Where Animals Talk; West African Folk Lore Tales/Part 1/Tale 6
Agĕnda: Rat's Play on a Name
Persons
| Njĕgâ (Leopard) | Rângi (Frog) |
| Ntori (Rat) | Igâmbâ (Crab) |
NOTE
In native African etiquette, a company of persons is saluted with the use of the verb in the plural; but only the oldest, or the supposed leader, if his name is known, is mentioned by name.
The native custom among polite tribes, is to leave a guest to eat without being watched.
The twitching of a muscle of an arm, or any other part of the body (called okalimambo) is regarded as a sign of coming evil. Compare Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1.
"By the pricking of my thumb
Something wicked this way comes."
The absurd and the unreasonable (e. g., the swallowing of a wife, goats, servants, etc.) are a constant feature of the native legends in their use of the impossible.
All native Africans have more than one name, and often change their names to suit circumstances. But, while all their names have a meaning (just as our English names, "Augustus," "Clara," etc.) those meanings are not thought of when denominating an individual; e. g., "Bwalo" which means canoe.
Leopards do not like to wet their feet.
Leopard wanted a new wife. So he sought for a young woman of a far country, of whom he heard as a nice girl, a daughter of one of the Kings of that country. He did not go himself, but sent word, and received answer by messenger. Neither the woman nor her father had ever seen Leopard. They knew of him only by reputation.
The King was pleased with the proposed alliance, and assented, saying, "Yes! I am willing. Go! get yourself ready, and come with your marriage company." So Leopard went around and invited many other beasts, "Come! and help me get a new one!" They all replied, "Yes!" And they all started together for the King's town.
When they had gone half-way, one of their number, a big forest Rat said, "Brothers! let us begin here to change our names, so that when we get to the town, we shall not be known by our usual names." But Leopard refused, "No! I won't! I stick by my old name. My name is Njĕgâ." All the others said the same, and retained their own names.
But Rat insisted for himself, "I will not be called Ntori. I will be called 'Strangers.' My name is Agĕnda," (the plural of ogĕnda which means "stranger").
When they approached the town, the inhabitants, with great politeness, ran out to welcome them, shouting," Agĕnda! Saleni, Saleni!" (Strangers! Welcome ye! welcome ye!) Rat turned to the company and said, "Hear that! you see they are saluting me as the leader of this company."
Upon their entering the town, they were shown to the large public Reception-House; and the people said to them, "Now! strangers (Agĕnda!), march in!" Rat turned again to his companions, and said, "You see! they have again addressed me specially by name, asking me to take possession of this room."
They all went in feeling uncomfortably; but Rat said to them, "Never mind! though this room was evidently prepared specially for me, I am not selfish, and I invite you to share it with me."
After the visitors had all been seated, the people came to give them the formal final salutation, saying "Strangers (Agĕnda), mbolani! (long life to ye)." Rat promptly whispered to his companions, saying, "This mbolo is to me for you, I alone will respond to it," So, only he replied, "Ai Mbolani! Ai." (Mbolani is the second person plural of the irregular defective verb Mbolo equal to "live long.")
The day passed. In the evening, the people brought in an abundant supply of food, and set it down on the table, saying, "Strangers (Agĕnda!), eat! Here is your food!" And they went out, closing the door, so that the guests in their eating should not be annoyed by spectators. Then Rat said, "You see! All this food is mine, though I am not able to eat it all." He alone began to eat of it. When he had satisfied his appetite, he said, "Truly this food is my own, but I am sorry for you, and I will give you of it." So he gave out to each, one by one, very small pieces of fish and plantain.
In the morning, the people thoughtfully sent water for the usual morning washing of hands and face. Rat hasted to open the door; and the slaves carrying the vessels of water, said to him, "These are sent to the strangers (Agĕnda)." So Rat took the water and used it all for himself.
This second day was a repetition of the first. The townspeople continued their hospitality, sending food and drink and tobacco and fruits; and making many kind inquiries of what "the Agĕnda" would like to have. Rat, received all these things as for himself; while the rest of the company felt themselves slighted, and were hungry and disgusted.
On the third day, the company said among themselves, "Njĕgâ told us that our visit was to last the usual five days; but we cannot stand such treatment as this!" And they began to run away, one by one. Even Leopard himself followed them, provoked at his expected father-in-law's supposed neglect of him. But, before Leopard had gone. Rat went to the bride elect, and said, "I never saw such a party as this! They do not eat, and are not willing to await the Marriage Dance for the Bride on the fifth day."
When they were all secretly gone, leaving Rat alone, he said to the woman, "I will tell them all to go, even my friend Njĕgâ whom I brought to escort me. But I will not go without you, even if we have not had the dance; for, I am the one who was to marry you." And the father of the girl said to Rat, "Since they have treated you so, never mind to call them again for the Dance. You just take your wife and go."
So the King gave his daughter farewell presents of boxes of clothing, and two female servants to help her, and a number of goats, and men-servants to carry the baggage.
Rat and wife and attendants set out on their journey. When they were far away from the King's town, Rat exclaimed, "I feel okalimambo (premonition)." (He suspected that Leopard was somewhere near.) So he dismissed the men-servants, and sent them back to the King. And then quickly, in order to hide them, he swallowed the woman and the two maid-servants and all the boxes of clothing, and the goats.
Rat then went on, and on, and on, with his journey, until at a cross-roads, he saw Leopard coming cross-ways toward him; and he called out, "Who are you?" The reply came, "I am Njĕgâ. And who are you?" Rat answered, "Ntori."
Then Leopard called to him, "Come here!" "No!" said Rat, "I am in a hurry, and want to get home—" And he went on without stopping. So Leopard said, "Well, I pass on my way too!" "Good!" said Rat, "Pass on!" And they went on their separate ways.
But Leopard, at a turn in his road, rounded back, and hasted by another path to get in front of Rat. When Leopard again saw Rat a short distance before him, he calls out, "Who are you?" The reply was "Ntori; and who are you?" Leopard answered, "I'm Njĕgâ. Stop on your way, and come here to me!" Rat replied, "No! you asked me once before to stop, and I refused. And I refuse now; I must pass on."
Because of Rat's unwillingness to stop. Leopard began to chase him, and to shout at him, "You have my wife!" Rat answered back, "No! I have no wife of yours!" "You lie! You have the woman with you. What makes your body so big?"
Rat ran as fast as he could, with Leopard close after him. Rat's home is always a hole in the ground; and, as he was hard pressed in his flight, he dashed into the first hole he came to, which happened to be a small opening into a cave. But his tail was not yet drawn in and Leopard was so near that he seized it. Projecting from the mouth of the hole there was also the small root of a tree. Rat called ont, "Friend Njĕgâ! what do you think you have caught hold of?" "Your tail!" said Leopard. Said Rat, "That is not my tail! this other thing near you is my tail!" So Leopard let go of the tail, and seized the root. Rat slid quickly to the bottom of the hole, and called out, "O! Njĕgâ! I did not think you were so silly! You had hold of my tail, and you let me go! You just look at your hand; you will see my tail-hairs clinging to it!"
Leopard went away in wrath; and, finding Frog at a nearby brook, he said to him, "Rângi! you just watch. I do not want Ntori to escape from that hole. Watch, while I go to get some fire, with which to burn him out."
Shortly after Leopard had gone, Rat began to creep out. Seeing Frog standing on guard, he said, "Good Rângi! let me pass!" But Frog replied, "No! I have my orders to watch you here." Then said Rat, "If that is so, why don't you come close here, and attend to you duty? You are too far from this hole. If a person is set to watch, he should be near the thing he watches. As far as you are there, I could, if I tried, get out without your catching me. So, it is better for you to have a good look down this hole." While Rat was saying all this, he was near the mouth of the hole; but, as Frog approached, he receded to the bottom, and went to the back end of the cave, where cayenne pepper bushes were growing. Frog came to the edge of the hole, and looking down, saw nothing.
During this while. Rat was plucking pepper-pods and chewing them, retaining them in his mouth. Returning again to the entrance, he saw Frog still watching, and he said, "Rângi! get out of my way, and let me pass. Let me out!" Frog replied, "I will not!" Rat asked, "Do you know me? Frog replied, "Not very well," Then Rat said, "Come near! Open your eyes wide, and take a good look at me!" As soon as Frog's eyes were wide open, Rat blew the pepper into them. This so startled Frog that he fell back, his eyes blinded by the smarting; and Rat jumped out and ran away. Frog, heedless of his prisoner, was jumping about in pain; and, abandoning his post, crawled to the water of the brook not far away, and tumbled into it to wash his eyes.
Now, by this time, Leopard had returned with his fire. Seeing no one on guard, he called out, "Rângi! Rângi! where are you?" Frog, at the bottom of the brook, was still in agony with his eyes. He knew well that Rat was gone; but, in his vexation, he answered, "Ntori is there! Put in your fire!" So, Leopard put fire into the hole, and made a great smoke, but there was no sign of Rat.
After a long time, Leopard became tired at not finding Rat, and called out, "Rângi! Rângi! Where indeed is Ntori? He has not come out by this fire!" Then Frog answered, "Ntori is not there. I just lied to you in vexation of the pain I got through serving you." So, Leopard was very angry and said to Frog, "You have deceived and fooled me! I will just come and eat you up!" Said Frog, "Good! come on!"
Leopard ran to the brook, but, as Frog was at the bottom, Leopard had first to drink all the water, before he could reach him. Leopard drank and drank. But, as soon as the water was nearly drunk up. Frog jumped out, and hopped away to an adjacent pond. There Leopard followed, and began to drink up that water also. He drank, and drank, and drank, until he became so full and his belly so swollen that his feet no longer touched the ground; and he fell over on his back, before he had entirely emptied the pond. He was in such great pain, in his swollen belly, that he was helpless, and cried out to passersby, "Please, open a little hole in my body, and let out this water!" But each of the passersby said, "No! I am afraid that after I have helped you, then you will eat me."
At last, among those who passed by, came Crab. Leopard pleaded with him, "Igâmbâ! please! open my skin. Let out this water, so that I may live!" At first. Crab replied as the others, "No! I fear that after I help you, you will eat me." But Leopard begged so piteously that Crab consented, and scratched Leopard's skin with one of his claws. And the water spurted out! It came in so fast a current that it began to sweep Crab away. So Leopard cried out, "Igâmbâ! Please! do not let yourself be taken away! Catch hold on some root or branch!" Crab did so, holding on to a projecting root. When the water had subsided, and Crab was safe, Leopard was able to rise; and he said, "Igâmbâ! you have been kind to me; let me take you home, and I will be good to you; I will cook dinner, so we can eat together." Crab agreed, and they went together.
Leopard began to cook a kind of yam called nkwa, making a pot full of it. (When it is thoroughly cooked, it is soft and sticky.) The yam being finally ready to be eaten, Leopard said, "We do not put this food out on plates, but we bring the entire pot, and every one will help himself from it with his hands." Leopard thereupon began to take out handfuls of the nkwa, and to eat it. Crab tried to do the same, putting a claw into the sticky mass. But its heat burned his tender skin, and, in jerking his claw away, it stuck fast in the nkwa, and broke off. As soon as that happened, Leopard snatched up the claw and ate it. Crab protested, "Ah! Njĕgâ! you are eating my claw!" Said Leopard, "Excuse me! No, I thought it was nkwa." So the dinner went on; Leopard greedily eating, Crab trying in vain to eat, and losing claw after claw, which Leopard in succession promptly ate.
Now, when Leopard had finished eating all the food, Crab's claws were all gone, and he had not been able to eat at all, and was left hungry. So Leopard says to Crab, "Now, as you are so helpless, what must I do for you?" He hoped that Crab, in despair, would tell him to eat him. But Leopard really was not hungry just then; and, when Crab said, "If you will just put me into some shallow water for two months, then all my claws will grow all right again," Leopard replied, "Good!" and he took Crab and placed him in a small stream of water.
The next day. Leopard, being now hungry to eat Crab, came to the water and called out, "Igâmbâ! Igâmbâ! have you your claws grown now?" The reply was, "Why! No! I told you two months yesterday, when you put me in here."
On the third day, Leopard came again to the water, and cried out to Crab, "Have your claws sprouted? Have they grown again?" "No!" said Crab curtly.
Leopard continued thus day by day, vexing Crab with inquiries, as if anxious about his health, but really desirous of an excuse to eat him, yet ashamed to do so by violence, because of Crab's kindness to him when he had the water-colic.
At last. Crab became tired of Leopard's visits. Hopeless to defend himself if Leopard should finally use force, he gave up in despair, and said, "So! I see why you ask me every day. You know that I told you two months. If you are determined to eat me, come on, and end the trouble at once!" With this permission as an excuse, Leopard was glad. He stepped to the edge of the water and took away Crab for his dinner. That was the return for Crab's kindness to him. After this, Leopard went out again to try to find Rat, but he never found him.