Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/206



Native Africans after bathing, rub more or less of some oil, either native palm, or foreign pomade, on their bodies.

In the Dry Seasons, when the rivers are low, fish are caught by building dams across the streams, and then bailing out the water from the enclosed spaces. Observe flies, as carriers of disease.

Adder went to bathe. He returned, and anointed himself with nyimba oil (oil of bamboo-palm nuts), and then climbed out on to a branch of a cayenne-pepper bush.

Fly came and settled upon Adder's back. Adder, being annoyed, drove Fly away. Then Fly said to Adder, in anger, "Know you not that it is I who cause even Njâku, with his big tusks, to rot? And that I can cause Nyati and Ngubu to rot? And I can cause Mankind to rot! Then how much more you, this Thing who has only ribs and ribs!"

When Adder heard this, he was alarmed, and he entered into the hole of Wild-Rat. Wild-Rat asked him, "Chum Adder! where do you come from in such haste?" He answered, "I have seen a Being which does not hesitate to cause Beasts and even Mankind to rot. Therefore, I am fled, by reason of fear of Ikingi."

Whereupon Wild-Rat, frightened, arose, and entered hastily into the town of Porcupine. Porcupine, alarmed,