Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/152

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Folklore of the Banyanja.

gather honey in a tree and you can catch him easily when he comes down." When the boy had climbed the tree he looked down and saw the Tiger waiting for him. He said, "No, you shall not catch me; I will never come down." So the Tiger got an axe and began to chop down the tree. The tree was nearly cut through and began to fall, but a little Bird that passed said, "Tree, do not fall!" so it stopped falling. The Tiger chopped it through again; but every time the Bird said, "Tree, do not fall!" so it remained standing.

When the boy wanted to come down he called very loud and one of his dogs came from the kraal up to the tree and the Tiger ate it. The Picanin called again and another dog came and the Tiger ate it. One after one it ate the Picanin's dogs. When the Tiger was gorged it lay still and the Picanin came down and killed it.

He went back to his Mother and said, "I have killed the Tiger," and she was very glad.

He said, "Why did you tell the Tiger to kill me?" She said, "No; he wanted to eat me, so I told him to eat you."


The Hare and the Lion Cubs.

A Lion had three Cubs and the Hare took care of them. Every day the Lion brought meat for the Hare and the Cubs. The Hare ate the meat and when the Cubs cried he beat them. The Lion came and said, "What is it?" The Hare said, "They are crying because they want eggs." The Lion went and got eggs. The Hare ate the eggs and when the Cubs cried he beat them again. The Lion came and said, "What is it?" The Hare said, "They are crying because they want fowls." The Lion went and brought fowls and the Hare ate the meat and gave the Cubs the bones. Then the Hare said, "It would be nice if I took them to play on the river bank." The Lion said, "Very well." The Hare took them up the