"Yes! let it be so!" He took up the medicine from the ground; and he
drank of it greedily. And he swore, "If I meet with the children of
Ihende, it will be only to swallow them. Or, father of Ihende, only
to eat him; or mother of Ihende, only to eat her!" Then he sat down.
But, Squirrel exclaimed, "Ha! my friend! you saw how I drank my share
of the medicine, and I have not spoken thus as you. For what reason
have you thus spoken?" Adder answered, "Yes! I said so; and I will
not alter my words."
They dispersed from the medicine ordeal, and went each to his
house. Then that day darkened into night. And they all went to
their sleep.
Soon the next day broke. Squirrel and his wife prepared for a journey
to the forest to seek food. He said to his wife, "Leave the children in
the house." So the woman shut them in, and closed the doors tight. And
he and she went off to the forest.
Later on in the morning, Adder arose from his place, and he said
to himself, "I'm going to stroll over to the house of my friend
Ihende." So he came to Squirrel's house, and found no one there. He
tried to break in the door; finally, he succeeded in opening it;
and he entered the house. He found the two children of Squirrel
lying together asleep. He shook them, and they awoke. He asked them,
"Where is my friend?" They answered, "Our father and mother have gone
to the forest."
Then Adder suddenly joined the two children together and swallowed
them. (They were both of them lads.) Then he went out of the house,
and closed the door. His stomach being distended with what he had
swallowed, he went back to his house, and laid down on his bed.
Off in the forest, Squirrel said to his wife, "My heart beats
so strangely! I have eaten nothing here; what should disturb my
heart?" His wife replied, "Well! let us hasten back to town. Perhaps
some affair has happened in our house!"
They hastily gathered their food, to go back rapidly to town. On
their arrival, they went at once to their house. Looking at the door,
the wife exclaimed, "I did not leave this door so! Who has been at
it?" Her husband urged, "Quickly! Open the door! Let us enter at
once!" They opened the door; and found no one in the house.
Then Squirrel, fearing evil, said to her, "Stay you here! I will go
over to Pe's house. I know that fellow!" He came to Adder's house, and
found him distended with this stomach. Squirrel asked him, "Chum! have
you been at my house?" Adder answered, "Yes, I went to your house; but
I have done nothing there." Squirrel asked him, feeling sure of his
guilt, "But, where then are my children? Why did you not leave even
one of them? Ah! my friend!" Adder replied, "When we drank the Test,
did I not swear the truth that if I met with your children, I would
swallow them?" Squirrel answered, "Yes! and you have kept your word
well! But you shall see something just now and here!" Adder laughed,
and said, "What can you do? You have no strength like mine."
Close by the house of Adder (which was only a hole in the ground)
was a large tree. Squirrel went out of the house, and climbed to the
top of the tree. There he began to wail for his dead, and cried out,
"Ikundu ja mâ! Ikundu ja mâ!" (A play on words: either an apostrophe to
the name of one of his children, or a prayer for vengeance.) Another
squirrel, that was a mile or two away, heard the wailing; and it came
to where Squirrel was. Also his wife followed Squirrel to that tree;
and she wailed too. And other squirrels came; about twenty.
A hunter, living in the town of Mankind, started from his town to go
hunting. Coming along the path, he heard Squirrel crying. Looking
up, he exclaimed, "O! how many squirrels!" He thought to himself,
"Why do these animals make this noise, and keep looking down at the
foot of this big tree?"
He approached near to the tree; and they dispersed among the
branches. He then said to himself, "I will look around here at the
bottom; for, as those squirrels continue their cry, they keep looking
down here." Searching at the foot of the tree, he saw a hole, like
the home of some beast. Looking in, he saw the Adder sluggish in his
distention. The hunter killed it with his machete. And he took the
dead adder with him to the town of Mankind.
Squirrel, from the tree-top, shouted after dead Adder, "You have
seen my promised Ikundu." (Another play on words; either--"You saw
my child;" or, "You see my Vengeance.")
TALE 11
THE MAGIC DRUM
Persons
Kudu (Tortoise)
King Maseni, A Man
Njâ (Leopard)
Ngâmâ (A Magic Drum)
NOTE
The reason is here given why the turtle tribe of tortoises likes
to live only in water; viz., their fear of the vengeance of the
descendants of Leopard the King, because of the whipping to which he
was subjected by the trick of the ancestor of the tortoises.
In the Ancient days, there were Mankind and all the Tribes of the
Animals living together in one country. They built their towns,
and they dwelt together in one place. In the country of King Maseni,
Tortoise and Leopard occupied the same town; the one at one end of
the street, and the other at the other.
Leopard married two women; Tortoise also his two.
It happened that a time of famine came, and a very great hunger fell
on the Tribes covering that whole region of country. So, King Maseni
issued a law, thus:--"Any person who shall be found having a piece of
food, he shall he brought to me." (That is, for the equal distribution
of that food.) And he appointed police as watchmen to look after that
whole region.
The famine increased. People sat down hopelessly, and died of
hunger. Just as, even today, it destroys the poor; not only of Africa,
but also in the lands of Manga-Manene (White Man's Land). And, as
the days passed, people continued sitting in their hopelessness.
One day, Tortoise went out early, going, going and entering into
the jungles, to seek for his special food, mushrooms. He had said
to his wife, "I am going to stroll on the beach off down toward the
south." As he journeyed and journeyed, he came to a river. It was
a large one, several hundred feet in width. There he saw a coco-nut
tree growing on the river-bank. When he reached the foot of the tree,
and looked up at its top, he discovered that it was full of very many
nuts. He said to himself. "I'm going up there, to gather nuts; for,
hunger has seized me." He laid aside his traveling-bag, leaving it on
the ground, and at once climbed the tree, expecting to gather many
of the nuts. He plucked two, and threw them to the ground. Plucking
another, and attempting to throw it, it slipped from his hand, and
fell into the stream running below.
Then he exclaimed, "I've come here in hunger; and does my coco-nut
fall into the water to be lost?" He said to himself, "I'll leave here,
and drop into the water, and follow the nut." So, he plunged down,
splash! into the water. He dove down to where the nut had sunk, to get
it. And he was carried away by the current. Following the nut where the
current had carried it, he came to the landing-place of a strange Town,
where was a large House. People were there in it. And other people
were outside, playing. They called to him. From the House, he heard a
Voice, saying "Take me! take me! take me!" (It was a Drum that spoke.)
At the landing-place was a woman washing a child. The woman said
to him, "What is it that brought you here? And, Kudu, where are you
going?" He replied, "There is great hunger in our town. So, on my way,
I came seeking for my mushrooms. Then it was that I saw a coco tree;
and I climbed it; for, I am hungry and have nothing to eat. I threw
down the nuts. One fell into the river. I followed it; and I came
hither." Then the woman said, "Now then, you are saved." And she added,
"Kudu! go to that House over there. You will see a Thing there. That
Thing is a Drum. Start, and go at once to where the Drums are."
Others of those people called out to him, "There are many such Things
there. But, the kind that you will see which says, 'Take me! take
me!' do not take it. But, the Drum which is silent and does not speak,
but only echoes, 'wo-wo-wo,' without any real words, you must take
it. Carry it with you, and tie it to that coco tree. Then you must
say to the Drum, 'Ngâmâ! speak as they told to you!'" So, Tortoise
went on, and on, to the House, and took the Drum, and, carrying it,
came back to the river bank where the Woman was. She said to him,
"You must first try to learn how to use it. Beat it!" He beat it. And,
a table appeared with all kinds of food! And, when he had eaten,
he said to the Drum, "Put it back!" And the table disappeared.
He carried the Drum with him clear back to the foot of the coco
tree. He tied it with a rattan to the tree, and then said to the Drum,
"Ngâmâ! do as they said!" Instantly, the Drum set out a long table,
and put on all sorts of food. Tortoise felt very glad and happy for
the abundance of food. So he ate and ate, and was satisfied. Again
he said, "Ngâmâ! do as they said!" And Drum took back the table and
the food to itself up the tree, leaving a little food at the foot;
and then came back to the hand of Tortoise. He put this little food
in his traveling-bag, and gathered from the ground the coco-nuts
he had left lying there in the morning, and started to go back to
his town. He stopped at a spot a short distance in the rear of the
town. So delighted was he with his Drum that he tested it again. He
stood it up, and with the palm of his hand struck it, tomu! A table
at once stood there, with all kinds of food. Again he ate, and also
filled his traveling-bag. Then he said to a tree that was standing
near by, "Bend down!" It bowed; and he tied the Drum to its branch;
and went off into the town. The coco-nuts and the mushrooms he handed
to his women and children. After he had entered his house, his chief
wife said to him, "Where have you been all this long while since
the morning?" He replied evasively, "I went wandering clear down
to the beach to gather coco-nuts. And, this day I saw a very fine
thing. You, my wife, shall see it!" Then he drew out the food from
the bag, potatoes, and rice, and beef. And he said, "The while that
we eat this food, no one must show any of it to Njâ." So, they two,
and his other wife and their family of children ate.
Soon day darkened; and they all went to go to sleep. And soon another
day began to break. At day-break, Tortoise started to go off to the
place where was the Drum. Arrived there, he went to the tree, and said
to the Drum, "Ngâmâ! do as they said!" The Drum came rapidly down to
the ground, and put out the table all covered with food. Tortoise took
a part, and ate, and was satisfied. Then he also filled the bag. Then
said he to the Drum, "Do as you did!" And Drum took back the things,
and went up the tree. On another day, at day-break, he went to the
tree and did the same way.
On another day, as he was going, his eldest son, curious to find
out where his father obtained so much food, secretly followed
him. Tortoise went to where the Drum was. The child hid himself, and
stood still. He heard his father say to the tree, "Bend!" And its top
bent down. The child saw the whole process, as Tortoise took the Drum,
stood it up, and with the palm of his hand, struck it, ve! saying,
"Do as you have been told to do!" At once a table stood prepared,
at which Tortoise sat down and ate. And then, when he had finished,
saying, "Tree! bend down," it bent over for Drum to be tied to it. He
returned Drum to the branch; and the tree stood erect.
On other days, Tortoise came to the tree, and did the same way, eating;
and returning to his house; on all such occasions, bringing food for
his family. One day, the son, who had seen how to do all those things,
came to the tree, and said to it, "Bow down." It bowed; and he did
as his father had done. So Drum spread the table. The child ate, and
finished eating. Then said he to Drum, "Put them away!" And the table
disappeared. Then he took up the Drum, instead of fastening it to the
tree, and secretly carried it to town to his own house. He went to call
privately his brothers, and his father's women, and other members of
the family. When they had come together in his house, at his command,
the Drum did as usual; and they ate. And when he said to the Drum,
"Put away the things!" it put them away.
Tortoise came that day from the forest where he had been searching
for the loved mushrooms for his family. He said to himself, "Before
going into the town, I will first go to the tree to eat." As he
approached the tree, when only a short distance from it, the tree
was standing as usual, but the Drum was not there! He exclaimed,
"Truly, now, what is this joke of the tree?" As he neared the foot
of the tree, still there was no Drum to be seen! He said to the tree,
"Bow down!" There was no response! He passed on to the town, took his
axe, and returned at once to the tree, in anger saying, "Lest I cut
you down, bend!" The tree stood still. Tortoise began at once with his
axe chopping, Ko! ko! The tree fell, toppling to the ground, tomu! He
said to it, "You! produce the Drum, lest I cut you in pieces!" He split
the tree all into pieces; but he did not see the Drum. He returned to
the town; and, as he went, he walked anxiously saying to himself, "Who
has done this thing?" When he reached his house, he was so displeased
that he declined to speak. Then his eldest son came to him, and said,
"O! my father! why is it that you are silent and do not speak? What
have you done in the forest? What is it?" He replied, "I don't want
to talk." The son said, "Ah! my father! you were satisfied when you
used to come and eat, and you brought us mushrooms. I am the one who
took the Drum." Tortoise said to him, "My child, now bring out to us
the Drum." He brought it out of an inner room. Then Tortoise and the
son called together all their people privately, and assembled them in
the house. They commanded the Drum. It did as it usually did. They
ate. Their little children took their scraps of potatoes and meat
of wild-animals, and, in their excitement, forgot orders, and went
out eating their food in the open street. Other children saw them,
and begged of them. They gave to them. Among them were children of
Leopard, who went and showed the meat to their father.
All suddenly, Leopard came to the house of Tortoise, and found
him and his family feasting. Leopard said, "Ah! Chum! you have
done me evil. You are eating; and I and my family are dying with
hunger!" Tortoise replied, "Yes, not today, but tomorrow you shall
eat." So, Leopard returned to his house.
After that, the day darkened. And they all went to lie down in
sleep. Then, the next day broke.
Early in the morning, Tortoise, out in the street, announced, "From my
house to Njâ's there will be no strolling into the forest today. Today,
only food."
Tortoise then went off by himself to the coco tree (whither he had
secretly during the night carried the Drum). Arrived at the foot of the
tree, he desired to test whether its power had been lost by the use of
it in his town. So, he gave the usual orders; and they were, as usually
obeyed. Tortoise then went off with the Drum, carrying it openly on his
shoulder, into the town, and directly to the house of Leopard, and said
to him, "Call all your people! Let them come!" They all came into the
house; and the people of Tortoise also. He gave the usual commands. At
once, Drum produced abundance of food, and a table for it. So, they all
ate, and were satisfied. And Drum took back the table to itself. Drum
remained in the house of Leopard for about two weeks. It ended its
supply of food, being displeased at Leopard's rough usage of itself;
and there was no more food. Leopard went to Tortoise, and told him,
"Drum has no more food. Go, and get another." Tortoise was provoked
at the abuse of his Drum, but he took it, and hung it up in his house.
At this time, the watchmen heard of the supply of food at Leopard's
house, and they asked him about it. He denied having any. They asked
him, "Where then did you get this food which we saw your children
eating?" He said, "From the children of Kudu." The officers went at
once to King Maseni, and reported, "We saw a person who has food." He
inquired, "Who is he?" They replied, "Kudu." The King ordered
"Go ye, and summon Kudu." They went and told Tortoise, "The King
summons you." Tortoise asked, "What have I done to the King? Since
the King and I have been living in this country, he has not summoned
me." Nevertheless, he obeyed and journeyed to the King's house. The
King said to him, "You are keeping food, while all the Tribes are
dying of hunger? You! bring all those foods!" Tortoise replied,
"Please excuse me! I will not come again today with them. But,
tomorrow, you must call for all the tribes."
The next morning, the King had his bell rung, and an order announced,
"Any person whatever, old or young, come to eat!" The whole community
assembled at the King's house. Tortoise also came from his town,
holding his Drum in his hand. The distant members of that Tribe,
(not knowing and not having heard what that Drum had been doing)
twitted him, "Is it for a dance?"
Entering into the King's house, Tortoise stood up the Drum; with his
palm he struck it, ve! saying, "Let every kind of food appear!" It
appeared. The town was like a table, covered with every variety
of food. The entire community ate, and were satisfied; and they
dispersed. Tortoise took the Drum, and journeyed back to his town. He
spoke to his hungry family, "Come ye!" They came. They struck the
Drum; it was motionless; and nothing came from it! They struck it
again. Silent! (It was indignant at having been used by other hands
than those of Tortoise.) So, they sat down with hunger.
The next day, Tortoise went rapidly off to the coco tree, climbed it,
gathered two nuts, threw one into the river, dropped into the stream,
and followed the nut as he had done before. He came as before to that
landing-place, and to the Woman, and told her about the failure of
the Drum. She told him that she knew of it, and directed him to go
and take another. He went on to that House, and to those People. And
they, as before, asked him, "Kudu! whither goest thou?" He replied,
"You know I have come to take my coco-nut." But they said, "No! leave
the nut, and take a Drum." And, as before, they advised him to take a
silent one. So, he came to the House of Drums. These called to him,
"Take me! take me!" Then, he thought to himself, "Yes! I'll take
one of those Drums that talk. Perhaps they will have even better
things than the other." So, he took one, and came out of the House,
and told those People "I have taken. And, now, for my journey."
He started from the landing-place, and on up the river, to the foot of
the coco-tree. He tied the Drum to the tree with a cord, as before,
set it up, and gave it a slap, ve! And a table stood there! He said,
"Ngâmâ! do as you usually do!" Instantly, there were thrown down on
the table, mbwâ! whips instead of food. Tortoise, surprised, said,
"As usual!" The Drum picked up one of the whips, and beat Tortoise,
ve! He cried out with pain, and said to the Drum, "But, now do also
as you do. Take these things away." And Drum returned the table and
whips to itself. Tortoise regretfully said to himself, "Those People
told me not to take a Drum that talked; but my heart deceived me."
However, a plan occurred to him by which to obtain a revenge on
Leopard and the King for the trouble he had been put to.
So, taking up the Drum, he came to his own town, and went at once to
the house of Leopard. To whom he said, "To-morrow come with your people
and mine to the town of King Maseni." Leopard rejoiced at the thought,
"This is the Drum of food!"
Then Tortoise journeyed to the King's town, and said, "I have found
food, according to your order. Call the people tomorrow."
In the morning, the King's bell was rung, and his people, accompanied
by those of Tortoise and Leopard, came to his house. Tortoise privately
spoke to his own people, "No one of you must follow me into the
house. Remain outside of the window."
Tortoise said to the King, "The food of today must be eaten only
inside of your house." So, the King's people, with those of Leopard,
entered into the house. There, Tortoise said, "We shall eat this food
only if all the doors and windows are fastened." So, they were fastened
(excepting one which Tortoise kept open near himself). Then, the Drum
was sounded, and Tortoise commanded it, "Do as you have said." And,
the tables appeared. But, instead of food, were whips. The people
wondered, "Ah! what do these mean? Where do they come from?" Tortoise
stationed himself by the open window, and commanded the Drum, "As
usual!" Instantly the whips flew about the room, lashing everybody,
even the King, and especially Leopard. The thrashing was great,
and Leopard and his people were crying with pain. Their bodies were
injured, being covered with cuts.
But, Tortoise had promptly jumped out of the window. And, standing
outside, he ordered, "Ngâmâ! do as you do!" And the whips and tables
returned to it, and the whipping ceased. But, Tortoise knew that the
angry crowd would try to seize and kill him. So, taking advantage
of the confusion in the house, he and his people fled to the water
of the river, and scattered, hiding among the logs and roots in the
stream. As he was disappearing, Leopard shouted after him, "You and I
shall not see each other! If we do, it will be you who will be killed!"
TALE 12
THE LIES OF TORTOISE
Persons
Njâ (Leopard)
Kudu (Tortoise)
Etoli (Rat)
Embonda (Prairie Antelope)
Iheli (Gazelle)
Ngando (Crocodile)
Ngomba (Porcupine)
NOTE
African natives climb the palm-tree, cut out a cavity in the heart
at the leafy top, and fasten a vessel below the cavity, to catch
the sweet, milky juice that exudes. This is unintoxicating. But,
like cider, it becomes intoxicating if kept a few days. The cutting
destroys the tree in two or three months.
The beginning of this tale is that Leopard went to the forest, to cut
an itutu tree (bamboo-palm) for palm-wine. After he had fastened the
bowl at the cavity he had cut at the top in the heart of the tree,
then he came back to town.
Tortoise came along to that palm-wine tree; and he climbed to the
top. There he found that the sap had already collected in the bowl. And
he drank three tumblerfuls. Excited by his success, he shouted out
aloud, "I'm drunk! I'm drunk!"
Off in the forest, Wild Rat heard his voice, and, following the
sound, came to the place. To Tortoise, Rat said, "Whose wine-tree is
this?" Tortoise replied, "My own!" So, Rat begged of him, "Give me a
glassful!" Tortoise told him "Climb up! Of what are you afraid?" So,
Rat climbed up the tree. He also drank two glassfuls.
Presently, Tortoise heard Leopard coming, and he said to Rat. "Await me
here, I'm just going down to the ground." When he reached the ground,
Tortoise hid his body in a hole at the base of the tree.
In a very little while, Leopard arrived at the tree. He lifted up his
eyes to the top and saw Rat there. To him Leopard said, "Who owns
this palm-tree?" Rat replied, "My Chum, Kudu." But, Leopard asked,
"This Kudu, where is he?" Then Leopard flung one of his claws at
Rat. It stuck in him, and Rat fell dead.
Leopard took Rat's body and went away with it to his town. And he
said to his wife, "Cook this; this is our meat."
Soon after Leopard had gone from the tree, Tortoise came out of his
hiding, and climbed the tree a second time. Then, having drank again,
he shouted, as before, "I'm drunk! I'm drunk!"
In his hole off among the rocks, Porcupine heard Tortoise shouting;
and he came to the tree, and asked for a drink. Tortoise told him
to climb; adding, "What are you afraid of?" So, Porcupine followed
Tortoise up the tree, and drank two glassfuls of the wine.
Again Tortoise heard Leopard coming, recognizing the thud of his
steps as he leaped on the way. So, Tortoise cried out, as if in pain,
"O! my stomach hurts me! I'm going down!" At the base, he hid himself
again in the cavity of the tree.
In a little while, Leopard appeared standing at the foot of
the tree. Looking up, he saw Porcupine there. And he inquired,
"Ngomba! who owns this tree?" Porcupine answered, "Chum Kudu!" Leopard
asked, "This Kudu, who is he? I want to see him." Porcupine replied,
"Kudu has gone off, his stomach paining him." Then Leopard exclaimed,
"So! indeed! you are the ones who use up all my wine here!" And he
added, "What day I shall meet Kudu I do not know. But, that day we
will meet in fight." While he was saying all this, Tortoise, in the
hole at the tree, heard.
Then Leopard threw a claw at Porcupine. Porcupine fell down to the
ground a corpse. Leopard taking it, went away with it to his town,
and said to his wife, "Cook this meat, and let us eat it."