Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/228

 appeared. "A table!" It appeared. "Food!" It was set out. He ate, but did not offer any to Tooth, and fell into a deep sleep.

At daybreak, he was given water to wash his face, and food; and he ate it. Then the Tooth said to him, "Now, this is a Hova; go; the Hova will tell you what you should do," Said he sarcastically "Good! a good thing!" And he started on his journey. But, when he was gone, he despised the Gourd, and said to himself, "What can this water-jar do for me? I shall leave it here." And he laid it down at the foot of a Buda tree. There were many kuda (nuts of the Buda) lying on the ground. He prepared a seat, and sat down. He gathered the kuda nuts in one place. He took up a nut, broke it, threw its kernel into his mouth, and chewed it. He picked up another one, and was going to break it. Gourd warningly said, "I! I!" He replied, "Is it that you want me to give it to you?" Gourd answered only, "I-I!" And he said, "But, then, your 'I! I!' what is it for?" He broke many of the nuts, taking them up quickly; and finished eating all. And still his tomachstomach [sic] felt empty, as if he had eaten nothing.

He then said, "The Journey!" He started, still carrying with him the Gourd, going on, on, until he came to the Bwibe tree (wild mango). That Bwibe was sweet. He collected the mibe fruits, and began to split them. He split many in a pile, and then said, "Now! let me suck!" He sucked them all, but he felt no sense of repletion, although the Gourd had warned him. He took the skins of the mibe fruit, and angrily thrust them inside the Gourd's mouth, saying, "Eat! You who have no teeth, what makes you say I must not eat? But, take you!"

He goes on with his journey. And he found water. He took his drinking-vessel, plunged it into the water, dipped, put it to his mouth, drank, and drained the vessel. He wanted more, plunged the vessel, and drank, draining the vessel. He took more again, disregarding the warnings of Gourd. The water said to him, "Here am I, I remain myself." (i. e. I will not satisfy you.) He gave up drinking, and started his journey again, journeying, journeying, crossed some small creeks, and passed clear on, until he came to the River. As he listened, he heard songs passing