Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/91



Leopard wanted to marry, and he sought a betrothal at Njambi's town. Secretly, Njambi had arranged with Leopard that he should bring him no goods in payment of the "Dowry," but only the bodies of animals.

Leopard agreed, and said to Njambi's daughter, "I will dowry you only with animals." He returned to his home for a few days; and then he called Rat to escort him to the town of his prospective father-in-law. Rat consented. And they started on their journey.

On their way, they came to a wide river; and Leopard said to Rat, "Before one crosses this river, he must throw his knife into it." Rat threw his knife; and so (apparently) did Leopard. They crossed; went on their way, and came to a Kuda tree; and they stopped, and began to gather the nuts. Leopard drew his knife from its sheath, and splitting the nut-shells and eating the kernels, said derisively to Rat, "One who has no knife will not be able to eat kuda." Rat, in his helplessness, made no protest. And they went on. They came to a certain "Medicine" tree; and Leopard said, "Etoli, if I shall fall sick on the way, and I tell you to go back and get the bark of a certain tree for medicine, see! this is the tree." Finally, they came to the town of the woman whom Leopard was to marry. There, food was cooked for them. Just before they were to sit down to eat, Leopard exclaimed, "Etoli! I am sick! Go, and get that medicine for me!" While Rat was gone, Leopard ate up almost all the food, leaving only a few scraps for Rat.

At night, inside of the entrance of the house where the two strangers were to sleep, was a pit already dug. Leopard