Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/213

 three inches thick, chopped out of an enormous tuber). They made ready their little spears, and they all went in a company. Their challenge was, "To the beach!" These arranged themselves on one side, and those on the other.

The children of Tortoise began the game, rolling the wheel to the children of Leopard. These latter, as the wheel rolled by, pierced its center with all their spears; none failed. The Leopard company shouted in victory. "Boho, eh?" And the Tortoise company dared them with, "Iwâ!" Then the Leopard company insultingly retorted, "We are the ones who are accustomed to sleep with people's sisters, and continue to eat with them!" (i. e., that they could commit crimes with impunity, and still be allowed the intimate friendship of eating together, without the others daring to punish them).

Then the Leopard company bowled the wheel toward the side of the Tortoise company. These latter pierced the wheel with all their spears; none missed. The Tortoise company shouted for victory, "Boho! eh?" And the Leopard company dared them with, "Iwâ!" Then the Tortoise children shouted boastfully, "We are those who are accustomed to kill people's fathers, and hang up their skins, eh?"

At this, the Leopard children began to rage, and joined a fight with the children of Tortoise.

The children of Tortoise, and himself, and their wives and their children, fled and scattered over the logs into the stream of water, and hid themselves in holes, and never came back to town.