Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/39

 merchant his question, he went back to the tree; and from evening, all night and until morning, he dug about the roots till they were all free. And the tree fell, without his having "cut" the trunk at all. So he took the fruit to the Merchant, and told him that he had not "cut down" the tree, but that he had it "dug up." The merchant said, "You have done well. People who came before you failed to think of that. Good for you!"

On the third day, the merchant said to the spectators, "I will not name the other three tasks. You, my assistants, may name them." So they thought of one task after another. But one and another said, "No, that is not hard; let us search for a harder." Finally, they found three hard tasks. Tortoise was ready for and accomplished them all.

Then the merchant announced, "Now, you may marry my daughter; and tomorrow you shall make your journey." They made a great feast; an ox was killed; and they had songs and music all night, clear on till morning.

But, while all this was going on, Leopard, who was left at his town, was saying to himself, "This Ekaga! He has stayed five days! Had he failed, he would not have stayed so long! So! he has been able to do the tasks! Is that a good thing?" (On the day that Tortoise started on the journey to seek the merchant's daughter. Leopard had been heard to say, "If Ekaga succeeds in getting that wife, I will take her from him by force.")

When Tortoise was ready to start on his return journey with his wife, the father-in-law gave him very many things, slaves and goats and a variety of goods, and said, "Go, you and your wife and these things. I send people to escort you part of the way. They are not to go clear on to your town, but are to turn back on the way."

Tortoise and company journeyed. When the escort were about to turn back, Tortoise said, "Day is past. Make an olako (camp) here. We sleep here; and, in the morning, you shall go back." That night he thought, "Njĕgâ said he would rob me of my wife. Perhaps he may come to meet me on the way!" So, he swallowed all of the things, to hide them,—wife, servants, and all.

While Tortoise was thus on the way, Leopard had planned not to wait his return to town, but had set out to meet him.