Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 21, 1910.djvu/241

 Collectanea. 205

They said,— "What is it?" She said,— "It was not I." An (animal) then said, — "Let me go and see." When he had climbed up and looked, he said, — "The Hyaena has cheated us." Then they pushed her about. Each took his stick to beat her (her to be beaten). Then she ran away, (and went) into the bush. That was the end of the friendship between her and the (other) beasts of the forest. She has not (since) liked them ; they have not liked her. They did her a wrong. The Spider brought the trouble upon her.

3. The Malam^ the Spider, and the Hymna. (S. D.) This is about a certain learned man and his horse. He started from Zaria to go (he would) to the city of Kano, but dismounted and rested at the foot of a tamarind tree. Then the Hyaena came and said,—" O, Learned One ! " He said,—" Yes." The Hyaena said, — " There is (see) an animal over there which has died in the forest, will you not lend me your horse so that I may get there quickly?" Then the learned man said, — "Certainly. Mount, Hyffina." Then she said, — " Good, Let me take off the saddle and leave it." When she had taken (it) off and had put (it down), she led (pulled) the horse (away). When she had led (it) to the (place where) her cubs (were), they ate it. The learned man, without Hyaena or horse, was sitting there at a loss what to do. Then the Spider came and said, — " O, Learned Man, what are you doing here?" He said, — "I am (merely) sitting (here). I have lost my horse, which I was to have ridden (mounted and gone) to Kano." Then he (Spider) said, — " Here is a saddle. How (is it) you have no horse to ride ? " (which you will ride). Then he (Learned Man) said, — " The Hyaena came and led away the horse to her den." Then the Spider said, — " Look here, I am going to bring the Hyaena to you at once. I shall girth on the saddle, I shall put on the bridle, and you shall mount and go to the city of Kano. You on your part, if I do this for you, will you give me a charm for popularity?" (lit. white blood.) He (Learned Man), — " I shall certainly give you a charm, O Spider." Then the Spider got up and went to the Hyaena's den, and said, — ^' You, Hysena, you are losing a great chance (doing work of use- ^ Learned man, priest, or magician.