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
So, she did about the food as Tortoise had reported, and gave it to
him to eat. When Tortoise had finished eating, the woman went with
him to wash him in the water at the edge of the brook. While she was
doing this, Tortoise asked, "Throw me off into the water where it
is deep." The woman did so. And Tortoise shouted, "So! you will die
this day by your husband's hands!" The woman began to see her mistake,
and she begged Tortoise, "Come! let us go back to town." But Tortoise
said, "I shan't come! I'm here safe in my place down in the bottom
of the stream."
Then the woman went back to her town; and as she went, she went crying.
Late in the day, Leopard returned from the discussions of the
Council. And he said to his wife, "O! my wife! I'm just dying of
hunger!" She told him, "Ah! my husband! Kudu has run away!" Leopard,
in his anger, flung a claw at her; and she died on the spot.
Tortoise, in the meanwhile, went as fast as he could under the
water of the stream. And he came to the house of Crocodile, and
crept into the doorway. Crocodile, in tears, met him with the words,
"Ah! Kudu! I'm just dying here with grief and crying." Tortoise asked
her, "What is the matter?" She told him, "I've laid a hundred eggs,
but none of them had children in them." Tortoise replied, "That's my
work, the causing of eggs to have children. Shall I do it?" Crocodile
consented, "Yes, I've here three hundred other eggs; you may make
them have children." Tortoise told her, "I'm the only one to do that
thing." So, Crocodile said, "Go into this room, and do it."
Tortoise went into the room, found the eggs there; and said to
Crocodile, "Give me here a kettle, also firewood and water. Give me my
food here. For, I will not go out of this house; I will go out only at
the time when I shall have caused the eggs to have children." Crocodile
agreed, saying, "Yes, I am willing. It is well." And she gave direction
to her people, "Give Kudu all the things he has asked for there."
Then Tortoise locked all the doors, and stayed inside the room. He
began to arrange the fire-wood, and set the kettle and put water in
it. In the afternoon, he took twenty eggs, and cooked, and ate them
with his food.
At night, all went to sleep.
At daybreak, he cooked twenty more eggs, and ate them; at noon he
cooked and ate more; and at evening supper, he cooked and ate some
more. So, he spent about seven days in eating all the eggs. Then he
called out to Crocodile "Do you want to hear the little crocodiles
talk?" Crocodile replied, "Yes! I want to hear!" Tortoise took
two pieces of broken plates, and scraped one across the other,
making a rasping sound. Crocodile and the people of the town heard
the squeaking sounds, and they exclaimed in joy. "So! So, So!" They
replied to Tortoise, "We hear the little ones talking!" Tortoise
also told them, "Tomorrow, then, I will make a Medicine to cause
them to talk loudly." But Crocodile began to have some doubts. And
day darkened to night.