, not eating, kept looking here
and there. He sniffed wind from south to north, and assured them,
"Eat you all! I am here!" He watched and watched; and presently he
saw a speck far away. He passed around to sniff the wind. His nose
uplifted, he caught the odor of Hunter. He returned to the herd,
grunted "Ngh-o-o." And he and they all fled. They arrived safely
at town.
Then he asked them, "Who is dead? who is wounded?" They assured,
"None." He said, "Good!"
Thus they went nutting, for five consecutive days, they and their King,
Angângwe only keeping watch. And none of them died by Hunter.
Then Angângwe said to them, "Today let us have a conversation." And
he began, "I told you, inkula si nyo o'kângâ w' oma; you said, 'Not
so!' But, when you went by yourselves to eat nuts, did not Hunter
kill you? And these five days that we have gone, you and I together,
and you obeyed my voice, who has died?"
They then replied, "No one! no one! Indeed, you spoke truly. You are
justified. Inkula si nyo o'kângâ wa 'Ngângwe. It is so!"
TALE 8
WHO ARE CROCODILE'S RELATIVES?
Persons
Ngando (Crocodile)
Sinyani (Birds)
Sinyama (Beasts)
NOTE
An Argument in Evolution--When and How does Life begin?
Crocodile was very old. Finally he died. News of his death spread
abroad among the Beasts; and his relatives and friends came to the
Mourning. After a proper number of days had passed, the matter of
the division of the property was mentioned. At once a quarrel was
developed, on the question as to who were his nearest relatives.
The tribe of Birds said, "He is ours and we will be the ones to
divide the property." Their claim was disputed, others asking, "On
what ground do you claim relationship? You wear feathers; you do not
wear plates of armor as he." The Birds replied, "True, he did not wear
our feathers. But, you are not to judge by what he put on during his
life. Judge by what he was in his life's beginning. Look you! In his
beginning, he began with us as an egg. We believe in eggs. His mother
bore him as an egg. He is our relative, and we are his heirs."
But the Beasts said, "Not so! We are his relatives, and by us shall
his property be divided."
Then the Council of Animals demanded of the Beasts on what ground
they based their claim for relationship, and what answer they could
make to the argument of the birds as to Crocodile's egg-origin.
The Beasts said, "It may be true that the mark of tribe must be found,
in a beginning, but not in an egg. For, all Beings began as eggs. Life
is the original beginning. Look you! When life really begins in the
egg, then the mark of tribe is shown. When Ngando's life began, he
had four legs as we have. We judge by legs. So we claim him as our
relative. And we will take his property."
But, the Birds answered, "You Beasts said we were not relatives because
we wear feathers, and not ngando-plates. But, you, look you! Judge
by your own words. Neither do you wear ngando-plates, you with your
hair and fur! Your words are not correct. The beginning of his life
was not, as you say, when little Ngando sprouted some legs. There was
life in the egg before that. And his egg was like ours, not like what
you call your eggs. You are not his relatives. He is ours."
But the Beasts disputed still. So the quarrel went back and forth. And
they never settled it.
TALE 9
WHO IS KING OF BIRDS?
Places
The Country of Birds in Njambi's Kingdom
Njambi's Town
Persons
Ra-Njambi (Lord or Master of all)
Njâgâni (Chicken)
Ngozo (Parrot)
Ngwanyâni (Eagle)
Ugulungu (Schizorhis, Plantain-Eater)
NOTE
1st--Ability to Speak a greater gift than ability in Walking, Flying,
or any other Force.
2nd--Why Chickens live with Mankind.
All the Birds had their dwelling-place in a certain country of
Njambi's Kingdom. The pelicans, chickens, eagles, parrots and all
other winged kinds all lived together, separated from other animals,
in that country under the Great Lord Njambi.
One day, they were discussing together on the question, "Who is King of
the Birds?" They all, each one, named himself, e.g., the Chicken said,
"I!;" the Parrot, "I!" the Eagle "I!" and so on. Every day they had
this same discussion. They were not able to settle it, or to agree to
choose any one of their number. So, they said, "Let us go to Ra-Njambi,
and refer the question to him." They agreed; and all went to him so
that he might name who was the superior among them. When they all had
arrived at Njambi's Town, he asked, "What is the affair on which you
have come?" They replied, "We have come together here, not to visit,
but for a purpose. We have a discussion and a doubt among ourselves. We
wish to know, of all the Birds, who is Head or Chief. Each one says
for himself that he is the superior. This one, because he knows how
to fly well; that one because he can speak well; and another one,
because he is strong. But, of these three things,--flight, speech,
and strength, we ask you, which is the greatest?"
Immediately all the Birds began a competition, each one saying,
"Choose me; I know how to speak!" Njambi silenced them, and bade them,
"Well, then, come here! I know that you all speak. But, show me,
each one of you, your manner of speaking."
So Eagle stood up to be examined. Njambi asked him, "How do you
speak? What is your manner of talking?" Eagle began to scream,
"So-o-we! so-o-we! so-o-we!" Njambi said, "Good! Now call me your
wife!" The wife of Eagle came, and Njambi said to her, "You are
the wife of Ngwanyâni, how do you talk?" The wife replied, "I say,
'So-o-we! So-o-we! So-o-we!'" Ra-Njambi said to Eagle, "Indeed! you
and your wife speak the same kind of language." Eagle answered, "Yes;
I and my wife, we speak alike." They were ordered, "Sit you aside."
Then Ra-Njambi directed, "Bring me here Ngozo." And he asked, "Ngozo,
how do you talk? What is your way of speaking?" Parrot squawked,
"I say, 'Ko-do-ko!'" Ra-Njambi ordered, "Well, call me your wife!" She
came; and he asked her, "How do you talk? Talk now!" The wife replied,
"I say, 'Ko-do-ko!'" Njambi asked Parrot, "So! your wife says,
'Ko-do-ko?'" Parrot answered "Yes; my wife and I both say, 'Ko-do-ko.'"
Njambi then ordered, "Call me here, Ugulungu." He came,
and was asked, "And how do you talk?" He shouted, "I say,
'Mbru-kâ-kâ! mbru-kâ-kâ! mbru!'" Njambi told him, "Call me your
wife!" She came, and, when asked, spoke in the same way as her
husband. Njambi dismissed them, "Good! you and your wife say the same
thing. Good!"
So, all the Birds, in succession, were summoned; and they all,
husband and wife, had the same mode of speaking, except one who had
not hitherto been called.
Njambi finally said, "Call Njâgâni here!" The Cock stood up, and
strutted forward. Njambi asked him, "What is your speech? Show
me your mode of talking!" Cock threw up his head, stretched his
throat, and crowed, "Kâ-kâ-re-kââ." Njambi said, "Good! summon
your wife hither." The wife came; and, of her, Njambi asked,
"And, what do you say?" She demurely replied, "My husband told me
that I might talk only if I bore children. So, when I lay an egg,
I say 'Kwa-ka! Kwa-ka!'" Njambi exclaimed, "So! you don't say,
'Kâ-kâ-re-kââ,' like your husband?" She replied, "No, I do not talk
as he."
Then Njambi said to Cock, "For what reason do you not allow your
wife to say, 'Kâ-kâ-re-kââ?'" Cock replied, "I am Njâgâni, I respect
myself. I jeer at all these other birds. Their wives and themselves
speak only in the same way. A visitor, if he comes to their towns,
is not able to know, when one of them speaks, which is husband and
which is wife, because they both speak alike. But I, Njâgâni, as to
my wife, she is unable to speak as I do. I do not allow it. A husband
should be at the head; and in his wife it is not becoming for her to
be equal with him or to talk as well as he does."
Njambi listened to this long speech; and then inquired, "Have you
finished?" Chicken answered, "Yes."
Njambi summoned all the Birds to stand together in one place near
him, and he said, "The affair which you brought to me, I settle it
thus:--Njâgâni is your Head; because you others all speak, husband and
wife, each alike. But, he speaks for himself in his own way, and his
wife in her way; to show that a husband has priority and superiority
over a wife. Therefore, as he knows how to be Head of his family,
it is settled that Njâgâni is Head also of your Tribe."
But, Njambi went on to say, "Though this is true, you, Njâgâni, don't
you go back again into the Forest, to your Kingship of the Birds. For
the other birds will be jealous of you. You are not strong, you cannot
fight them all. Lest they kill you, stay with me in my Town."
Cock went to get his wife and children, and returned and remained
there with Ra-Njambi. Therefore, the original bird to dwell among
Mankind was the chicken.
When the other Birds scattered and went back to their own forest
country without their king, they said, "Let it be so! We will not
choose another King. Our King has left us, and has emigrated to
another country, and has sat down in Njambi's Town."
So, the Birds have lived in the forest without any King.
There is another story which gives a different explanation of chickens
being the first of birds to dwell among Mankind.
The Birds had no fire. They had to eat their food raw, and to shiver
on cold days. In flying over the other countries, they saw Mankind
using, in the preparation of their food, a thing which birds did
not have. They observed that that thing seemed to add much to the
comfort of Mankind. So, they chose Chicken, not as their King, but,
because he knew so well how to speak, to go as their messenger, to
ask Mankind to share that thing with them. Chicken left the Forest,
and started on his journey, and came to the towns of Men.
He found so much food lying around, and it tasted so good because
it had been touched by that bright thing which he heard people
call "Fire," that he delayed the delivery of his message. And Men
were pleased with his usefulness in awaking them in the morning,
as he called them to get up and make their fires. The situation was
so comfortable, as Mankind allowed him to walk in and out of their
houses at will, that he forgot his errand, and chose to stay with Men,
and never went back to the Forest.
The birds, having no one else who united both audacity to act and
ability to speak, never sent another messenger on that errand, and
they remain without fire to this day.
TALE 10
"NJIWO DIED OF SLEEP": A PROVERB
Persons