Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/80

 letting any one in the village know, and taking with them the three gourds. Horse said that they must go quickly; for, Leopard, when he discovered them gone, would rapidly pursue. So they went fast and faster. Horse looking back from time to time, to see whether Leopard was pursuing.

After they had been gone quite a while, Ogula-Njĕgâ returned from his business to his village, went into his house, and did not see Ilâmbe. He called to his mother, "Where is Ilâmbe?" His mother answered, "I saw Ilâmbe with her Kabala, talking together; they have been at it for two days." Ogula-Njĕgâ began to search; and, seeing the hoof-prints, he exclaimed, "Mi asaiya (shame for me). Ilâmbe has run away. I and she shall meet today!"

He instantly turned from his human form back to that of leopard, and went out, and pursued, and pursued, and pursued. But, it took some time before he came in sight of the fugitives. As Horse turned to watch, he saw Leopard, his body stretched low and long in rapid leaps. Horse said to Ilâmbe, "Did I not tell you? There he is, coming!" Horse hasted, with foam dropping from his lips. When he saw that Leopard was gaining on them, he told Ilâmbe to take the gourd of peanuts from his back, and scatter them along behind on the ground. Leopards like peanuts; and when Ogula-Njĕgâ came to these nuts, he stopped to eat them. While he was eating, Horse gained time to get ahead. As soon as Leopard had finished the nuts, he started on in pursuit again, and soon began to overtake. When he approached, Horse told Ilâmbe to throw out the gourd-seeds. She did so. Leopard delayed to eat these seeds also. This gave Horse time to again get ahead. Thus they went on.

Leopard, having finished the gourd-seeds, again went leaping in pursuit; and, for the third time, came near. Horse told Ilâmbe to throw the gourd of water behind, with force so that it might crash and break on the ground. As soon as she had done so, the water was turned to a stream of a deep wide river, between them and Leopard. Then he was at a loss. So, he shouted, "Ah! Ilâmbe! Mi asaiya! If I only had a chance to catch you!" So, he had to turn back.

Then Horse said, "We do not know what he may do yet; perhaps he may go around and across ahead of us. As there is a town which I know near here, we had better stay there a