Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/177

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Folklore of the Banyanja.
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plucked it, and it said, "Pluck me properly!" He cooked it, and it said, "Cook me properly!" He called his friends to come and eat it, and it said, "Eat me properly!" All who ate it turned into birds.


The Hunter and the Pot of Meat.

There was a man and he used to kill a great deal of game. He used to find the old tracks of game and follow them up and without seeing the game at all he used to shoot into the long grass and kill. This he showed to all his brothers; but he gave all the meat to them and kept none. One day he cut off a little piece and put it into a pot, saying, "I will keep this; no one must touch it; I go to-day; but to-morrow I shall return." He went, and as soon as he had gone one of the brothers went to the pot and opened it. At once he stuck fast to the pot; but he could not get free. One of the brothers came to pull him away; but he stuck fast to the first one. Another one came to pull; but he stuck fast to the second one and a fourth stuck to the third. At last they were all sticking one behind the other. Some of the brothers had gone to fetch other people. More and more came and all stuck fast. The man did not return until the next day. When he saw all the people stuck one behind the other he said, "What is this? I told you not to touch my pot." Then he told the pot to let go and so they were all loosed; but he would not eat the meat because they had touched the pot.


The Monkeys.

There were four Monkeys who were sisters. They wanted to have a garden. One Monkey said she would take off her skin and pretend to be human and go and work in a Man's garden. So she took off her skin and turned into a human being and went to work in the garden