Where Animals Talk; West African Folk Lore Tales/Part 1/Tale 2
Leopard's Hunting Camp
Persons
| Ntori (A very large forest Rat) | Njĕgâ (Leopard) |
| And other Animals | |
NOTE
Besides the words for "hunger" and "famine," the Bantu languages have a third word meaning, "longing for meat." In this story. Leopard's greed is matched by the artifice of Rat:—It was a practice of African natives to hide their ivory tusks in streams of water until a time convenient for selling them.
Polite natives will neither sit uninvited in the presence of their superiors, nor watch them while eating. If need be, to secure privacy, a temporary curtain will be put up, and the host will retire, leaving the guest alone. Rude or uncivilized tribes are offensive in their persistent effort to see a white foreigner's mode of eating.
One of the tricks of native sorcerers is to jump into a fire.
It was a time of ngwamba (meat-hunger) among the Animals in Njambi's Kingdom.
Leopard, being the eldest in his tribe, said to Rat, "Ntori! child! this is a hard time for meat. I think we better go to the forest, and make a olako (camp) for hunting." Rat replied "Good! come on!"
So they began to arrange for the journey. The preparation of food, nets, baskets, and so forth, occupied several days. When all was ready, they started. Having come to a proper place in the forest, they selected a site where they would build up their booths. Leopard was to have his own separate camp with his wives and his children and his people; and Rat his, with his wives and his children, and his people.
So they began to make two camps. Leopard said, "Ntori! child! I have mine here. You go there yonder." So they built their booths for sleeping-places; and rested another day; and then built their arala (drying frames) over their fire-places for smoke-drying the meat that they hoped to obtain. Next day, they prepared their guns, and started out on the hunt. On that very first day, they met game, and, ku! (bang) went their guns, killing an Elephant, and, ku! a wild Ox. Then Leopard said, "Ntori! child! we are successful! Let us begin the work of cutting up!"
After all the carcasses had been cut up, came the time to divide the meat between the two companies. So, Leopard said, "As I am your Uncle, I precede; I will choose first, and will give you the remainder." So Leopard chose, taking out all the best pieces. When Rat saw that most of the meat was going to Leopard's side, he thought it time to begin to get his share. But when Rat laid hold of a nice piece, Leopard would say, "No! child! do not take the best: that belongs to your Uncle"—and Leopard would claim the piece, and hand it over to his women. So it went on in the same way; to every nice piece that Rat chose. Leopard objected that it belonged to him. After Leopard had taken all he wanted, there were left only the bowels and the heads and legs for Rat.
Then they each went to their own camping-place, to spread the meat on their arala, and to cook their dinner. But, all the while that Rat was spreading bones and bowels on his orala, he was vexed; for, there was very little meat on those bones; while Leopard's people's arala were full of meat, and savory portions were simmering on their fires tied in bundles (agĕwu) of plantain leaves. At the noon meal. Leopard sat down with his family, and Rat with his. But Rat had only poor food; while Leopard and his people were rejoicing with rich meat.
The second day was very much the same as the first. It was Rat who did most of the hunting. With him it was, ku! (bang!), and some beast was down; and, ku! and some other beast was down. Whenever Rat fired. Leopard would shout out, "Ntori! child! what have you got?" And it was Rat who would shout in reply, "Nyare" (ox), or "Njâku" (elephant), or "Nkambi!" (antelope), or whatever the game might be. And it was Leopard who offensively patronized him, saying, "That is a good boy, Tata! (Little Father); bring it here to your Uncle." Then Rat and all the servants would carry the carcass to Leopard. So that day, the cutting and dividing was just like the first day; Leopard claiming and taking the best, and leaving the skeleton and scraggy pieces and the bowels for Rat.
After that second day's hunt, Rat was tired of this way of dividing, in which he got only the worthless pieces. So he decided to get back some of Leopard's meat by artifice, for his own table, even if he had to take it from Leopard's orala itself. He began to devise what he should do. As he was out walking, he came to a brook in which were sunken logs of hard heavy wood. They had lain there a long time, and were black with outside decay. With his machete in hand, he dived; and remaining under the water, he scraped the logs till he had removed the dark outside, and exposed the white inner wood. He kept on at the job scraping and scraping until the logs appeared white like ivory. Then he went back to Leopard's camp, and, with pretence of excitement, exclaimed, "Mwe Njĕgâ! I think we will be going to be rich. You don't know what I've found! Such a big ivory-tusk hidden in the water! I think we better leave off hunting meat, and go to get this fine ivory." Leopard replied, "Good! come on!"
The next day, they first arranged their fires so that the smoke-drying of their meat might continue during their absence; and then started for the ivory. They all prepared themselves, for diving, by taking off their good clothing, and wearing only a small loin-cloth. Their entire companies went, men, women, and children, leaving not a single person in the camps.
Leopard says, "You, Ntori, go first, as you know where the place is." Rat says, "Good! come on!" And they went on their way.
Arrived at the brook, Rat says, "You all come on, and dive." Leopard asks, "My son! is it still there?" Rat, pointing, answers, "Yes! my ivory is there." Leopard, looking down in the water says, "I see no ivory!" Rat, still pointing, replies, "There! Those white things! Don't you see them?" Leopard says, "I never saw ivory look like logs." Rat answered, "No? But this is a new kind. I assure you they are ivory! I have been down there, and I cleaned the mud off of them." Leopard was satisfied, and said, "Good! come on!" And they all dived. They laid hold of the supposed ivory, and pulled, and pushed, and lifted, and worked. But it was stuck fast, and they could not move it.
While they were thus working. Rat suddenly cried out, "Njĕgâ! O! I forgot something! I must go quickly back to the olako. I will not be gone long. I shall return soon."
Rat came out of the brook; ran to the camp; took of his own bundles of bones and scraggy pieces, and put them on Leopard's drying-frames, and took the same number of bundles of good meat from Leopard's frames. Then he ran back to the brook, to continue the work at the so-called ivory.
Soon after that, Rat says, "Mwe Njĕgâ! it is time to return to the olako; we have worked long; I am hungry." Leopard says, "Good! come on!" So they returned to the camp to eat.
Rat says, "Njĕgâ! as I am so hungry, I will not wait with you, but will go to my own olako at once. And I will put up a curtain between us, as it is a shame for one to eat in the presence of his elder."
So Rat put up a curtain; and opened a bundle of nice meat; and he and his people began to eat.
When Leopard took down one of his bundles, and opened it to share with his women, he was amazed, and said, "See! only bones and mean pieces! Ah! what is this matter!" And he called out to the other camp, "Ntori! Tata!" Rat responds, "Eh! Mwe Njĕgâ?" Leopard inquires, "What kind of meat are you eating?" Rat answers, "My own, from my own bundles. But what kind have you, Mwe Njĕgâ?" Leopard says, "My women prepared meat that was nice; but now I have only bones. I am surprised at that."
The next, the fourth day, Rat said to Leopard, "I think we better change from the hard work on the ivory. Let us go hunting today; and tomorrow we will resume the ivory." Leopard assented "Good! come on!" And they started out to hunt. They were successful again as on the previous days. At the time of the division of the meat, Rat showed no displeasure at Leopard's taking the best pieces; as he had now his own artifice to get them back. And the meats of the day were placed on their owners' respective drying-frames. By this day's doings, many of Leopard's baskets were full, ready to be taken to town, while most of Rat's were still empty.
On the fifth day, they went to the brook again, to their fruitless work of pulling at the so-called ivory. The same things happened as before; Rat remembers that he has forgotten something; has to go in haste to the camp; rapidly changes the bundles on his and Leopard's frames; returns to the brook; they all come back to the camp to eat; and there were repeated Leopard's surprise, and his questions to Rat about the kinds of meat they were eating. Thus they continued; on alternate days hunting, and working at the ivory that was stuck immovably fast in the mud; and Rat stealing; and Leopard complaining.
Finally, Leopard became tired of his losses; and, one day, without letting anyone know what he intended doing, he said, "I will take a little walk." Rat says, "You go alone? May I accompany you.?" Leopard said, "No! I go alone; I won't be long away; and I do not go far."
So Leopard went to the wizard Ra-Marânge, whom as soon as he saw him, exclaimed, "What are you come for? Are you in trouble?" Leopard told him the matter of the losses of the meat. Then Ra-Marânge jumped into his fire, and emerged powerful and wise. And he said, "I will make for you something that will find out for you who it is that takes your meat."
So Ra-Marânge made a little image of a man, and conferred on it wisdom and power, and gave it to Leopard, who took it to his camp, and hid it in his hut.
The next day they all resumed the work at the brook, with the ivory. There was the same diving, the same fruitless pulling, Rat's same need of going back to the camp, and his same attempts at stealing. While he was doing this, he sees something like a little man standing near him. Rat puts out his hand to take from Leopard's bundles as usual, and the image catches him by the wrist of that hand. Rat indignantly says, "You! this little fool! leave me! What do you catch me for?" But the image was silent; nor did it let go its hold. So Rat struck at it with his other hand. And the image caught that hand with its other hand. Then Rat was angry and kicked with one foot at a leg of the image. And that foot was retained by that leg of the image. Rat kicked with his remaining foot; it also was retained by the image's other leg. He was thus held in the power of the image.
Rat, in desperation, said, "Let me go!" The image spoke, and simply said, "No!" Rat felt he was in a bad situation; but he put on a bold face. He knew that, by his long delay, the others must have given up the work at the brook, and would by now be returning to the camp; and, in a little while, he would be discovered. To forestall that discovery, he shouted out, "Mwe Nĕjgâ, come quickly! I've found the person who changes your bundles!" Leopard, on the path, heard his voice, and replied, "My child, is that so? Hold him fast!" Rat still daringly said, "Come quickly! He wants to get away from my grasp!" Leopard replied, "Hold fast! I am coming!" They all came hastily, both of Rat's people, and of Leopard's people; and there they saw Rat held fast by the hands and legs of the image. Leopard asked, "Where is he?" Rat, daring to the last, said, "This little man here that I am holding." Leopard said, "Now that I am here, let go of him, for I will take charge of him." Rat struggled, but in vain. Leopard several times repeated his direction to Rat, "Let go of him!" But Rat was utterly unable to withdraw his limbs from the power of the image. And he gave up the effort, in shame. Then Leopard had to help release Rat; the conferred power of the image being subservient to him. He did not strike Rat, he being his relative. But rebuked him, "Ah! Ntori! now I know it was you who made all the trouble about my meat!" And he took back all his fine bundles, and returned Rat his poor bundles. Rat went to his own camp ashamed, but still angry at the unjust division of the meat.
As Leopard's baskets were now full, he announced that they should prepare to break camp, and return to town. Rat's women murmured, "Ah! all going away, and our baskets almost empty!" Rat comforted them, "Yes; it is so; but, we will find a way to fill them!"
So, the next day, while the others were gone to get leaves and vines with which to tie up their baskets, Rat took his empty ones to the brook and filled them with stones, and tied them up with leaves, as if they contained meat.
On the following day, as they were about to start on their journey. Rat said to Leopard, "As you are the elder, go you first, and I will follow." Leopard said, "Good! come on!" And they went on the path, Rat keeping close behind Leopard's people. (Baskets being carried tied on the back with a strap over the forehead, the bearer leans heavily forward, and cannot see what is happening behind.) Rat had prepared a hook with a handle. From time to time, as they came to narrow places in the path where thorny branches met, he would strike the hook into some basket before him, and in pretence, would say, "Wait! a thorn on this branch has caught your basket! Let me unfasten it." While the carrier would stand still for Rat to release the branch, the latter seized the chance to take pieces of meat from the basket, and substitute stones from his own baskets. The way was long; and, at every obstructed place. Rat kept on at his pretence of helping to free some basket of Leopard's from the thorns that caught it, and changed pieces of good meat for his stones.
Before they reached Leopard's town, darkness began to fall, and both companies were very tired, especially that of Leopard; for, their baskets seemed to have grown heavier. Rat said, "Njĕgâ! All this hard day's walk! Hide our baskets, yours in one place, and mine in another, and let us go on to town and sleep; and we will send back our women for the baskets in the morning." Leopard assented, "Good! come on!" So they left their baskets, and all went to town.
The next morning. Rat sent his people very, very early. Leopard sent his later, at the usual time of morning business. When his people were going they met Rat's people coming back with their loads, and exclaimed, "You are loaded already!"
When Leopard's people brought their baskets to the town, and opened them, they were amazed to find that they had little else than stones and bones. Leopard was very angry; and, going to Rat, he began to scold, "You have taken away my meat!" "No I have my own. Look! these baskets, you know them, they are mine! Perhaps some one stole your meat in the night and put the stones in place. But, as you are in such a trouble, I will share with you of mine." So he called to his women, "Give Njĕgâ a few pieces of meat." Leopard took the meat, and Rat and his people went away to their own town.
But Leopard was not satisfied. He was sure that Rat had played him a trick. He had forgiven Rat his stealing at the camp; but, for this last trick, he meditated revenge.