many Beasts!" The owner of the Plantation came along. His people took
their guns; and some took machetes; and some, spears and knives. Others
took nets. And they all went together at once. They also had with them,
dogs, to whose necks they tied little bells.
When they came to that place where the four Beasts were, the dogs
barked and shook their bells as they raced. And the men began to shout
"Hâ! hâ!" to drive the Beasts into the net. They first came upon
Hog, fired a gun at him, and he died. Next, they came upon Civet,
and pierced him with a spear. They killed also Boa, who was lying
dormant by the log. And they saw the other Beast, Tortoise, on one
side of the log, trying to conceal itself among the decayed leaves,
and seized it. Having the three dead bodies, they kept Tortoise alive,
and tied him with a cord.
They had begun the killing of these Beasts late in the afternoon,
and they reached their town about sunset. And they said, "Put all
the carcasses in one house; but suspend Tortoise from the roof." They
consulted, "We shall eat those Beasts only tomorrow; for, the evening
is too late to cut them up and cook them." So, they all went to sleep.
Near midnight, Tortoise, after a long effort, wriggled out of the
coils of the cord. He came to the corner of the room where were the
bodies of the other three Beasts. He said over Civet's body, "Did I
not say to you, 'Begin no new matter on the way?' And now you are a
corpse." And over Boa, he said, "You too; I told you not to begin a
matter; and now you are a dead body. Had we not begun these matters
on the way, we would have finished our journey safely."
Then he scratched a hole under the wall of the house, and escaped to
the forest.
After that, the day broke. And the townspeople said among themselves,
"Bring the Beasts outside of the house; let us cut them up." They
did so with the three dead bodies. And they told a lad, "Bring the
Kudu that is suspended from the rafters."
The lad looked and reported, "I have seen no Kudu." They all went to
look for it, and could see nothing of it. So, they said, "Let us eat
these. Let the other go; for, it has run away."
TALE 18
A PLEA FOR MERCY
Persons
Njâbu (Civet)
Uhingi (Genet)
Kuba (Chicken)
Vyâdu (Antelope)
Kudu (Tortoise)
Ivenga, A Woman and Her Husband Njambo
NOTE
This Tale seems to be a version of No. 17. The plea of Tortoise that
he did not spoil the fruits of plantations is true; it does not injure
the gardens of the natives.
These four Beasts were living in one town; Civet, in his own house;
Tortoise in his; Antelope also in his; Genet too in his own. But
their four houses opened on to one long street.
One day, in the afternoon, they all were in that street, sitting
down in conversation. Tortoise said to them, "I have here a word to
say." They replied "Well! Speak!"
At that time, their town had a great famine. So, Tortoise said,
"Tomorrow, we will go to seek food." They replied, "Good! just as
soon as the day, at its first break."
Then they scattered, and went to their houses to lie down for
sleep. Soon, the day broke. And they all got up, and were ready by
sunrise at six o'clock.
They all went on their journey to find food. They searched as they
walked a distance of several miles. Then they came to a plantation
of Njambo's wife Ivenga. It was distant from Njambo's town about
one hour's walk. It had a great deal of sugar-cane; also of yams
and cassava. It had also a quantity of sweet potatoes. There also,
the chickens of Njambo were accustomed to go to scratch for worms
among the plants.
At once, Civet exclaimed, "I'll go no further! I like to eat
sugar-cane!" So he went to the plot of cane.
Antelope also said, "I too! I'll not go any further. I like to eat
leaves of potato and cassava." So he went to the plot of cassava.
And Genet said, "Yes! I see Kuba here! I like to eat Kuba! I'll go
no further!" So, he went after the chickens.
But first, the three had asked Tortoise, "Kudu! what will you do? Have
you nothing to eat?" Tortoise answered, "I have nothing to eat. But,
I shall await you even two days, and will not complain." So, Civet
remarked, "Yes! I will not soon leave here, till I eat up all this
cane. Then I will go back to town." Antelope also said, "Yes! the
same. I will remain here with the potato leaves till I finish them,
before I go back." Genet also said, "Yes! I see many Kuba here. I
will stay and finish them."
Tortoise only said, "I have nothing to say."
In that plantation was a large tree; and Tortoise went to lie down
at its foot.
They were all there about four days, eating and eating. On the fifth
day, Njambo's wife Ivenga in the town said to herself, "I'll go today,
and see about my plantation, how it is."
She came to the plantation, and when she saw the condition in which
it was, she lifted up her voice, and began to wail a lamentation. She
saw that but little cane was left, and not much of potatoes. Looking
in another part of the plantation, she saw lying there, very many
feathers of chickens.
She ran back rapidly to town to tell her husband. But, she was
so excited she could scarcely speak. He asked her, "What's the
matter, Ivenga?" She answered, "I have no words to tell you. For,
the Plantation is left with no food." Then, the Man called twenty
men of the town; and he said to them, "Take four nets!" They took
the nets, and also four dogs, with small bells tied to the necks
of the dogs. The men had also guns and spears and machetes in their
hands. They followed into the forest; and they came on to three of
the Beasts. They came first upon Antelope, with their dogs; and they
shot him dead. Then the dogs came on Genet, and they followed him; and
soon he was shot with a gun. They came also on Civet, and killed him.
Taking up the carcasses, they said to each other, "Let us go back
to town." On the way, they came to the big Tree, and found Tortoise
lying at the base. They took him also, and then went on to their town.
Arrived there, Njambo ordered, "Put Kudu in a house and suspend him
from the roof." Also he ordered, "Take off the skin of Vyâdu and hang
it in the house where Kudu is." He added, "Take off also the skin of
Njâbu." They did so, and they put it into that house. He directed that
Genet should also be skinned, and his skin hung in that same house. So,
there was left of these beasts in the street, only the flesh of their
bodies. These the men cut up and divided among themselves. And they
feasted for several days.
On the fourth day afterward, Njambo said to his wife, "I'm going on
a visit to a town about three miles away. Do you, while I am away,
kill Kudu, and prepare him with ngândâ for me, by my return." The
woman got ready the ngândâ seeds (gourd) for the pudding, and then
went into the room to take Tortoise. In the dim light, she lifted up
her hand, and found the string that suspended Tortoise.
But, before she untied it, Tortoise said, "Just wait a little." The
woman took away her hand, and stood waiting. Tortoise asked her,
"This skin there looks like what?" The woman replied, "A skin of
Vyâdu." And Tortoise inquired, "What did Vyâdu do?" The woman answered,
"Vyâdu ate my potatoes in the Plantation, and my husband killed him
for it." Tortoise said, "That is well."
Then Tortoise again asked, "This other skin is of what animal?" The
woman replied, "Of Uhingi." Tortoise inquired, "What did Uhingi
do?" The woman answered, "Uhingi killed and ate my and my husband's
Kuba; and he was killed for that." Then Tortoise said, "Very good
reason!"
Again Tortoise asked the woman, "This other skin?" She answered,
"Of Njâbu." Tortoise asked, "Njâbu, what did he do?" She answered,
"Njâbu ate my sugar-cane, and my husband killed him." Tortoise said,
"A proper reason! But, you, you are going to kill me and cook me with
ngândâ-pudding. What have I done?" The woman had no reason to give. So
she left Tortoise alive, and began to cook the gourd-seeds with fish.
Soon, Njambo himself came back, and his wife set before him the ngândâ
and fish. But he objected, "Ah! my wife! I told you to cook Kudu; and
you have cooked me fish. Why?" The woman told him, "My husband! first
finish this food, and then you and I will go to see about Kudu." So,
Njambo finished eating, and Ivenga removed the plates from the
table. Then they two went into the room where Tortoise was suspended.
The woman sat, but Njambo was standing ready to pluck down
Tortoise. Then Tortoise said to Njambo, "You, Man! just wait!" The
woman also said to Njambo, "My husband! listen to what Kudu says
to you."
Tortoise asked, "You, Man, what skin is this?" Njambo answered, "Of
Vyâdu. I killed him on account of this eating my Plantation." Then
Tortoise asked, "And that skin?" Njambo answered, "Of Uhingi; and
I killed him for eating my Kuba." Tortoise again asked, "And this
other?" Njambo answered, "Of Njâbu; for eating my sugar-cane."
Then Tortoise said, "There were four of us in the Plantation. What
have I eaten? Tell me. If I have eaten, then I should die." Njambo
told him, "I've found no reason against you." Tortoise then asked,
"Then, why should I die?" So, Njambo untied Tortoise from the roof,
and said to Ivenga, "Let Kudu go; for, I find no reason against
him. Let him go as he pleases."
So, Ivenga set Tortoise free; and he hasted back to his town in peace.
TALE 19
THE DECEPTIONS OF TORTOISE
Persons
Njâ (Leopard)
Kudu (Tortoise)
Ngâmbi (Igwana)
Mbâmâ (Boa)
Ngando (Crocodile)
With Men, A Woman, and Child
NOTE
A portion of this Tale seems to be a version of No. 12.
Leopard and Tortoise built together a large town. Leopard said to
Tortoise, "I will live with you, but I shall not be able to eat with
you; for, I am a great man, and I eat alone."
Some time after this, Tortoise went away, and married a wife. One day,
his wife being hungry, he went off into the forest to seek food for
her. And he found mushrooms. He gathered them; took them and returned
with them to the town. There he said to his wife, "Eat!" and she ate.
Some time after this, the woman was about to become a mother. And,
on another day, Tortoise went again into the forest to find food for
his wife. As before, he gathered mushrooms. But, when he brought them
to his wife, she said to him, "I don't like these things; the same
every day!"
So, Tortoise went off again to seek food in the forest. He came near
a strange town, and heard voices of Mankind talking. In fear, he hid
himself, and watched what would happen. He observed that there were
Men going off into the forest, with implements of search for wild
animals. He saw them, but kept himself closely hidden.
When they had gone, he came out of his hiding, and went into one of
these houses of Men, and sat down there. Then he walked into the
rooms. On the shelves of the kitchen, he saw a large quantity of
wild meat drying. He took of that meat, and went away with it to his
own town.
He found on his arrival that his wife had already borne her child,
the little tortoise. When Tortoise showed her the meat, she asked him,
"Where did you get all this meat?" He replied evasively, "You told
me to get you meat; so I went; and I have come with it." The woman
was glad, and said, "Do so every day!"
So, another time, Tortoise again went off into the forest. And he came
to the town of those Men. They were not there; for, they had gone off
on their hunting. He went again into their house; took of their meat,
and returned to his place. On giving the food to his wife, he said
to her, "Do not show Njâ this meat!"
After this, little Tortoise grew, and began to go by itself, walking
about the town. Tortoise told the child, "Do not show Njâ the things
you eat." But, the child did not obey. One day, it went off toward
Leopard's house, having in its hand the flesh of the wild animal it
was eating. Tortoise saw his child going and called him back, but,
he ran rapidly away to Leopard's; who, seeing the child with food in
its hand, cried out, "Come here!" Leopard took hold of the child's
hand to see what meat he was eating, and said to him, "Your father
has no gun; where does he get all this meat?" The child was silent,
not knowing whence the meat came, and did not answer; and he returned
to his father's house.
So, Leopard said to himself, "Kudu and I must have a talk." He told
his wife to make ready their food. She did so. Then he told one of his
children, "Go! call Kudu to come and eat with me." The child went and
told as he was bidden. Tortoise sent word, "I can't come." His wife,
however, said to him, "Go!" Tortoise objected to her, saying, "I'm
afraid of that man!" Still his wife said to him, "Go!" So, he went.
Leopard set out the food that had been prepared. Then he asked
Tortoise, "Where did you get the meat which I saw with your
child?" Tortoise replied, "I picked it up." Leopard said, "No! don't
tell lies!" They changed the conversation, and went on eating. When
they were done, Tortoise went back to his house.
Next day, Leopard said to his people, "I'm going to visit Kudu." So he
went, and entered into the house of the wife of Tortoise. There he saw
much dried wild meat. He exclaimed, "O! Kudu! you told me falsely! You
and I living in the same town, can't you let me know what happens?"
Then Leopard went back to his house. That evening he said to his
children, "Go to the house of Kudu. If you see a hunting-bag hanging
there, take hold of it; with a knife pierce holes in the bottom; and
fill the bag with ashes." They did so, putting in much ashes. They
returned to their father, and told him what they had done. He replied,
"Very good!"
That night, Tortoise said to his wife, "Tomorrow, I shall not go
out hunting." But, she said, "Yes! Go! and kill me some animal." So,
he consented.
Then day began to break. Tortoise went into the entrance-room;
thence he took his hunting-bag; but, in the dark of the morning,
he saw nothing wrong about it. And he went on his way.
Soon, also, Leopard came out of his house; and, going to the house of
Tortoise, he inquired, "Kudu is in the house?" The wife of Tortoise
from her bed-room, replied, "Kudu is not here." Then Leopard went
into the entrance-room of Tortoise; and looking about, he saw that the
bag was not there. So, he followed after Tortoise; and, as he walked,
he looked out for marks of the ashes. He followed, and he followed;
and finally overtook Tortoise.
Tortoise, as soon as he saw Leopard coming, said to him, "I'm going
back to town!" Leopard asked, "Why? Don't go! Why do you go?" Tortoise,
remembering his having said he was "a great man," answered, "Because
you are proud." But, Leopard insisted, "No! go on where you were
going." So, Tortoise consented, "Well, let us go!"
They went, and came to the town of Men. And they found that the
men were gone off into the forest. Tortoise observed that the house
was closed and locked. Leopard said to him, "Open the house!" But
Tortoise replied, "You, Njâ you open the house!" But, Leopard said,
"I am a stranger here; you travel here continually; you know the
way!" So, Tortoise opened the house; and they both entered.
Leopard saw the bodies of many wild animals drying in the
house. Tortoise said to him, "Carry the meat, and let us go!" But,
Leopard said, "No! I'm staying here, and will cook some meat
here." Tortoise objected, "No! take the meat and let us go. For,
here are great Men who kill us people."
However, Leopard insisted, "No! first let me eat." So, Tortoise said,
"Very well! I'll carry away my share; for, I'm going." But Leopard
still insisted, "No! wait for me." So, Tortoise yielded, and waited
for him in the house.
Leopard cooked his meat. While the pot was on the fire-place, and
before he had eaten, suddenly the Men returned. Tortoise exclaimed,
"The Men of the Town have returned! What shall we do?" For himself,
Tortoise said, "I'm going to hide in the bedroom!" But, Leopard said,
"No! I'm the elder; the bedroom is the place for me." He went into
the bedroom. Tortoise remained in the reception-room, and hid himself
in a pile of the women's cassava leaves.
Soon afterward, the Men also came into that room. And a woman said,
"I left those leaves here when I was cooking. I must throw them into
the back yard." So, she swept the leaves (with Tortoise unseen among
them) in a heap, and threw them out doors.
In the bedroom, where Leopard had hidden, there was a child of this
woman, sick with a skin-disease. The woman called out to her child,
"My child! are you there?" The child replied, "Yes!" The Men in
the entrance-room, observing the pot on the fire, asked the woman,
"While we were away, did you leave a kettle on the fire-place?" The
woman, thinking the pot belonged to someone else who had been cooking,
answered, "No." The Men then directed her, "Make food for us!" So,
she made them food in that pot which Leopard had left, adding other
meat to it.
The child in the bedroom, smelling the odor of cooking, called out,
"Mother! I want to eat!" So, the mother made food for him. And she
took the plate to him, setting it down in the doorway, (but did not
enter the room, and so did not see Leopard).
Leopard took the child's food. The child, in terror, made no
out-cry. Leopard ate up all the food. Then the child began to
weep. The mother, hearing, asked, "Why do you cry?" The child answered,
"For hunger."
She wondered that that plateful had not been sufficient; but, she made
him more food. And she brought it to him into the room, but she did not
see the Leopard; nor did the child tell her. She left the food there,
and went out. The child was about to take the food to eat it, when
Leopard again snatched it away. But, even then, the child, in fear,
did not scream out. And Leopard ate all the food.
Then the child began to weep out aloud. The mother again asked,
"What do you want?" The child answered, "I want food." The mother
wondered much, and, hastening into the bedroom, she saw Leopard. Then
she shouted, "Men! Here's Njâ!" The men came, and they killed Leopard.
All this while, Tortoise remained hidden in the bushes outside;
and he heard all that was happening. He said to himself, "I'm going
to town to tell the children of Njâ that he is dead." So, he went
back to his town. At first, he told only his wife, "Men have killed
Njâ." Then he said, "I must now call the children of Njâ."
So, he called all the people of Leopard. And he said to them, "I
will tell you something; but, don't kill me for my evil news. So,
I tell you, Njâ is dead!" They all laughed in derision, as if it was
not possible, "We will know about that matter tomorrow!"
And that day darkened. In the evening, Tortoise told his wife
and children, "We must flee to another place." For, he feared that
Leopard's people would charge him with their father's death. So, that
night they fled. And they built their town far away at another place.
When the children of Leopard saw that Tortoise had fled, they
believed him guilty; and they said, "The day we shall see Kudu,
we will kill him."
Tortoise and his family had been living at their new place only
about a month, when, one day, he said to his family, "I'm going
on a journey to the town of Mbâmâ." So he went to that town. He
stayed there visiting about a week. While there, he said to Boa,
"If a child of Njâ comes here, hide me." Shortly afterward, a child
of Leopard did come. Boa took Tortoise, and set him for safety on a
rock in the middle of the river. Tortoise sat there a long time; and,
while there, he laid what looked like an egg. Surprised, he threw it
into the water; and it floated away. Finally it came ashore at the
landing-place of Crocodile's town.
Crocodile saw it, and said, "Go, and seek the person who made this
thing." His children went to seek. They journeyed, and found Tortoise,
and took him. They brought him to their father, and told him, "This is
the person." Crocodile asked Tortoise, "You made this Thing?" Tortoise
said "Yes!" Then Crocodile told him, "Make me many of these Things." So
Tortoise told him, "Bring me here a great many plantains; and arrange
the house in order." Crocodile arranged all the house nicely. Tortoise
entered it, and was given an inside room. He remained there in that
room all by himself with the plantains.
At last, one day he emerged. And he said to Crocodile, "Send me in
company with one of your people across the river." Crocodile told
him, "You yourself name the person who shall go with you." Tortoise
said he wanted Crocodile's cousin Igwana, who was living there with
Crocodile's people.
So Igwana and Tortoise got into a canoe, and started to cross
the river. Crocodile then entered the room where Tortoise had
been. Searching there, he did not find any of the Things which
Tortoise had promised to make. So Crocodile shouted after Tortoise,
whose canoe had not yet crossed the river, to come back. Tortoise
heard; and he asked Igwana, "Do you hear how Crocodile is calling to
you? Don't you know what he is saying?" (Natives believe the Igwana
to be deaf.) Igwana answered, "No! what does he say?" Tortoise said,
"He tells you to paddle faster! Don't be so slow!" So, Igwana paddled
rapidly; and soon his work was finished; and they reached the other
side. There, Tortoise got out of the canoe; and he told Igwana to go
back. Igwana did so. And Tortoise went on his way.
After a while, a child of Leopard met with Tortoise on the path. The
child asked him, "Is not this Kudu?" Tortoise replied, "Yes, I am
he." Then the child of Leopard said to him, "You killed my father! I
shall also kill you!" So, he killed Tortoise.
TALE 20
LEOPARD'S HUNTING COMPANIONS
Persons
Njâ (Leopard) and His Nephew
Etoli (House-Rat)
Ngomba (Porcupine)
Iheli (Gazelle)
Nyati (Ox)
Njâku (Elephant)
Ko (Wild-Rat)
Kudu (Tortoise)
Indondobe (Wagtail)
Leopard and other Beasts, with a son of Leopard's sister, were residing
in the same town. One day, Leopard said to the others, "I have here
a word to say." They replied, "Tell it." "We must go to kill Beasts
(not of our company) for our food, at a place which I will show you
a number of miles away." And they made their arrangements.
After two days, he said, "Now, for the journey!" So they finished
their preparations. And Leopard said to his nephew, "You stay in the
town. I and the others will go to our work."
They began their journey, and had gone only a part of the way, when
Leopard exclaimed, "I forgot my spear! Wait for me while I go back to
the town." There he found his nephew sitting down, waiting. Leopard
said to him, "I have come to tell you that, every day, while we
are away, you must come early to where we are killing the animals;
and secretly you must take away the meat and bring it here to my
house." The nephew heard and promised.
Leopard returned to the others who were awaiting him on the road,
and told them to come on. They went, and they arrived at the spot
which he had chosen. There they hastily built a small house for their
camp. The next day they said, "Now, let us go and make our snares
for the animals." They began making snares; and set their traps
early in the afternoon. A few hours later, they returned to the
camp. Later still, before sunset, they said, "Let us go to examine
our snares." They found they had caught an Igwana. They killed it
and put it on the drying-frame over the fire in the house.
Then the day darkened. And they went to their sleep.
And then the day broke.
And Leopard said, "While we go to the snares, who shall remain
to take care of this house?" They agreed, "Let Etoli stay at the
camp." House-Rat assented, "All right." So the others went away
together.
The camp had been made near a small stream. At that same hour,
Leopard's nephew came to the camp, according to his uncle's
directions. He had in his hands a plate and a drum. He came near to
the house cautiously. With the plate he twice swept the surface of the
water, as if bailing out a canoe. Rat heard the swish of the water,
and called out, "Who is splashing water there? Who is dabbling in
this water?" The nephew responded, "It is I, a friend." And Rat said,
"Well, then come."
The nephew came to the house. After a little conversation, he said to
Rat, "I have here a drum, and, while I beat it, you dance for me." Rat
was pleased, and said, "Very well." So, the nephew beat the drum,
and Rat danced. After a while, the nephew said to Rat, "Go you, out
into the front, and dance there, while I beat the drum here." As Rat
went out, the nephew snatched the dried meat and ran away with it,
suddenly disappearing around a corner of the house. He came to the
town, and placed the meat in his own house.