Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore TalesNassau, Robert Hamill
Philosophy
Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore Tales
Nassau, Robert Hamill
Animals -- Folklore; Tales -- Africa, West
One day the mother said to the son, "You are now a strong man; go,
and seek a marriage. Go, and marry Eyâle, the daughter of Njambo." And
he said to his mother, "I will go tomorrow."
That day darkened. And they both went to lie down in their places
for sleep.
Then soon, another day began to break.
Dog said to his mother, "This is the time of my journey." It was
about sun-rise in the morning. And he began his journey. He went the
distance of about eight miles; and arrived at the journey's end before
the middle of the morning.
He entered the house of Njambo, the father of Eyâle. Njambo and his
wife saluted him, "Mbolo!" and he responded, "Ai! mbolo!" Njambo
asked him, "My friend! what is the cause of your journey?" Dog, with
his animal language, answered, "I have come to marry your daughter
Eyâle." Njambo consented; and the mother of the girl also agreed. They
called their daughter, and asked her; and she also replied, "Yes! with
all my heart." This young woman was of very fine appearance in face
and body. So, all the parties agreed to the marriage.
After that, about sun-set in the evening, when they sat down at supper,
the son-in-law, Dog, was not able to eat for some unknown reason.
That day darkened; and they went to their sleep.
And, then, the next daylight broke. But, by an hour after sunrise in
the morning, Dog had not risen; he was still asleep.
The mother of the woman said to her, "Get some water ready for the
washing of your husband's face, whenever he shall awake." She also
said to her daughter, "I am going to go into the forest to the
plantation to get food for your husband; for, since his coming,
he has not eaten. Also, here is a chicken; the lads may kill and
prepare it. But, you yourself must split ngândâ (gourd-seeds, whose
oily kernels are mashed into a pudding)." She handed Eyâle the dish
of gourd-seeds, and went off into the forest. Njambo also went away
on an errand with his wife. The daughter took the dish of seeds,
and, sitting down, began to shell them. As she shelled, she threw
the kernels on the ground, but the shells she put on a plate.
Shortly after the mother had gone, Dog woke from sleep. He rose from
his bed, and came out to the room where his wife was, and stood near
her, watching her working at the seeds. He stood silent, looking
closely, and observed that she was still throwing away the kernels,
the good part, and saving the shells on the plate. He spoke to her
with his human voice, "No! woman! not so! Do you throw the good parts,
to the ground, and the worthless husks onto the plate?"
While he was thus speaking to his wife, she suddenly fell to the
ground. And at once she died. He laid hold of her to lift her up. But,
behold! she was a corpse.
Soon afterwards, the father and the mother came, having returned from
their errands. They found their child a corpse; and they said to Dog,
"Mbwa! What is this?" He, with his own language replied, "I cannot
tell." But, they insisted, "Tell us the reason!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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