Where Animals Talk; West African Folk Lore Tales/Part 2/Tale 29
Borrowed Clothes
Persons
Koho (Parrot)Kuba (Chicken)
NOTE
A story of the cause of the enmity between chickens and parrots. When a chicken comes near to a parrot, the latter turns to one side, saying, "wâ!"; for fear that the chicken will take his fine feathers from him.
Parrot and Chicken were fowls living in a village of Mankind near a town; which they had built together. They were living there in great friendship.
Then Parrot said to Chicken, "Chum! I'm going to make an engagement for marriage." So, he prepared his journey. And he asked Chicken, "Chum! give me now thy fine dress!" (For the occasion.) Chicken, said, "Very good!" and he handed his tail feathers to him. Thereupon, Parrot went on his marriage journey.
When he came home again, he said to himself, "These feathers become me. I will not return them to Kuba."
So, when Chicken said to him, "Return me my clothes," he replied, "I will not return them!" Chicken, seeing that Parrot was retaining the feathers, said sarcastically, "Accept your clothing!" Thereupon, Parrot, pretending to be wronged, said, "Fellow! why do you put me to shame? I did not say that I would take your clothing altogether, only that we should exchange clothes."
At night, then, Parrot took all his family, and they flew up in the air away. At once, he decided to stay there, and did not come to live on the ground again. Chicken was left remaining with Mankind in the town.
Whenever Chicken began to call to Parrot up in the treetops, asking for his clothes, Parrot only screamed back "wâ! wâ!" That was a mode of speech by which to mock at Chicken.