Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/198

 Thereupon, Leopard chased after the little dog; but it leaped away rapidly, and Leopard after him. When the little Dog was near the pit, it made a jump. (Leopard did not know of the pit, nor why the Dog jumped.) When Leopard was come to the pit, he fell inside, tumbling, volom!

His enemy Gorilla was following after Leopard, also in pursuit of Dog. He also fell into the pit, headlong, volom! Finding Leopard there. Gorilla said, "What is this?" Leopard stood at one side, and Gorilla at the other. When the one would be about to go near the other, if the other attempted to go near him, he would begin to growl, saying, "You must not approach here!"

Dog, standing at the edge above, was laughing at them, saying, "Fight ye your own fight! Did you want only me?"

But Leopard and Gorilla were not fighting in the pit. If the one approached, the other retreated.

Dog spoke to them and said in derision. "I have no strength; but as to your fight, was it seeking only me?"

Because of deaths and sicknesses, African natives are constantly changing the location of their villages, believing the old sites infested by malevolent Spirits.

The whole mass of Beasts were living in one place. They built houses; they cleared the forest for plantations.