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 426 was so slippery that he couldn't hold him, and he got back again into the water.

When Ananzi had fried all the fish, he put them into the sacks, and took the sacks on his back, and set off to the mountains. He had not gone very far when he met lion, and lion said to him,—

"Well, brother Ananzi, where have you been? I have not seen you a long time."

Ananzi said, "I have been travelling about."

"But what have you got there?" said the lion.

"Oh! I have got my mother's bones,—she has been dead these forty-eleven years, and they say I must not keep her here, so I am taking her up into the middle of the mountains to bury her."

Then they parted. After he had gone a little way, the Lion said, "I know that Ananzi is a great rogue; I daresay he has got something there that he doesn't want me to see, and I will just follow him;" but he took care not to let Ananzi see him.

Now, when Ananzi got into the wood, he set his sacks down, and took one fish out and began to eat; then a fly came, and Ananzi said, "I cannot eat any more, for there is some one near;" so he tied the sack up, and went on farther into the mountains, where he set his sacks down, and took out two fish which he ate; and no fly came. He said, "There's no one near;" so he took out more fish. But when he had eaten about half-a-dozen, the Lion came up, and said,—

"Well, brother Ananzi, a pretty tale you have told me."

"Oh! brother lion, I am so glad you have come; never mind what tale I have told you, but come and sit down,—it was only my fun."

So lion sat down and began to eat; but before Ananzi had eaten two fish, lion had emptied one of the sacks. Then said Ananzi to himself,—

"Greedy fellow, eating up all my fish."

"What do you say, sir?"