XXXI The Leopard Is Badly Tricked by the Gazelle, Rat and Frog
The Leopard owned a fine plum-tree,76 and the Gazelle, while out walking one day, discovered it, and, noticing the fruit was ripe, he threw up a rope which caught on one of the main branches, and was soon among the plums. He put some in a bag, and as he turned to descend he saw a Squirrel and her nest on one of the forks of the tree. The Squirrel observed the Gazelle, and as she was the Leopard’s watchman she told the Leopard all about the theft.
As the Gazelle was returning home he saw a Palm-rat weaving, and, throwing a plum at him, it broke the web, whereupon the Palm-rat turned angrily on the Gazelle; but on receiving some plums and tasting them his anger passed away, and he asked where he could procure some more. The Gazelle told him to make a bag without any bottom to it, and in the morning he was to come directly he heard his whistle.
The next morning, directly he heard the Gazelle’s whistle, the Palm-rat picked up his bottomless bag and joined the Gazelle. After a short walk they reached the plum-tree, and the Gazelle said: “Shut your eyes while I climb.” The Palm-rat obeyed the order, and the Gazelle went to his rope and climbed the tree.
The Palm-rat asked: “How am I to climb the tree?”
“Oh, knock your head against the tree, and you will soon be up,” replied the Gazelle.
So the Palm-rat put his claws into the tree and knocked his head against it (that is why he has a swollen head), and at last reached the branches.
The Gazelle told him to pull all the green plums, which he stupidly did, and when he put them in his bag they fell through to the ground. When the Gazelle had plucked all the ripe plums he wanted, he said to the Palm-rat: “Look and see if the Squirrel is on that fork of the tree.”
The Palm-rat saw the Squirrel, and while he was looking the Gazelle threw a plum at her, and she cried out: “Oh, Leopard, come quickly, the Gazelle is pulling all your plums!”
When the Leopard heard this he came running to the tree, and called out: “Come down, and I’ll cure you of your sickness.”
“Thank you,” replied the Gazelle; “my mother has every kind of medicine in her house.”
“Come down,” shouted the Leopard, “and I’ll cure you of the shakes.”
“My mother has a remedy for that complaint,” responded the Gazelle, but he continued, “I’ll come down, and when you hear a thud you will know I have alighted on the ground, but when you hear a patter you will know it is my bag.”
The Gazelle threw his bag, and it fell with a thud, and the Leopard, thinking it was the Gazelle, rushed out to find only the bag, while the Gazelle jumped down the other side and got away.
The Palm-rat tried to follow the tricky example of the Gazelle, but not being clever threw himself down with a thud, and was caught and punished by the Leopard. The Gazelle played off this trick on several other animals, who were caught one by one by the Leopard and punished for stealing his plums.
One day the Gazelle took the Nkumbi77 with him to rob the plum-tree. On reaching it he told the Nkumbi to shut his eyes while he climbed the tree, but the Nkumbi only pretended to do so, and, seeing the means by which the Gazelle mounted the tree, he followed in the same way by the hanging rope.
The Gazelle tied up the bottom of his bag, the Nkumbi did the same; the Gazelle plucked the ripe plums, so did the Nkumbi. The ’cuteness of the Nkumbi was equal to the smartness of the Gazelle.
Says the Gazelle: “Let us throw some plums into that nest.” They did so, and roused the Squirrel, who cried out to the Leopard. The Leopard came quickly. “Come down here, and I’ll teach you,” he shouted.
“Oh no,” said the Gazelle, “my mother is able to teach me; but if you hear a thud, you will know it is I, and if a patter, it is my bag.”
Again the Gazelle escaped by this ruse, leaving the Nkumbi in the plum-tree. The Nkumbi, however, deceived the Leopard by the same trick, and got safely out of the tree to the ground; but the Leopard chased him to the mouth of his hole, and then began to dig the Nkumbi out with his claws, but was not able to do so; and seeing a Frog he said: “You are very strong, are you not?”
“Oh yes,” replied the Frog; “I am a very strong person.”
“Very well,” said the Leopard; “just watch this hole, and, whatever you do, you must not let the Nkumbi get out while I go home for a hoe to dig him out of his run.”
The Leopard went off, and the Frog sat down on his haunches to watch the hole. By and by the Nkumbi came to the mouth of the hole eating some peanuts. “Uncle Nkumbi,” said the Frog, “give me some of what you are eating.”
“Open your eyes wide, and come close,” replied the Nkumbi, and at once he changed the peanuts in his mouth for some pepper, and when the Frog came near enough, he blew the chewed pepper right into his eyes. The Frog fell over with the pain, and then ran straight to a stream to wash the pepper-juice out of his eyes.
The Nkumbi took the opportunity to escape from his hole into the forest. When the Frog had washed the pepper out of his eyes he returned to watch the empty hole, and shortly after the Leopard arrived with the hoe, and asked the Frog: “Is he still in there?”
“Yes,” answered the Frog, “but I had a lot of trouble with him, and, being very strong, I was able to put him back into the hole.”
The Leopard began to dig the hole, and the Frog drew off a little way on the side nearest the stream. “Here is an opening,” said the Frog.
“Stop it up,” growled the Leopard.
The Frog shifted nearer the water. “Here is another outlet,” said the Frog.
“Stop that up also,” replied the Leopard.
The Frog jumped nearer still to the stream. “Oh, here is another hole,” he said, and with that he sprang flop into the water, and cried out: “I watched the hole, but the Nkumbi blew some pepper into my eyes, and while I was washing it out of them he escaped.”
When the Leopard heard that he was so angry that he tried to block up the stream so as to catch the Frog, but the Frog was too quick for him, and as he escaped down-stream he cried out: “Oh, he threw pepper into my eyes, and ran off into the forest.”
The big Leopard was fooled all round by the little animals—the Gazelle, Nkumbi, and Frog. From that day the Frog’s eyes have bulged out, and he is always trying to wash the pepper out of them in the streams and rivulets.
XXXII
Why the Small-ants live in the Houses
There are many species of ants in Congo, but there are two kinds—the Small-ant and the Driver-ant—that have most to do with the people; the former are to be found in the houses, and it is difficult to keep food free of them, and the latter are the scavengers that scour the country in search of carrion; their bite is fierce and tenacious, and is dreaded by all who come into contact with them. The characteristics of the two species of ants are turned to account in the story.
One day the Driver-ants and the Small-ants were assembled together, and the former said: “We will govern the country as chiefs.” But the Small-ants objected to this arrangement, and asserted that they were quite able to rule the land. The Driver-ants laughed at them for having no strength, and while they were discussing the matter an Elder came along and inquired into the matter, and on being told the whole affair, he said: “You Driver-ants, and you Small-ants, go, and the first who brings a piece of the skin of a man shall rule over the country.”
The Driver-ants went off and waited at a crossroad, and directly they saw a person coming they crowded out and bit his legs. When the man felt the bites he ran off a little way and pulled the Driver-ants off his legs and killed them, and consequently they were not able to procure a piece of skin, although many died in the attempt.
The Small-ants went into a person’s house and sat there quietly waiting; and by and by a man arrived who, while returning from his work, had hit his foot against a stone and raised the skin. He took a knife from the wall and sat down and cut off the loose skin, which he threw away. The watching Ants soon found the piece of skin, and carried it to the place where they had held the discussion with the Driver-ants, and gave it to the Elder as a proof of their wisdom and strength. The Elder gave the decision in their favour, and told them that they were the rulers of the land. This is the reason why the Small-ants live in houses, while the Driver-ants have to live in the bush.
XXXIII
The Son who tried to outwit his Father
A son said to his father one day: “I will hide, and you will not be able to find me.” The father replied: “Hide wherever you like,” and then he went into his house to rest.
The son saw a three-kernel peanut, and changed himself into one of the kernels; a fowl coming along picked up the peanut and swallowed it; and a wild bush-cat caught and ate the fowl; and a dog met, chased, and ate the bush-cat. After a little time the dog was swallowed by a python, that, having eaten its meal, went to the river and was snared in a fish-trap.
The father searched for his son, and, not seeing him, went to look at his fish-trap. On pulling it to the riverside he found a large python in it. He opened it and saw a dog inside, in which he found a bush-cat, and on opening that he discovered a fowl, from which he took the peanut, and breaking its shell he there revealed his son. The son was so dumbfounded that he never tried again to outwit his father.