A few hours later the rich man came home. “I am tired,” he said, sitting on his stool in front of the house. “What sort of food have you made for me?” “There is some porridge in the calabash and the maize is just boiling. But I must tell you what happened this morning when you were away.” “What is it?” “A man came here, a very ugly creature and very thin, he looked like a skeleton, with a body quite different from our own. He was painted in red and had very long hair. He brought me the greetings of Keriha and Wagaki and Kanyai. They sent him here to get money, as there is great famine in their place and they have absolutely nothing to eat. They want to buy food of the kind they eat there. I offered him some porridge but he refused it, saying that they do not eat our food. I was so scared of what he told me that I gave him the sack of money we had here and off he went.”
The rich man was furious. He grabbed his wife by the throat and threw her to the ground. Then he came to his senses and realized it was useless to hit his wife for it wouldn’t bring back the money. So he asked: “Which way did he go?” “That path across the brook.” The man took a spear in his right hand and ran away down the path where his wife was pointing. He ran like a gazelle and finally sighted in the distance a man on the road, trudging slowly with a burden on his shoulders. But the rascal had been expecting him and had a trick in store. He had procured some banana leaves and a machete by scaring away an old farmer. He scared the old man into climbing a tree by telling him that a chief was after him.
Meanwhile, the rich man arrived, perspiring and gasping after his long run. He asked the deceiver: “Have you seen a man passing this way?” “A man? Is it the man who is up there in the tree?” The rich man went to the tree and looking up, said: “Yes, that is the man I want.” The poor wretch was told to come down immediately, but he was afraid and couldn’t bring himself to move. After a while, the rich man got mad and decided to climb the tree and throw him down. Meanwhile, the rascal placed the bag of money under his arm, took the beautiful blanket laid down by the rich man when he climbed the tree, and swiftly, like a leopard, he slid into the thick forest nearby, and disappeared. All trace of him was lost. He walked day and night and after seven days he arrived back at his home rich and safe.
Poor rich man. As soon as he discovered that he had had a bad trick played upon him, he resigned himself to returning home. Dejected and crestfallen, he had to think hard about how to save face. “What am I going to say to my wife?” he asked himself as he walked. “Oh yes, I will say this. I saw for myself that the man was really poor and needy, so I, too, consented to give him the money and even gave him my blanket.” So that is what he said to her. And his wife added: “Didn’t you say that I was a fool? I know only too well you never trust me, you are never kind to me.”
—Kikuyu
62
The Pleasure of His Company
A man once hoed his garden and planted it with beans, but when the crop grew, the animals from the forest came and damaged it, so he set a snare to catch them.
One day, a leopard came that way and got his leg caught in the trap. He lay there unable to move, and, after a time, he spied a bushbuck with his mate and four young ones, whom he called to come and help him. The bushbuck, when he saw the leopard in the trap, took pity on him, and undoing the rope, set him free. Said the leopard, “I have been here three days and am famished. You have been very kind to me. Will you extend your kindness and take me to your home and give me food? I am very much indebted to you, and to show my gratitude, I will remain with you.” So the bushbuck agreed and led him to his home, where beans were cooked and put before the leopard. But the leopard refused them, saying that he did not eat beans, and made his host kill and give him some fowls to eat.
Every day, after that, he was given fowls to eat, until none were left; soon the same thing happened with the goats. Finally, when there was no more meat to feed the leopard they offered him beans again, at which, the leopard repeated his indebtedness to his benefactor, the bushbuck, and said he would like to show his gratitude by staying with him, but he really could not eat beans. Then he asked the bushbuck to give him one of his children. Not wishing to offend his guest, he killed one of his little ones, and the leopard ate him. Next day, the leopard asked for and received another child, and so on, until all had been sacrificed and only the bushbuck and his wife remained. The leopard demanded the wife and the poor bushbuck, not knowing how to get out of it, had to give the leopard his own wife to be eaten. When the leopard again felt hunger, he said to the bushbuck, “Well now, you have been very kind to me and given me all you have, but you still remain. I think I will have to eat you, too.” The bushbuck, now really frightened, made off into the forest, chased by the leopard.
After running for three days, the bushbuck met a buffalo who asked him what he was running from. The bushbuck told him and asked his advice, and the buffalo answered, “Well, I don’t think that you can do anything except continue your kindness and give yourself up to the leopard.” But the bushbuck ran on, and soon met an elephant who, when he heard the story, offered advice identical with the buffalo’s.
All the animals of the forest said the same, except the hare who, after listening to the bushbuck’s story, offered to act as judge in the case.
When the leopard came up, the hare told him he would like to see how the whole thing had come about, from the moment he got caught in the trap. All then repaired to the place where it had happened. “Now,” said the hare, setting the trap, “will you just show me how you got caught? Of course if you are trapped, I will free you again.” So the leopard stepped on the snare and was immediately caught by the leg. “Ah,” said the hare, “that is the way it happened, is it?” saying which, he went off, taking the bushbuck with him. The man soon found the leopard in the snare and killed him.
—Wayao
63
The Dog Eats All the Ants
A leopard and his wife and a dog all lived together in a house that the leopard owned. Though they were friends, the dog was often treated more like a servant. When the rainy season came, the leopard said to the dog, “Let us go and look at our ant hill, and see whether the ants are about to swarm because the year is ended.” They went, and soon caught a large quantity of ants, which they took home. The leopard’s wife cooked them, and they had a sumptuous meal. Those which were left over, they fried, and then dried in the sun. The leopard afterwards said, “I will take four bundles of those dried ants to my wife’s relations.” The dog agreed to go with him, and they settled on a day for the journey.
Early on the morning of the appointed day, the leopard dressed in his best clothes, took his harp, because he was an expert player, and said to the dog, “You carry the ants.” The dog made the bundles into a load, put them on his head, and started off after the leopard.
On the way, they met some people they knew, and greeted them. Their friends asked them where they were going, and the leopard replied, “I am going to see my wife’s relations.” They asked him to play a tune on his harp, which he did, and sang:
I have a load of white ants like the ones that the dog carries
I have a load of white ants like the ones that the dog carries.
Their friends thanked the leopard for the tune and song, took leave of him, and went on their way. The leopard and the dog, too, went on their way.
After a time, the dog said, “Sir, I don’t feel well. I need to go out into the grass.” The leopard said, “All right, go,” and waited in the road for him. While in the grass, the dog ate all the ants, filled the packets with dry grass, and returned after tying them up as before. The leopard and dog continued on their way. After a time, the dog said to the leopard, “Sir, lend me the harp that I may play and sing as we walk.” The leopard did so, and the dog played and sang:
A load of rubbish for my wife’s relations
A load of rubbish for my wife’s relations.
The leopard thanked the dog for his song, and said, “You played very well,” to which
the dog replied, “Thank you, sir.”
When they reached their destination, the leopard greeted his wife’s relations and asked how they were. They in turn, asked how the leopard and his wife and relations were, but they took no notice of the dog. The leopard’s relatives then brought out their pipes and gave the leopard one to smoke, but still the ignored the dog. After a time, the dog walked away, and as soon as he got out of sight, he ran as fast as he could.
A while later, the leopard said he had brought them some ants to eat, and began to untie the parcels, but to his great surprise and annoyance he found nothing but dry grass. Realizing the trick that had been played on him, he called for the dog, but the dog had gone. Then, he went to his earth spirit and consulted him about what to do. The god answered, “When you beat the drums for twin dances, the dog will come.” Some time later, the leopard’s wife gave birth to twins, and the leopard’s friends and relations came together and beat the drums for the twins, and they danced, too. The sheep, who was a friend of the dog, also came to the celebration. As they danced, they sang,
Who will show me the dog?
Who will show me the dog?
Others took up the refrain and waved their tails, saying,
There is no dog here, there is no dog here.
Late in the evening, although the dance was still going on, the sheep went home. He told the dog about the dance, and what a wonderful entertainment it was. The dog said: “I am sorry I was not there to see it.” The sheep replied: “In the morning I will put you in my tail and take you.” The next morning the sheep put the dog into his tail, and they went to the dance; when the drums beat they all sang:
Show me the dog.
Who will show me the dog?
Others answered:
Here there is no dog,
here there is no dog.
In the evening, when the drums were sounding loudly, the sheep became excited and danced and sang, and waved his tail so violently that the dog slipped out and fell to the ground; he immediately ran away and again escaped. The leopard was very angry and caught the sheep and killed him. The dog ran off to Mr. Man and lived with him. Now, whenever a leopard meets a dog, he kills it if he can. From that time, too, there has been enmity between the sheep and the leopard, because the sheep protected the dog.
—Baganda
64
No Longer Fear the Cock’s Comb
At one time, the fowls used to be lords of the wild cats, for they had combs of fire that put fear into the cats. They made them their servants and used them to supply them with food. Whenever a cat caught flying ants, the fowls demanded four-fifths of them. This tax was paid in large packets of ants, which the cats had to bring before the fowls to let them see how great were the spoils they had taken, and exactly what share should be theirs. The cats did not like this arrangement, and once or twice they wished to rebel, but their fear of being burned by the fowls’ combs, stopped them.
One day, the cat’s fire had gone out and a mother cat sent one of the younger members of the family to the fowls to beg for fire. When the young cat arrived, he found the cock very drunk and fast asleep, and the others away from home. He tried to wake him, but couldn’t, so he went back and told his mother. The mother said: “This time, take some dry grass with you and put it to his comb and bring the fire.” He went back and touched the grass to the comb, but it didn’t take fire.
The young cat returned to his mother and told her the grass would not catch; the mother was angry and said: “You have not really tried. Come along with me and do it again.” When they arrived, the cock was still asleep. They approached him very slowly, touched the comb with the grass, and then blew on it to see if it was on fire, but there was never a spark. They felt the comb to see if it was hot, putting their hands gently on it, though they were afraid of being burnt. To their great surprise, they found that the comb was quite cold, even though it was red. After this discovery, they finally waked the fowl and told him they were not going to serve him any longer, they were tired of his rule. The fowl was angry and began to make a great noise, and tried to terrify the cats with threats, but they said: “We don’t fear you. We tested your comb while you were asleep and know that it has no fire in it, and now we will kill you if you say anything more.” The fowl saw that his empty boasting had been discovered, and from that time, fowls have had to escape cats because of the enmity between them. For this reason—to be safe from cats—fowls took refuge with man.
—Buganda
65
How Honey Guide Came to
Have Power over Honey
Honey Guide, the silent one, and Wheatear, the songbird, at one time lived together in one place and ate out of one dish. Honey Guide was the elder, Wheatear the younger. One day, they decided to go after honey, and as they searched, Honey Guide said: “Smile, Wheatear, when you see where the honey is.” Soon Wheatear smiled, although he did not really see the honey; but then Honey Guide smiled, and he really did see it. They returned home, leaving the honey behind, and planning to come back for it the next day. After a while, Wheatear quietly disappeared and went back to steal the honey Honey Guide had led him to by his smile.
The next morning, Honey Guide said: “Let us go to our honey.” Of course, when they came to the honey place all they found there was a bit of bare honeycomb, mangled and thrown about, but when Honey Guide asked Wheatear about it, Wheatear replied: “My brother, I have seen neither it nor him who has stolen the honey, and as for me, I wouldn’t eat any of this honey unless you had given it to me.”
So then Honey Guide said no more, and they went out again looking for honey. When they found some, Honey Guide saw it before Wheatear did, and he tested Wheatear by saying: “Smile.” Wheatear said: “I cannot see the honey, smile yourself, my brother.” Honey Guide said: “No, child, smile.” So Wheatear smiled and then he saw the honey. Honey Guide asked him: “What do you see?” Wheatear said: “It looks as if it might be flies fluttering in front of my eyes.” Honey Guide said: “Haven’t you seen it?” But Wheatear was deceiving him, for he saw the honey all the time. When Honey Guide was about to smile, he saw the honey, and said: “Let us cut down the tree to get it.” Wheatear refused, saying: “No. As you accused me of stealing the honey, well, I am Wheatear! Let us bring some birdlime and set a trap beside the honey, then if it be I who steal the honey you will catch me.” “A good thought,” replied Honey Guide.
They went off to get some birdlime from the humans. Honey Guide said: “Tomorrow we’ll come back to set the trap.” But later that same day Honey Guide quietly disappeared and went off in secret to set the birdlime. Said Wheatear to himself: “Let me go quietly and eat the honey.” But the birdlime was already set, although he did not notice it. When he sat down beside the honey, he sat on the birdlime. Said he, “I will strike it with my wing,” but he stuck to it. And when he struck with his tail he stuck to it. When he wanted to draw back his right wing, it was stuck fast. He tried to strike it with his breast but he stuck. When he attempted to bite it with his beak, he bit the birdlime. Why, then he simply died for lack of breath.
When Honey Guide appeared on the scene, he found Wheatear already dead. Then he mocked him, saying: “Wheatear, smile!” As Wheatear was dried up, Honey Guide said that was the reward of thievery. “From today you will not steal any more. The chieftainship over honey is mine and to be extolled! As for you, from today your portion shall be birdlime already spread, and thus you will be killed by people.”
While he spoke, Honey Guide was standing upon the corpse of Wheatear. Separated on account of thievery they became distinct in other ways, though their cries remained the same. And to this day, Wheatear’s portion is to be trapped in birdlime.
—Ila
66
The Trapper Trapped
Goat and Fox were quarreling and Goat told Fox that he intended to get him into trouble so bad he would never be able to get out. Fox said, “All right; you do that, and I will return the favor to you.”
“Who is calling me?” replied Fox. “I don’t know,” said Goat; “I think it is your friend. Go this way and you will run into him.” Fox went down the path and at length came upon Leopard. Fox was frightened, and inquired: “Did you call me?” “Yes, my son; your brother is sick. Goat came just a while ago and told me you had medicine that would make my little one well.” “Yes,” said Fox, “I have medicine that will cure your little one, but I must have a little goat horn to put it in. If you get me a goat horn I will let you have the medicine.” “Which way did Goat go?” asked Leopard. “I left him up there,” replied Fox. “You wait here with my little one, and I will bring you the horn,” said Leopard, and away she ran. Soon after, Leopard killed Goat and returned with his horns to Fox. Beware, lest you fall into the trap you set for someone else.
African Folktales Page 26