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
After they had eaten, they went to their room for the night. Leopard,
as usual, jumped over the pit; but Antelope fell in. And Leopard
gave his shout to the people to come and take the Dowry-goods he had
brought. The next morning, after breakfast, Leopard again started on
his home journey. There, again he was anxiously asked, "But, those
whom you take with you don't come back! Why?" He made the same reply,
"They know why! Off there are damsels and dancing; and they were
unable to return."
For his next journey, Leopard asked Red Antelope, who heartily
replied, "Yes, come on! There is nothing to prevent my going on a
journey!" They journeyed, and they came to the River. There, Leopard
made his statement about the necessity of throwing their knives into
the river. Red Antelope wondered a little, but he consented saying,
"Yes, but what is that to me?" Said Leopard, "Well, then, shut your
eyes, and I will be the first to throw, lest you say I am deceiving
you." Said Red Antelope, "Yes." And he shut his eyes tightly. Then
Leopard, having a stone in his hand, flung it into the water, saying,
"I've thrown mine; throw also yours!" Red Antelope demanded, "But,
you must shut your eyes also." Leopard half-closed his eyes, and Red
Antelope, knife in hand, flung it into the water. Then, wading across,
they went on and on to the base of the Kuda tree. Said Leopard,
"Mr. Ehibo, this Kuda is eaten of here only by each person on his
own side of the trunk." Red Antelope assented; and they turned,
this one to one side, and that one to the other side. There, as Red
Antelope was vainly trying to crack the nuts with his teeth, Leopard
was deriding him while himself was comfortably using his knife.
Then, Leopard said, "Let us go on; for, the day is declining." Red
Antelope agreed. As they went, they came to an Ebwehavu tree. And
Leopard said, "Let us climb for Bebwehavu fruits. But, when we
climb this particular tree, it is the practice here, to climb, one
by one. While the one is climbing, the other has his eyes shut; and,
the climbing is done, not by the trunk, but by this adjoining Bongo
tree which you see here. But, first, close your eyes, and I will
go up." (The Bongo's trunk is covered with hard sharp thorns.) Red
Antelope stood, with his eyes tightly closed. Leopard grasped a vine;
and, with one swing, he at once was up the tree. Red Antelope began
climbing that Bongo, creeping slowly to the top, his whole body
spoiled, and nothing on him but blood and blood.