Page:Where Animals Talk (West African folk lore tales).djvu/95

 Leopard said, "Ehibo! shut eyes! that I may descend!" Red Antelope shut his eyes. Leopard grasped the vine; and, with one spring, was on the ground. Then, he said, "Now, Ehibo, descend." Red Antelope began descending by the Bongo, down, down, landing finally on the ground.

Leopard waited for him; and then said, "Having no fire, how shall we cook those green bebwehavu?" Just then, he saw a Fire-fly passing; and he said. "Mr. Ehibo! Pursue! That's fire passing there!" Red Antelope bent in rapid pursuit. Leopard turned to the base of the tree, gathered dried fire-wood, struck his flint, lighted a fire, cooked his fruits, ate them, finished, and put out his fire. Red Antelope, back again, said, "I did not reach it, I'm tired," Leopard said, "Well, let it go. I chewed mine uncooked. But, let us journey; and, as you go, you chew yours." They went on, and came to the town of the marriage. Food was cooked and set for them in their room. Said Leopard, "Ehibo, sit you on the floor, while I eat at the table. And, while I eat the flesh, you eat the bones." Red Antelope had become so utterly wearied and humiliated that he did not resent this indignity. They ate. And then Leopard said, "Ehibo, sweep up the scraps, and go and throw them into the back yard." (Immediately on his arrival at the town, Leopard had gone alone to his father-in-law, and said, "I have brought you an animal. But, let another pit, this time, be dug in the back yard of the room where we shall be. And, do you put spears and daggers and all kinds of sharp sticks there. When I shall send him to throw away the sweepings, and he shall fall in, kill ye him.")

Red Antelope swept, and scraped up the sweepings, and threw them into a basket. He turned with them to the back yard, to fling them away. As he was about to do so, he slipped down to the bottom of the pit. Impaled on the spears, he was unable to jump out. When the town's-people arrived, they thrust him through with sharp poles; and he lay dead.

When Leopard returned home, Red Antelope's people asked, "Where is Ehibo?" Leopard made his former answer, "Ehibo was hindered by the hospitality of that marriage town, with its food and its women; and, he said, 'I won't go back!'"