Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/145

 rejoiced, "Very good! indeed! for the coming of this person." Leopard sat down on the bench, and sharpened his machete on the stone with the water of the plate. His women standing by, waited for him to finish the sharpening. When he had finished, he said, "I will get up, and start the journey again." But, he stuck fast to the bench. He exlcaimedexclaimed [sic], "My women! I am unable to rise! What shall I do?"

The "medicine" on the bench began to sting him like bees. And he cried out, "Ah! I'm dead! For, I am unable to rise!"

Tortoise, coming out into the yard, said to Leopard, "I am the one who caused you this. You will not move thence until you give me back my wife. If you do not, you will remain there a whole month, a whole year."

At this. Leopard felt very much grieved; and he inquired of his women, "The wife of Kudu is here in this company?" The woman answered, "Yes! I'm here." Then Leopard said, "Please, Kudu, take your wife, and remove me from this bench. It hurts me." So, Tortoise took his wife. And he added, "I want also my food you took from us in the path."

Leopard sent a child back to his town in haste to cut plantains. The child went; and the plantains were brought. Tortoise took them, and said, "Njâ! you are done, for your part. I have taken all I owned. But, if I release you, you will kill me, and take again my wife. You shall be released only after I have fled."

So, Tortoise fled with his wife and all his goods into a stream of water. When safely there, he shouted, "Let Njâ remove from that seat!"

At once. Leopard stood up, and was free. And he went back to his town, giving up his intended journey into the forest.