Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/127



African natives climb the palm-tree, cut out a cavity in the heart at the leafy top, and fasten a vessel below the cavity, to catch the sweet, milky juice that exudes. This is unintoxicating. But, like cider, it becomes intoxicating if kept a few days. The cutting destroys the tree in two or three months.

The beginning of this tale is that Leopard went to the forest, to cut an itutu tree (bamboo-palm) for palm-wine. After he had fastened the bowl at the cavity he had cut at the top in the heart of the tree, then he came back to town.

Tortoise came along to that palm-wine tree; and he climbed to the top. There he found that the sap had already collected in the bowl. And he drank three tumblerfuls. Excited by his success, he shouted out aloud, "I'm drunk! I'm drunk!"

Off in the forest, Wild Rat heard his voice, and, following the sound, came to the place. To Tortoise, Rat said, "Whose wine-tree is this?" Tortoise replied, "My own!" So, Rat begged of him, "Give me a glassful!" Tortoise told him "Climb up! Of what are you afraid?" So, Rat climbed up the tree. He also drank two glassfuls.

Presently, Tortoise heard Leopard coming, and he said to Rat. "Await me here, I'm just going down to the ground."