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216
Thirty-two Folk-Tales of Nigeria.

then the priest asked why he was there alone; so he told him; and the priest said he must pay one goat. Next year all mashed their yams ready for the feast, and the man said he would go after all the others; so when he got there the priest said, “You are late; you pay one goat.” So he paid and said, “What am I to do? Early or late, I pay a goat; I am a poor boy; I have no one at my back.”

x

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The grandfather of Ixreobo (the teller of the story) was a hunter and every day he killed antelope. One day he was waiting in the bush and heard two antelopes calling; and one said, “I hear you had kids last night.” So she said, “Yes, but before they grow up, Ixreobo will kill them.” So the man resolved that from that day on he would hunt no more.

xi.

Odumha (? hyena) and leopard were friends, and one day they went hunting and each killed plenty of game and collected it, and they met. When they sat down they said their loads were too heavy and agreed to cut up the animals; but odumha said he had no knife. Then the leopard said he could get one. And the leopard said he had no fire for cooking; and odumha said he could get some. So the leopard put out his claws and cut up the meat, and odumha looked and said, “How can he cut up meat without a knife?” Then odumha went to a big stone and burst it, and it turned into fire.

So odumha ran away saying: “Well, he can cut meat; I won’t let him cut me,” and the leopard ran away, saying: “He has made fire; I won’t let him burn me.” So they left the meat and ran, and since then odumha and leopard don’t see each other.

xii.

There was on Otwa hill a house full of doctors. One day Oboromoyi went away to work as a doctor, and he stayed