Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/27

 cleaned the mud off of them." Leopard was satisfied, and said, "Good! come on!" And they all dived. They laid hold of the supposed ivory, and pulled, and pushed, and lifted, and worked. But it was stuck fast, and they could not move it.

While they were thus working. Rat suddenly cried out, "Njĕgâ! O! I forgot something! I must go quickly back to the olako. I will not be gone long. I shall return soon."

Rat came out of the brook; ran to the camp; took of his own bundles of bones and scraggy pieces, and put them on Leopard's drying-frames, and took the same number of bundles of good meat from Leopard's frames. Then he ran back to the brook, to continue the work at the so-called ivory.

Soon after that, Rat says, "Mwe Njĕgâ! it is time to return to the olako; we have worked long; I am hungry." Leopard says, "Good! come on!" So they returned to the camp to eat.

Rat says, "Njĕgâ! as I am so hungry, I will not wait with you, but will go to my own olako at once. And I will put up a curtain between us, as it is a shame for one to eat in the presence of his elder."

So Rat put up a curtain; and opened a bundle of nice meat; and he and his people began to eat.

When Leopard took down one of his bundles, and opened it to share with his women, he was amazed, and said, "See! only bones and mean pieces! Ah! what is this matter!" And he called out to the other camp, "Ntori! Tata!" Rat responds, "Eh! Mwe Njĕgâ?" Leopard inquires, "What kind of meat are you eating?" Rat answers, "My own, from my own bundles. But what kind have you, Mwe Njĕgâ?" Leopard says, "My women prepared meat that was nice; but now I have only bones. I am surprised at that."

The next, the fourth day, Rat said to Leopard, "I think we better change from the hard work on the ivory. Let us go hunting today; and tomorrow we will resume the ivory." Leopard assented "Good! come on!" And they started out to hunt. They were successful again as on the previous days. At the time of the division of the meat, Rat showed no displeasure at Leopard's taking the best pieces; as he had now his own artifice to get them back. And the meats of the day