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
Leopard, having finished the gourd-seeds, again went leaping in
pursuit; and, for the third time, came near. Horse told Ilâmbe to throw
the gourd of water behind, with force so that it might crash and break
on the ground. As soon as she had done so, the water was turned to a
stream of a deep wide river, between them and Leopard. Then he was
at a loss. So, he shouted, "Ah! Ilâmbe! Mi asaiya! If I only had a
chance to catch you!" So, he had to turn back.
Then Horse said, "We do not know what he may do yet; perhaps he may
go around and across ahead of us. As there is a town which I know
near here, we had better stay there a day or two while he may be
searching for us." He added to her, "Mind! this town where we are
going, no woman is allowed to be there, only men. So, I will change
your face and dress like a man's. Be very careful how you behave
when you take your bath, lest you die." Ilâmbe promised; and Horse
changed her appearance. So, a fine-looking young man was seen riding
into the street of the village. There were exclamations in the street,
"This is a stranger! Hail! stranger; hail! Who showed you the way to
come here?" This young man answered, "Myself; I was out riding; I saw
an open path; and I came in." He entered a house, and was welcomed;
and they told him their times of eating, and of play, etc. But, on
the second day, as this young man went out privately, one of the men
observed, and said to the other, "He acts like a woman!" The others
asked, "Really! you think so?" He asserted, "Yes! I am sure!" So,
that day Ilâmbe was to meet with some trouble; for, to prove her,
the men had said to her, "Tomorrow we all go bathing in the river,
and you shall go with us." She went to ask Horse what she should
do. He rebuked her, "I warned you, and you have not been careful. But,
do not be troubled; I will change you into a man."
That night, Ilâmbe went to Horse; and he changed her. He also told her,
"I warn you again. Tomorrow you go to bathe with the others, and you
may take off your clothes; for, you are now a man. But, it is only
for a short time, because we stay here only a day and a night more,
and then we must go."
The next morning all the town went to play, and after that to
bathe. When they went into the water, the other men were all
expecting to see a woman revealed; but they saw that their visitor
was a man. They admired his wonderfully fine physique. On emerging
from the water, the men said to the one who had informed on Ilâmbe,
"Did you not tell us that this was a woman? See, how great a man he
is!" As soon as they said that, the young man Ilâmbe was vexed with
him, and began to berate him, saying, "Eh! you said I was a woman?" And
she chased him and struck him. Then they all went back to the town.