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
So the mother went away with her child to her father's house. But
there too, the boy ate up all the food of the gardens, until there
was none left. Then her father said to her, "All my food is done here;
go with your child to your grandfather, and find food there."
So, she went to her grandfather's. But there the same trouble followed.
After she had been there some time, and the child was now a stout lad,
and she saw that they were no longer welcome, she said to herself,
"Alas! it is so! All my people are weary of me! I will not longer
stay at grandfather's. I will go wandering into the forest, and,
with the child, will see what I can get."
Taking with her only two ears of corn, she went far off with the lad
into the forest. After much wandering, and eating only wild fruits,
she selected a spot without having any idea of the locality, and
built a shed for a camp in which to stay. At this place, she planted
the corn. It quickly sprang up, and bore abundantly. And she planted
other gardens. After a time came very many birds; and they began to
eat up the corn. She exclaimed, "My son and I alone have come here,
and have planted our corn. How is this that all the birds have come
so soon to destroy it?" And the son, who by this time had grown to
be almost a young man, said to her, "Mother, why do you allow the
birds to eat? Why don't you do something?" She replied, "Why do the
birds thus destroy the corn? What can I do?" So he came out of the
shed into the yard in front of their house and shouted at the birds,
"You birds! who have come here to spoil my corn, with this stick I
will kill you all!" But the birds jeered at him, saying, "No! not
all! Only one shall die!"
The young man went into the house, took up a magic spear-head he
owned, fitted it onto a stick as a shaft; and going out again, he
hurled it at the birds. The spear flew at them, pursuing each one,
and piercing every one of them in succession. Then it flew on and on,
away out into the forest.
The young man took up another medicine-charm that he had with him, and,
calling to his spear by name, shouted after it, "Tombeseki-o-o! Come
back, back, back, Here! again, again, again, Return!" The spear
heard him, and obeyed, and came back. He laid hold of it, and put it
again in the shed. So, he and his mother lived there. She planted a
very large garden of plantains, cassava, and many other vegetables,
a very large quantity. And her gardens grew, and bore fruit in plenty.
Then there came all kinds of small Animals, hogs, and antelopes, and
gazelles, very many; and they spoiled the gardens, eating the fruit,
and breaking down the stalks. The mother exclaimed, "My son! the
animals have finished all my food of the gardens; everything is
lost! Why is this?" He replied, "Yes, it is so! And when they come
again tomorrow, I know what I will do to them!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account