West African Folk Tales

by Hugh Vernon-Jackson

  Now the news of the two brothers reached Ja’afaru. He sent a messenger to them telling them to return. As the two brothers were coming up to the gates of the city, they were met by Ja’afaru’s servants. The servants brought them fine clothes to wear and horses to ride. So the two brothers entered the city and went to Ja’afaru’s house looking like rich men. The people of the city were respectful when they saw the brothers arriving as they did, and they said to each other, “See, the brothers of Ja’afaru. They went away to trade ground-nuts and they have returned in fine clothes and riding horses.”

  Ja’afaru greeted his brothers and made them rest and eat in his house. After they had rested and eaten for several days, Ja’afaru spoke with them.

  “Tell me, my brothers,” Ja’afaru asked, “what happened to the money which I lent you?”

  “Ah,” cried the first brother, “there was bad luck for me. When I left the city thieves attacked me. They came out from the bush. They wounded me. They stole all the money that you gave me.”

  “I bought many sacks of ground-nuts,” said the second brother. “Unfortunately, there was a fire, and all the ground-nuts were burnt. Also burnt was some of the money which you gave me, that part of the money which had not been spent to buy the ground-nuts.”

  Ja’afaru was very sorry to hear what the brothers told him. He told them that he forgave them their debt and that they should remain in his house. The two brothers thanked Ja’afaru and went to the rooms he had given them.

  A month passed, and the two brothers went to their brother and spoke to him.

  “Ja’afaru,” they said. “If you lend us some money, we will go and buy cotton. Then we will sell the cotton. We will return your money from the profit we will make.”

  Once more Ja’afaru gave them the money.

  The two brothers left the city at once and went to a near-by village. There they bought wives and went to a house of gambling. They bought expensive food and they drank wine which made them insensible. They soon lost their money, but instead of begging, they stole. They stole money from a trader, but, alas! they were caught and bound with rope. The news was sent to Ja’afaru.

  When Ja’afaru heard this story of his brothers he got up from the carpet on which he was sitting. He made arrangements to go on a journey. He left his house and went to the village where his brothers had been caught as thieves and had been bound with rope.

  Ja’afaru went to the chief official, the Waziri. Touching the foot of the Waziri to show his respect, he gave money and presents to him. The Waziri agreed to release Ja’afaru’s two brothers.

  Once more Ja’afaru had fine clothing brought for his brothers and he mounted them on horses. Back they rode to the city, returning to Ja’afaru’s house.

  “We thank you, Ja’afaru,” said the two brothers.

  “You will never have to thank me again,” said Ja’afaru. So saying, he took them into his house, where he continued to give them food and clothing, but never again would he give them money, not even a single tenth of a penny.

  The Story of Mullum the Soldier

  Long ago there lived a man called Mullum. He was a great soldier, and he was the leader of all the soldiers in his country. He was respected in his own country and he was feared in all the neighbouring countries.

  One day Mullum went out hunting on his war horse, a black animal, and, like his master, very strong and brave. The war horse was also a great jumper, and could leap over rocks and streams. Mullum naturally valued him very much.

  Now on the day that Mullum went hunting he saw no animals at all. Because of that he went farther and farther away from his town, and deeper and deeper into the forest. He went so deep into the forest that unknown to him he left his own country and went into the country of his enemies.

  As he had travelled a long way, Mullum grew tired. Dismounting from his horse, he put a piece of rope between the horse’s front legs so that it could not go far away. Then he lay down in the shade of a tree with many leaves and went to sleep.

  It happened that some of the enemies of Mullum were also out hunting in the forest on that same day. Suddenly they saw Mullum’s horse which had wandered away from its master while searching for green grass to eat. Seeing a horse with no one beside it, the men tried to catch it, but even with its front feet tied close together, the horse was too savage and strong for them, and the men hurried back to their town.

  “Come quickly to the forest!” they cried when they saw their brothers in the town. “There is a very mighty black horse which we want to catch.”

  They returned to the forest with many of the bravest men of their town. There was a great fight, but at last the large number of men were able to catch the horse, and they led it back to their town, where it was taken to the palace of the king.

  “May your life be long,” the men with the horse greeted their king. “See, we have captured a fine black horse.”

  “I see it,” said the king, “and I am overjoyed. This is the horse of Mullum, my enemy. Without his best horse, Mullum will not be able to fight so well.”

  The king gave orders that the horse should be tied up in the palace courtyard and be given freshly cut grass.

  Now all this time, Mullum had been asleep. When he woke up, he could not find his horse. he looked all around him and he called, but in vain. Then he saw a man who was collecting wood.

  “Greetings to you,” said Mullum to the man who was collecting wood. “Have you seen my horse?”

  The man had seen the horse being caught, but he did not like to say so. All he said was that he thought the horse had been taken to the near-by town. Mullum then realized that he was in the country of his enemies.

  “Run to the town,” Mullum ordered the man, “and tell the king that I am determined to search for my horse.”

  The man who had been collecting wood ran to the town and delivered the message. When the king heard the news he and several of his followers rode out to meet Mullum, whom they met walking along a path in the forest, on his way to their town. Mullum and the king greeted each other.

  “Have you seen my horse?” Mullum asked.

  “Perhaps,” the king replied.

  “Is my horse in your town?” Mullum asked.

  “It may be,” said the king.

  Mullum demanded that his horse be returned.

  “Be patient,” said the king.

  Mullum said he would go to the town to look. The king agreed, and they returned to the town.

  “Here is a house for you to rest in,” the king said to Mullum, “and here is fire and water and food. Sleep, for night is coming. Tomorrow we shall talk about the horse.”

  Mullum was unwilling to wait, but he knew that only by some trick, cunning, or good fortune would he and his horse be freed. He went into the house and found it comfortable. He tasted the food and found it good. He finished it, and then he lay down on his mat and went to sleep.

  As Mullum slept, he dreamt that he saw a beautiful girl standing near him. He woke up from the dream and found that morning had come, and that there really was a beautiful girl standing near him.

  “Who are you?” he asked her.

  “I am a princess,” she replied. “The king of this town is my father.”

  “Will you marry me?” Mullum asked her.

  “Yes, if you ask my father’s permission,” said the princess, and she ran lightly away back to the king’s palace.

  Mullum went to see the king and asked for permission to marry the princess.

  “I will give permission,” said the king, “if you promise me that you will never fight against us again, and if war does arise between my country and the country of your king, you must let my daughter, the princess, return.”

  Mullum agreed to the king’s conditions, and he also asked that his horse be given back to him.

  “Take my daughter and take your horse,” said the king. Mullum thanked the king. “Remember your promise to return my daughter if there is war,” the king repeated.


  Mullum left the town and went back through the forest to his own country, together with his horse and with the beautiful princess.

  For half a year Mullum and the beautiful princess lived happily together. Then war began between the people of the princess’s country and the people of Mullum’s country. The father of the princess sent a message that she must be sent back to him without delay.

  “I must go,” said the princess to Mullum.

  “Yes, it has been my promise,” Mullum said. “Now there is war, so you must go back.”

  Preparations were made for the departure of the princess. Before she left, Mullum gave her a small square envelope made of leather which had been dyed red, and inside it was a magic charm.

  “You will soon have a child,” Mullum told the princess. “If you hang this leather envelope around the child’s neck, there will be fame and fortune for the child during the child’s life.”

  Mullum then said farewell to the princess, saying at the end, “If you give birth to a boy, I should like to know. Please send me a message.”

  The princess said she would do as she was asked. So saying, she started on her journey back through the forest to the town where her father was king.

  The princess safely reached the town and the palace of her father the king, who welcomed her, and gave her a room of her own.

  Not long afterwards the princess gave birth to a boy. Around his neck she hung the envelope of red leather which Mullum had given her so that there would be fame and fortune during his life. But the princess was deceitful, for she sent a message to Mullum saying that their child was a girl, and not a boy.

  The child of the princess was given the name of Sahabi; he grew up to be strong and of good character.

  “Tell me,” he asked the princess, “who was my father?”

  “He is still alive,” the princess replied. “He is the chief of the soldiers in the next king’s country and he is a famous fighter.”

  Sahabi himself was becoming well known as a fighter as he grew older, and he determined that he would go to the next king’s country. He thought, “I shall conquer that country, and when I have done so, I shall make my father the king.”

  Sahabi made preparations for war, gathering soldiers about him. They went to the near-by kingdom, and after a battle they conquered that country. Sahabi captured that country’s king.

  “You are now my slave,” said Sahabi to the captured king, “and I shall take you to show my father.”

  Before Sahabi could reach the town where his father lived, news reached the town that a strong young leader of soldiers from the country of their enemies had captured the king and was on his way to attack the town. It was Mullum who was chosen to lead the soldiers against the invaders. He had his famous black horse brought to him, and he called together his own soldiers.

  The next day the two armies met. Mullum saw Sahabi and Sahabi saw Mullum, but they did not know that they were father and son. There was much fighting. The soldiers of one country fought the soldiers of the other country. Mullum and Sahabi fought each other. At the end of the day, all were weary, and each side withdrew to their camps for the night.

  On the following day the armies approached each other again. Sahabi called to Mullum.

  “Leader of the enemy,” he called. “What is your name?”

  Mullum would not answer, for he was proud. He did not wish to speak with the enemy. When the fighting started once more, Sahabi, with his growing strength, knocked Mullum from his horse (which had become old and slow) and was about to kill him.

  “Let me rise and fight again,” Mullum cried. “It is not bravery to kill a man at the first blow.”

  Sahabi allowed Mullum to rise from the ground, and the fighting between them continued. Then Sahabi fell to the ground. Mullum drew his battle-axe and cut Sahabi across the chest.

  “Alas,” cried Sahabi. “All my attempts have failed. All my plans have been in vain. Now I am killed in battle in my search for my father Mullum.”

  At once Mullum realized that he had been fighting with his own son, and he saw for the first time around the neck of Sahabi the envelope of red leather which he had given to the princess for her child when she had gone back to her father.

  Mullum sent a message to his own king asking for a special medicine that would help Sahabi, but the king refused, saying, “I will not try to save an enemy like Sahabi.” When Sahabi died, his soldiers fled back into the forest from which they had come.

  “Never shall I fight again,” Mullum declared. “Through being a soldier I have lost my son.”

  And he lived as a peaceful man for the rest of his life.

  The Story of a Princess and Two Princes

  Long ago there was a handsome prince and a young princess, both of whom lived in the same town.

  The father of the princess and the father of the prince arranged that the handsome prince and the young princess should be married. There was feasting, dancing, and drumming after the marriage ceremony. After the wedding, the handsome prince bought a strong white horse which he called Kili.

  The prince was very fond of his white horse, and he would say to him, “Kili, Kili. You are better than a wife.”

  Now the young princess heard her handsome prince saying to his horse, “Kili, Kili. You are better than a wife.” She became very angry. She became very jealous.

  “I hate your horse Kili,” the young princess said to her husband. “If you wish me to obey you in everything, you must kill your white horse.”

  “Never,” said the handsome prince. “I shall never kill Kili.”

  It happened that another handsome prince in another town heard the story. He also had a strong white horse, and this horse was also called Kili. The rival prince put on his finest clothes, his shining black turban, and his large, hand-worked gown. Mounting his white horse, he rode to the town of the other handsome prince.

  He soon reached his compound, but found that the prince was away. From the compound he went into a courtyard, and from there into the house of the young princess. But he left his own white horse outside, and instead led in the other prince’s white horse.

  The young princess and the newly arrived handsome prince greeted each other. Then said the handsome prince, “I have heard that you and your prince are quarrelling. Perhaps you will marry me instead of him.”

  “I will not marry you,” she answered, “because you have a white horse called Kili and you will prefer him to me.”

  “My white horse is nothing to me compared with you,” said the prince. So saying, he drew his sword from its silver scabbard and killed the other handsome prince’s white horse.

  “You see,” he cried. “I have proved that I prefer you to my horse.”

  The prince then left the compound and returned to his town, taking with him his own white horse which he had left waiting outside.

  When the prince, who had been away, came back to his young princess and to his compound, he found that his white horse Kili had been killed. He was naturally very angry, and questioned the servants in the compound. He questioned the young princess, and asked if she had caused Kili to be slain.

  “I did not kill your horse,” she replied, “but because you cared more for your horse than for me, I shall follow another prince.”

  The young princess had her belongings packed, and off she went, following the road along which the other prince had gone.

  Thus the handsome prince had lost both his white horse and his young princess.

  The Marriage of the Hunter’s Sister

  There was once a brave and successful hunter. His name was Obian. He lived in the forests near the place where a river joined the sea. He had guns and with them he shot a great many animals.

  Whenever an animal saw the hunter, it fled as fast as it could. But the hunter was skilful and he still caught many animals.

  Finally, the animals of the forests gathered together and held a meeting. They decided that they would take revenge on the hun
ter.

  “I am the king of beasts,” said the lion. “I will take vengeance on this fearsome hunter.”

  So the lion changed himself into a well-dressed man and put money in his pocket. Then he went to the village where the hunter lived. In the centre of the village, where there was an open space, he saw some pretty girls. They were playing, laughing and singing. The lion knew that one of them was the hunter’s sister. He looked at her and she looked at him. They talked together. She told him her name was Kariba. Finally he said to her, “Will you marry me?”

  “Perhaps,” Kariba answered, “but we must go and consult my parents.”

  They went to the house of Kariba’s parents. The lion dressed as a man was so pleasing in his appearance and seemed to have so much money that the parents agreed to the marriage.

  “The marriage ceremony will take place as soon as possible,” said Kariba’s father to the lion dressed as a man.

  It was also arranged that the newly married couple would leave the village immediately afterwards. It was then that Obian, the hunter, who had been away in the forest with his gun, returned to the village and to the house. He was told what had happened.

  Now the hunter was very wise in the ways of the forest. He realized that it was no man who wanted to marry his sister. He knew it was the lion.

  “This is not a man, it is a lion,” Obian warned Kariba. “It is not wise to marry him.”

  “I do not believe you,” she answered angrily. “I want to be married. Can you suggest anyone else for me?”

  The hunter left his sister and before the lion could see him, he returned to the forest. He went quickly and secretly to the place where he knew the lion lived. There he waited.

  In the village, meanwhile, there was much celebration. There was music, drumming and dancing. There was so much to eat and drink that everyone was more than satisfied. Kariba and the lion in human shape were married.