Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/36

 ready to fight, and thinking, "What time Ihĕli shall be near me, I will kill him."

Gazelle approached, but carefully stood off a rod distant from the body of Leopard. Then Gazelle drew the bundle of Ants out of his bag, and said to himself, "Is this person, really dead? I will test him!" But, Gazelle stood warily ready to flee at the slightest sign. He quickly opened the bundle of insects; and he joined the three, the Ants, the Bees, and the Pepper, all in one hand; and, standing with care, he threw them at Leopard.

The bundle of leaves, as it struck Leopard, flew open. Being released, the Bees rejoiced, saying, "So! I sting Njĕgâ!" Pepper also was glad, saying, "So! I will make him perspire!" Ants also spitefully exclaimed, "I've bitten you!"

The pain of all these made Leopard jump up in wrath; and he leaped toward Gazelle. But he dashed away into the forest, shouting as he disappeared, "I'm not an Ihĕli of the open prairie, but of the forest wilderness!"

So, he fled and came to the town of Tortoise. There he told Tortoise, "You are justified! Njĕgâ indeed is not dead! He was only pretending, in order to kill."

And Tortoise, remarked, "I am the doyen of Beasts. Being the eldest, if I tell any one a thing, he should not contradict me."