Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore Tales — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore Tales
John Stuart Mill · en
One day, his children said to him, "You always return with some animal;
but you never have brought us Ngowa." He replied, "I saw many Ingowa
today, when I was out there. But, I wonder at one thing; that, when
they are all together eating, and I approach, they run away. As to
Ingowa, they eat nkula nuts and I know where the trees are. Well, then,
I ambush them; but, when I go nearer, I see one big Ngowa not eating,
but going around and around the herd. Whether it sees me or does not
see, sure when I get ready to aim my gun, then they all scatter. The
reason that Ingowa escape me, I do not know."
The Hogs, when they had finished eating, and were returning to their
own town, as they passed the town of Elephant, heard mourning; and
they asked, "Who is dead?" The answer was, "Njâgu is dead! Njâgu is
dead!" They inquired, "He died of what disease?" They were told, "Not
disease; Hunter killed him." Then another day, when Ox was killed,
his people were heard mourning for him. Another day, Antelope was
killed; and his people were mourning for him. All these animals were
dying because of Hunter killing them.
At first, the Hogs felt pity for all these other Beasts. But, when
they saw how they were dying, they began to mock at them, "These are
not people! They only die! But, as to us Ingowa, Hunter is not able
to kill us. We hear only the report that there is such a person as
Hunter, but he is not able to kill us."
When Hogs were thus boasting, their King, Angângwe, laughed at them,
saying, "You don't know, you Ingowa! You mock others, that Hunter kills
them?" They answered, "Yes, we mock at them; for, we go to the forest
as they do, but Hunter does not touch us." Angângwe asked, "When you
thus in the forest eat your inkula-nuts, you each one eat them by his
own strength and skill?" They answered, "Yes; ourselves we go to the
forest on our own feet; we ourselves pick up and eat the inkula. No one
feeds us." Angângwe said, "It is not so. Those inkula you eat si nyo
o'kângâ wa oma (they are eaten because of a person)." They insisted,
"No, it is not so. Inkula have no person in particular to do anything
about them." Thus they had this long discussion, the Hogs and their
King; and they got tired of it, and lay down to sleep.
In the morning, when daylight came, the King said, "A journey for
nuts! But, today, I am sick. I am not able to go to gather nuts with
you. I will stay in town." The Hogs said, "Well! we do not mistake
the way. It is not necessary for you to go."
When they went, they were jeering about their King, "Angângwe said,
'Inkula si nyo o'kângâ w' oma'; but we will see today without
him." They went to the nkula trees, and found great abundance fallen
to the ground during the night. The herd of Hogs, when they saw all
these inkula, jumped about in joy. They stooped down to pick up the
nuts, their eyes busy with the ground. They ate and ate. No one of
them thought of Hunter, whether he was out in the forest.