Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/222

 At daybreak, he did so. He called his wife. He and she went on until they came to the chosen spot. Said he, "Go back!" The woman went back. He did just as he had been directed, as to the clearing, and the felling, the incantation, and the planting. The plantains bore, and ripened at once. Every kind of food developed in that very hour.

The man went back to the town, and sat down. They set before him food.

They sent a child to spy the garden. The child returned, excitedly saying, "Men! the entire forest! with all such foods! only ripe ones!" They said to him, "You're telling a falsehood!" And they said, "Let another go and see." He went; and returned thence with a ripe plantain held in his hand.

In the evening, the Chief said to him, "Sir! tomorrow, people will have been filled with hunger for meat. A little pond of your mother-in-law is over there. Tomorrow it is to be bailed out." (In order to get the fish that would be left in the bottom pools.)

Gourd called him, ngĕng! He went to It, and It said, "That is not a pond, it is a great river, (like the Lobi at Batanga). However, when you shall go, you must take one log up stream and one log down stream (for a pretence of dams). You shall see what will happen. Then you must bail only once, and say, 'Itata-O!' You shall see."

Next morning, he did so. And the whole river was drained; and the fish were left in the middle, alone. He returned to the town, and sat down. The people went to see; and, they were frightened at the abundance of fish. For a whole month, fish were gathered; and fish still were left.

The Chief went to call his townspeople, saying, "We will do nothing to this fellow. Let him alone; for, you have tried him with every test." They said, "Yes; and he has lingered here," (i. e., was no longer a stranger; and therefore should not be eaten). But, they said, "Tomorrow there will be only wrestling." (This was said deceitfully.)

In the evening, the father-in-law called him, saying, "Mbuma-tyĕtyĕ, tomorrow there is only wrestling. You have stayed long here. As you are about to go away with my child, there is left only one thing more that she wants to see, that is, the wrestling tomorrow."