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
Said Leopard, "This Ebwehavu is accustomed to be plucked only the green
unripe, but the dark ripe ones are to be left." That seemed strange to
Red Antelope, nevertheless he said, "Yes." But Leopard was plucking
the ripe and leaving the green. When they had finished plucking,
Leopard said, "Ehibo! shut eyes! that I may descend!" Red Antelope
shut his eyes. Leopard grasped the vine; and, with one spring, was on
the ground. Then, he said, "Now, Ehibo, descend." Red Antelope began
descending by the Bongo, down, down, landing finally on the ground.
Leopard waited for him; and then said, "Having no fire, how shall we
cook those green bebwehavu?" Just then, he saw a Fire-fly passing;
and he said. "Mr. Ehibo! Pursue! That's fire passing there!" Red
Antelope bent in rapid pursuit. Leopard turned to the base of the tree,
gathered dried fire-wood, struck his flint, lighted a fire, cooked
his fruits, ate them, finished, and put out his fire. Red Antelope,
back again, said, "I did not reach it, I'm tired." Leopard said,
"Well, let it go. I chewed mine uncooked. But, let us journey; and,
as you go, you chew yours." They went on, and came to the town of the
marriage. Food was cooked and set for them in their room. Said Leopard,
"Ehibo, sit you on the floor, while I eat at the table. And, while I
eat the flesh, you eat the bones." Red Antelope had become so utterly
wearied and humiliated that he did not resent this indignity. They
ate. And then Leopard said, "Ehibo, sweep up the scraps, and go and
throw them into the back yard." (Immediately on his arrival at the
town, Leopard had gone alone to his father-in-law, and said, "I have
brought you an animal. But, let another pit, this time, be dug in
the back yard of the room where we shall be. And, do you put spears
and daggers and all kinds of sharp sticks there. When I shall send
him to throw away the sweepings, and he shall fall in, kill ye him.")
Red Antelope swept, and scraped up the sweepings, and threw them into a
basket. He turned with them to the back yard, to fling them away. As he
was about to do so, he slipped down to the bottom of the pit. Impaled
on the spears, he was unable to jump out. When the town's-people
arrived, they thrust him through with sharp poles; and he lay dead.
When Leopard returned home, Red Antelope's people asked, "Where is
Ehibo?" Leopard made his former answer, "Ehibo was hindered by the
hospitality of that marriage town, with its food and its women; and,
he said, 'I won't go back!'"