@Folktalesafrica This tale originates from the Efik and Ibibio people of Southern Nigeria, first recorded by Elphinstone Dayrell in Folk Stories from Southern Nigeria (1910). STORY 1 The Tortoise with a Pretty Daughter How a Hunter obtained Money from his Friends the Leopard, Goat, Bush Cat, and Cock, and how he got out of repaying them The Woman with Two Skins The King’s Magic Drum The Tortoise with a Pretty Daughter There was once a king who was very powerful. He had great influence over the wild beasts and animals. Now the tortoise was looked upon as the wisest of all beasts and men. This king had a son named Ekpenyon, to whom he gave fifty young girls as wives, but the prince did not like any of them. The king was very angry at this, and made a law that if any man had a daughter who was finer than the prince's wives, and who found favour in his son's eyes, the girl herself and her father and mother should be killed. Now about this time the tortoise and his wife had a daughter who was very beautiful. The mother thought it was not safe to keep such a fine child, as the prince might fall in love with her, so she told her husband that her daughter ought to be killed and thrown away into the bush. The tortoise, however, was unwilling, and hid her until she was three years old. Then he told his wife that he would dig a big hole in the floor of his house, and put his daughter in it, which he did. Every evening when the people had finished their work, and were in their houses, the tortoise used to bring his daughter out of the hole, and she used to dance in the moonlight. She grew up to be a very fine girl, and one night the prince saw her dancing, and at once fell in love with her. He went to his father the king and told him, and his father replied that he must marry her at once. The prince then asked the tortoise for his daughter, but he refused. The king therefore sent for him, and told him that he must give his daughter to his son to wife. The tortoise still refused, saying that if he gave his daughter to the king's son, the law was that he and his wife and daughter should be killed. The king then said that he would cancel the law, and that the tortoise should not be killed; so at last the tortoise agreed, and his daughter, whose name was Adet, was married to the king's son. The king then gave the tortoise plenty of money, slaves, and wives, so that he became a rich man, and was honoured by all. Moral.—Always have pretty daughters, as no matter how poor they may be, there is always the chance that the king's son may fall in love with them, and they may thus become members of the royal house and obtain much wealth. How a Hunter obtained Money from his Friends the Leopard, Goat, Bush Cat, and Cock, and how he got out of repaying them Many years ago there was a Calabar hunter called Effiong, who lived in the bush, killed plenty of animals, and made much money. Every one in the country knew him, and one of his best friends was a man called Okun, who lived near him. But Effiong was very extravagant, and spent much money in eating and drinking with every one, until at last he became quite poor, so he had to go out hunting again; but now his good luck seemed to have deserted him, and for many days he returned with nothing. One morning, being very hungry, he went into the bush and met his friend the leopard, who asked him what was the matter. Effiong told him that he had no money and could get no food. The leopard said—"Do not trouble; I will lend you five rods, and you can pay me back later on." Effiong thanked him very much, and went home, where he spent the money. The next day he met his friend the goat, who also lent him five rods, and the next day the bush cat, and the next the cock, so that he now had twenty rods. He then went home and told his wife, who was very pleased, and they bought plenty of food. But soon the animals came to ask him for their money back. Effiong did not want to pay, so he invited them all to his house at the same time. When they had sat down, he said to them—"Now, my friends, I am going to pay you." He then went into his room and brought out a big pot of palm wine, which he placed before them. Each animal put his head into the pot to drink, but while they were drinking Effiong quickly covered them up with the pot, so that they were all caught. He then called his wife, and they carried the pot into the bush, and left it there. The animals made so much noise that a hunter came along, and seeing the pot, he broke it, and the animals rushed out. They were all very angry, and went to Effiong's house to kill him; but he saw them coming, and ran into the bush. Then Okun came, and said—"Effiong owes me money too, and I will catch him." He made a very strong juju, and called Effiong, who at once fell down before him. Okun then said—"You must pay me what you owe," but Effiong replied—"Wait till to-morrow, and I will pay you." When the next day came, Effiong killed a leopard and sold the skin, so that he got plenty of money. He then went to Okun and paid him, but he never paid the animals, and they never got their money back. Moral.—Never lend money to people, because if they cannot pay they will try to kill you or get rid of you in some way, either by poison or by setting bad juju for you. The Woman with Two Skins Eyamba I. of Calabar was a very powerful king. He fought and conquered all the surrounding countries, killing all the old men and women, but the able-bodied men and girls he caught and brought back as slaves. This king had two hundred wives, but none of them had borne a son to him. His subjects, seeing that he was becoming an old man, begged him to marry one of the spider's daughters, as they always had plenty of children. Eyamba therefore asked the spider to give him one of his daughters for a wife, and the spider consented, and his eldest daughter was brought to the king. She was very ugly, with her face and body all covered with hair, and she had an extra skin which she wore over her beauty. At night she used to take off the ugly skin and hide it, and then she was very beautiful; but in the daytime she always wore it, so no one knew how beautiful she really was. After a time she had three children, two boys and one girl. The head wife of the king was very jealous, and wanted to get rid of the spider's daughter, so she made juju, and the king forgot all about his new wife and children. She then told him that the woman was a witch, and had killed her children, and advised him to throw the woman and her children into the river. The king agreed, and ordered his people to put them into a big canoe and take them down the river and throw them in. But the spider's daughter knew what was going to happen, and when they got to the middle of the river she called upon the Water Juju, who at once brought a big fish, which took her and her children on his back and carried them to his home under the water. There they lived happily for many years. One day the children went up to the surface of the water to play, and the people saw them and told the king. He then remembered the spider's daughter, and went to the water and called to her. She came out with her children, and the king was very glad, and took her back to his house. The head wife was put to death, and the spider's daughter was made the king's principal wife. Moral.—When a woman is jealous of her husband’s wife, she will stop at nothing, even if she destroys herself at the same time. The King’s Magic Drum Efriam Duke was an ancient king of Calabar. He was a peaceful man, and did not like war. He had a wonderful drum, the property of which, when it was beaten, was always to provide plenty of good food and drink. So whenever any country declared war against him, he used to call all his enemies together and beat his drum; then to the surprise of every one, instead of fighting, the people found tables spread with all sorts of dishes and all kinds of drinks for as many as came, and the result was that instead of fighting they all had a very good feast and went home again. When the king was growing old, he called his son and told him that as long as he kept the drum, he would never be in want of anything; but he must be careful never to let a woman look into the drum, or it would lose all its power. The king’s son took great care of the drum for many years, and whenever he beat it there was always plenty to eat and drink. But one day, when he was away, his favourite wife, who was very curious, looked into the drum. At once the drum lost all its power, and when the prince beat it, instead of food, thousands of armed men appeared, who began to fight. The prince was very much alarmed, and sent for the juju man, who told him that the drum was spoiled, but that he could make another juju, which would provide foo-foo as long as the prince lived. He then gave him a small tree, and told him that whenever he was hungry he had only to cut a piece of it and cook it, and there would be plenty of foo-foo for himself and his family. The prince took the tree home, and for many years there was always plenty of foo-foo in the house. But one day his son, who was greedy, cut a large piece of the tree, and when it was cooked there was so much foo-foo that it filled the whole house, and overflowed into the street. Since then the foo-foo tree has disappeared, and the people have had to work hard for their food. Moral.—Never let women look into juju things, as they are sure to spoil them. STORY 2 Ituen and the King’s Wife Of the Pretty Stranger who Killed the King Why the Bat Flies by Night The Disobedient Daughter who Married a Skull The King who Married the Cock’s Daughter Concerning the Woman, the Ape, and the Child The Fish and the Leopard’s Wife; or, Why the Fish Lives in the Water Why the Bat is Ashamed to be Seen in the Daytime Why the Worms Live Underneath the Ground Ituen and the King’s Wife Slaves carried three hundred rods; the other forty carried yams, pepper, salt, tobacco, and cloth. When all the presents arrived Ituen’s mother was very pleased and embraced her son, and noticed with pleasure that he was looking well, and was dressed in much finer clothes than usual; but when she heard that he had attracted the queen’s attention she was frightened, as she knew the penalty imposed on anyone who attracted the attention of one of the king’s wives. Ituen stayed for a month in his parents' house and worked on the farm; but the queen could not be without her lover any longer, so she sent for him to go to her at once. Ituen went again, and, as before, arrived at night, when the queen was delighted to see him again. In the middle of the night some of the king’s servants, who had been told the story by the slaves who had carried the presents to Ituen’s mother, came into the queen’s room and surprised her there with Ituen. They hastened to the king, and told him what they had seen. Ituen was then made a prisoner, and the king sent out to all his people to attend at the palaver house to hear the case tried. He also ordered eight Egbos to attend armed with matchets. When the case was tried Ituen was found guilty, and the king told the eight Egbo men to take him into the bush and deal with him according to native custom. The Egbos then took Ituen into the bush and tied him up to a tree; then with a sharp knife they cut off his lower jaw, and carried it to the king. When the queen heard the fate of her lover she was very sad, and cried for three days. This made the king angry, so he told the Egbos to deal with his wife and her servant according to their law. They took the queen and the servant into the bush, where Ituen was still tied up to the tree, dying and in great pain. Then, as the queen had nothing to say in her defence, they tied her and the girl up to different trees, and cut the queen’s lower jaw off in the same way as they had her lover’s. The Egbos then put out both the eyes of the servant, and left all three to die of starvation. The king then made an Egbo law that for the future no one belonging to Ituen’s family was to go into the market on market day, and that no one was to pick up the rubbish in the market. The king made an exception to the law in favour of the vulture and the dog, who were not considered very fine people, and would not be likely to run off with one of the king’s wives, and that is why you still find vultures and dogs doing scavenger in the market-places even at the present time. II. Of the Pretty Stranger Who Killed the King Mbotu was a very famous king of Old Town, Calabar. He was frequently at war, and was always successful, as he was a most skilful leader. All the prisoners he took were made slaves. He therefore became very rich, but, on the other hand, he had many enemies. The people of Itu in particular were very angry with him and wanted to kill him, but they were not strong enough to beat Mbotu in a pitched battle, so they had to resort to craft. The Itu people had an old woman who was a witch and could turn herself into whatever she pleased, and when she offered to kill Mbotu, the people were very glad, and promised her plenty of money and cloth if she succeeded in ridding them of their worst enemy. The witch then turned herself into a young and pretty girl, and having armed herself with a very sharp knife, which she concealed in her bosom, she went to Old Town, Calabar, to seek the king. It happened that when she arrived there was a big play being held in the town, and all the people from the surrounding country had come in to dance and feast. Oyaikan, the witch, went to the play, and walked about so that everyone could see her. Directly she appeared the people all marvelled at her beauty, and said that she was as beautiful as the setting sun when all the sky was red. Word was quickly brought to King Mbotu, who, it was well known, was fond of pretty girls, and he sent for her at once, all the people agreeing that she was quite worthy of being the king’s wife. When she appeared before him he fancied her so much, that he told her he would marry her that very day. Oyaikan was very pleased at this, as she had never expected the opportunity so quickly. She therefore prepared a dainty meal for the king, into which she placed a strong medicine to make the king sleep, and then went down to the river to wash. When she had finished it was getting dark, so she went to the king's compound, carrying her dish on her head, and was at once shown into the king, who embraced her affectionately. She then offered him the food, which she said, quite truly, she had prepared with her own hands. The king ate the whole dish, and immediately began to feel very sleepy, as the medicine was strong and took effect quickly. They retired to the king's chamber, and the king went to sleep at once. About midnight, when all the town was quiet, Oyaikan drew her knife from her bosom and cut the king's head off. She put the head in a bag and went out very softly, shutting and barring the door behind her. Then she walked through the town without anyone observing her, and went straight to Itu, where she placed King Mbotu's head before her own king. When the people heard that the witch had been successful and that their enemy was dead, there was great rejoicing, and the king of Itu at once made up his mind to attack Old Town, Calabar. He therefore got his fighting men together and took them in canoes by the creeks to Old Town, taking care that no one carried word to Calabar that he was coming. The morning following the murder of Mbotu his people were rather surprised that he did not appear at his usual time, so his head wife knocked at his door. Not receiving any answer she called the household together, and they broke open the door. When they entered the room they found the king lying dead on his bed covered in blood, but his head was missing. At this a great shout went up, and the whole town mourned. Although they missed the pretty stranger, they never connected her in their minds with the death of their king, and were quite unsuspicious of any danger, and were unprepared for fighting. In the middle of the mourning, while they were all dancing, crying, and drinking palm wine, the king of Itu with all his soldiers attacked Old Town, taking them quite by surprise, and as their leader was dead, the Calabar people were very soon defeated, and many killed and taken prisoners. Moral. — Never marry a stranger, no matter how pretty she may be. III. Why the Bat Flies by Night A bush rat called Oyot was a great friend of Emiong; the bat; they always fed together, but the bat was jealous of the bush rat. When the bat cooked the food it was always very good, and the bush rat said, “How is it that when you make the soup it is so tasty?” The bat replied, “I always boil myself in the water, and my flesh is so sweet, that the soup is good.” He then told the bush rat that he would show him how it was done; so he got a pot of warm water, which he told the bush rat was boiling water, and jumped into it, and very shortly afterwards came out again. When the soup was brought it was as strong and good as usual, as the bat had prepared it beforehand. The bush rat then went home and told his wife that he was going to make good soup like the bat’s. He therefore told her to boil some water, which she did. Then, when his wife was not looking, he jumped into the pot, and was very soon dead. When his wife looked into the pot and saw the dead body of her husband boiling she was very angry, and reported the matter to the king, who gave orders that the bat should be made a prisoner. Everyone turned out to catch the bat, but as he expected trouble he flew away into the bush and hid himself. All day long the people tried to catch him, so he had to change his habits, and only came out to feed when it was dark, and that is why you never see a bat in the daytime. IV. The Disobedient Daughter Who Married a Skull Effiong Edem was a native of Cobham Town. He had a very fine daughter, whose name was Afiong. All the young men in the country wanted to marry her on account of her beauty; but she refused all offers of marriage in spite of repeated entreaties from her parents, as she was very vain, and said she would only marry the best-looking man in the country, who would have to be young and strong, and capable of loving her properly. Most of the men her parents wanted her to marry, although they were rich, were old men and ugly, so the girl continued to disobey her parents, at which they were very much grieved. The skull who lived in the spirit land heard of the beauty of this Calabar virgin, and thought he would like to possess her; so he went about amongst his friends and borrowed different parts of the body from them, all of the best. From one he got a good head, another lent him a body, a third gave him strong arms, and a fourth lent him a fine pair of legs. At last he was complete, and was a very perfect specimen of manhood. He then left the spirit land and went to Cobham market, where he saw Afiong, and admired her very much. About this time Afiong heard that a very fine man had been seen in the market, who was better-looking than any of the natives. She therefore went to the market at once, and directly she saw the Skull in his borrowed beauty, she fell in love with him, and invited him to her house. The Skull was delighted, and went home with her, and on his arrival was introduced by the girl to her parents, and immediately asked their consent to marry their daughter. At first they refused, as they did not wish her to marry a stranger, but at last they agreed. He lived with Afiong for two days in her parents’ house, and then said he wished to take his wife back to his country, which was far off. To this the girl readily agreed, as he was such a fine man, but her parents tried to persuade her not to go. However, being very headstrong, she made up her mind to go, and they started off together. After they had been gone a few days the father consulted his JuJu man, who by casting lots very soon discovered that his daughter’s husband belonged to the spirit land, and that she would surely be killed. They therefore all mourned her as dead. After walking for several days, Afiong and the Skull crossed the border between the spirit land and the human country. Directly they set foot in the spirit land, first of all one man came to the Skull and demanded his legs, then another his head, and the next his body, and soon, and soon, until in a few minutes the skull was left by itself in all its natural ugliness. At this the girl was very frightened, and wanted to return home, but the skull would not allow this, and ordered her to go with him. When they arrived at the skull’s house they found his mother, who was a very old woman quite incapable of doing any work, who could only creep about. Afiong tried her best to help her, and cooked her food, and brought water and firewood for the old woman. The old creature was very grateful for these attentions, and soon became quite fond of Afiong. One day the old woman told Afiong that she was very sorry for her, but all the people in the spirit land were cannibals, and when they heard there was a human being in their country, they would come down and kill her and eat her. The skull’s mother then hid Afiong, and as she had looked after her so well, she promised she would send her back to her country as soon as possible, providing that she promised for the future to obey her parents. This Afiong readily consented to do. Then the old woman sent the spider, who was a very clever hair-dresser, and made him dress Afiong’s hair in the latest fashion. She also presented her with anklets and other things on account of her kindness. She then made a JuJu and called the winds to come and convey Afiong to her home. At first a violent tornado came, with thunder, lightning and rain, but the skull’s mother sent him away as unsuitable. The next wind to come was a gentle breeze, so she told the breeze to carry Afiong to her mother’s house, and said good-bye to her. Very soon afterwards the breeze deposited Afiong outside her home, and left her there. When the parents saw their daughter they were very glad, as they had for some months given her up as lost. The father spread soft animals’ skins on the ground from where his daughter was standing all the way to the house, so that her feet should not be soiled. Afiong then walked to the house, and her father called all the young girls who belonged to Afiong’s company to come and dance, and the feasting and dancing was kept up for eight days and nights. When the rejoicing was over, the father reported what had happened to the head chief of the town. The chief then passed a law that parents should never allow their daughters to marry strangers who came from a far country. Then the father told his daughter to marry a friend of his, and she willingly consented, and lived with him for many years, and had many children. V. The King Who Married the Cock’s Daughter King Effiom of Duke Town, Calabar, was very fond of pretty maidens, and whenever he heard of a girl who was unusually good-looking, he always sent for her, and if she took his fancy, he made her one of his wives. This he could afford to do, as he was a rich man, and could pay any dowry which the parents asked, most of his money having been made by buying and selling slaves. Effiom had two hundred and fifty wives, but he was never content, and wanted to have all the finest women in the land. Some of the king’s friends, who were always on the look-out for pretty girls, told Effiom that the Cock’s daughter was a lovely virgin, and far superior to any of the king’s wives. Directly the king heard this he sent for the Cock, and said he intended to have his daughter as one of his wives. The Cock, being a poor man, could not resist the order of the king, so he brought his daughter, who was very good-looking and pleased the king immensely. When the king had paid the Cock a dowry of six puncheons of palm-oil, the Cock told Effiom that if he married his daughter he must not forget that she had the natural instincts of a hen, and that he should not blame Adiaunen (his daughter) if she picked up corn whenever she saw it. The king replied that he did not mind what she ate so long as he possessed her. The king then took Adiaunen as his wife, and liked her so much, that he neglected all his other wives, and lived entirely with Adiaunen, as she suited him exactly and pleased him more than any of his other wives. She also amused the king, and played with him and enticed him in so many different ways that he could not live without her, and always had her with him to the exclusion of his former favourites, whom he would not even speak to or notice in any way when he met them. This so enraged the neglected wives that they met together, and although they all hated one another, they agreed so far that they hated the Cock’s daughter more than anyone, as now that she had come to the king none of them ever had a chance with him. Formerly the king, although he always had his favourites, used to favour different girls with his attentions when they pleased him particularly. That was very different in their opinion to being excluded from his presence and all his affections being concentrated on one girl, who received all his love and embraces. In consequence of this they were very angry, and determined if possible to disgrace Adiaunen. After much discussion, one of the wives, who was the last favourite, and whom the arrival of the Cock’s daughter had displaced, said: “This girl, whom we all hate, is, after all, only a Cock’s daughter, and we can easily disgrace her in the king’s eyes, as I heard her father tell the king that she could not resist corn, no matter how it was thrown about.” Very shortly after the king’s wives had determined to try and disgrace Adiaunen, all the people of the country came to pay homage to the king. This was done three times a year, the people bringing yams, fowls, goats, and new corn as presents, and the king entertained them with a feast of foo-foo, palm-oil chop, and tombo.^1 A big dance was also held, which was usually kept up for several days and nights. Early in the morning the king’s head wife told her servant to wash one head of corn, and when all the people were present she was to bring it in a calabash and throw it on the ground and then walk away. The corn was to be thrown in front of Adiaunen, so that all the people and chiefs could see. About ten o’clock, when all the chiefs and people had assembled, and the king had taken his seat on his big wooden chair, the servant girl came and threw the corn on the ground as she had been ordered. Directly she had done this Adiaunen started towards the corn, picked it up, and began to eat. At this all the people laughed, and the king was very angry and ashamed. The king’s wives and many people said that they thought the king’s finest wife would have learnt better manners than to pick up corn which had been thrown away as refuse. Others said: “What can you expect from a Cock’s daughter? She should not be blamed for obeying her natural instincts.” But the king was so vexed, that he told one of his servants to pack up Adiaunen’s things and take them to her father’s house. And this was done, and Adiaunen returned to her parents. That night the king’s third wife, who was a friend of Adiaunen’s, talked the whole matter over with the king, and explained to him that it was entirely owing to the jealousy of his head wife that Adiaunen had been disgraced. She also told him that the whole thing had been arranged beforehand in order that the king should get rid of Adiaunen, of whom all the other wives were jealous. When the king heard this he was very angry, and made up his mind to send the jealous woman back to her parents empty-handed, without her clothes and presents. When she arrived at her father’s house the parents refused to take her in, as she had been given as a wife to the king, and whenever the parents wanted anything, they could always get it at the palace. It was therefore a great loss to them. She was thus turned into the streets, and walked about very miserable, and after a time died, very poor and starving. The king grieved so much at having been compelled to send his favourite wife Adiaunen away, that he died the following year. And when the people saw that their king had died of a broken heart, they passed a law that for the future no one should marry any bird or animal. VI. The Woman, the Ape, and the Child Okun Archibong was one of King Archibong’s slaves, and lived on a farm near Calabar. He was a hunter, and used to kill bushbuck and other kinds of antelopes and many monkeys. The skins he used to dry in the sun, and when they were properly cured, he used to sell them in the market; the monkey skins were used for making drums, and the antelope skins were used for sitting mats. The flesh, after it had been well smoked over a wood fire, he also sold, but he did not make much money. Okun Archibong married a slave woman of Duke’s house named Nkoyo. He paid a small dowry to the Dukes, took his wife home to his farm, and in the dry season times he had a son. About four months after the birth of the child Nkoyo took him to the farm while her husband was absent hunting. She placed the little boy under a shady tree and went about her work, which was clearing the ground for the yams which would be planted about two months before the rains. Every day while the mother was working a big ape used to come from the forest and play with the little boy; he used to hold him in his arms and carry him up a tree, and when Nkoyo had finished her work, he used to bring the baby back to her. There was a hunter named Edem Effiong who had for a long time been in love with Nkoyo, and had made advances to her, but she would have nothing to do with him, as she was very fond of her husband. When she had her little child Effiong Edem was very jealous, and meeting her one day on the farm without her baby, he said: “Where is your baby?” And she replied that a big ape had taken it up a tree and was looking after it for her. When Effiong Edem saw that the ape was a big one, he made up his mind to tell Nkoyo’s husband. The very next day he told Okun Archibong that he had seen his wife in the forest with a big ape. At first Okun Archibong would not believe this, but the hunter told him to come with him and he could see it with his own eyes. Okun Archibong therefore made up his mind to kill the ape. The next day he went with the other hunter to the farm and saw the ape up a tree playing with his son, so he took very careful aim and shot the ape, but it was not quite killed. It was so angry, and its strength was so great, that it tore the child limb from limb and threw it on the ground. This so enraged Okun Archibong that seeing his wife standing near he shot her also. He then ran home and told King Archibong what had taken place. This king was very brave and fond of fighting, so as he knew that King Duke would be certain to make war upon him, he immediately called in all his fighting men. When he was quite prepared he sent a messenger to tell King Duke what had happened. Duke was very angry, and sent the messenger back to King Archibong to say that he must send the hunter to him, so that he could kill him in any way he pleased. This Archibong refused to do, and said he would rather fight. Duke then got his men together, and both sides met and fought in the market square. Thirty men were killed of Duke’s men, and twenty were killed on Archibong’s side; there were also many wounded. On the whole King Archibong had the best of the fighting, and drove King Duke back. When the fighting was at its hottest the other chiefs sent out all the Egbo men with drums and stopped the fight, and the next day the palaver was tried in Egbo house. King Archibong was found guilty, and was ordered to pay six thousand rods to King Duke. He refused to pay this amount to Duke, and said he would rather go on fighting, but he did not mind paying the six thousand rods to the town, as the Egbos had decided the case. They were about to commence fighting again when the whole country rose up and said they would not have any more fighting, as Archibong said to Duke that the woman’s death was not really the fault of his slave Okun Archibong, but of Effiong Edem, who made the false report. When Duke heard this he agreed to leave the whole matter to the chiefs to decide, and Effiong Edem was called to take his place on the stone. He was tried and found guilty, and two Egbos came out armed with cutting whips and gave him two hundred lashes on his bare back, and then cut off his head and sent it to Duke, who placed it before his JuJu. From that time to the present all apes and monkeys have been frightened of human beings; and even of little children. The Egbos also passed a law that a chief should not allow one of his men’s slaves to marry a woman slave of another house, as it would probably lead to fighting. VII. The Fish and the Leopard’s Wife; or, Why the Fish Lives in the Water Many years ago, when King Eyo was ruler of Calabar, the fish used to live on the land; he was a great friend of the leopard, and frequently used to go to his house in the bush, where the leopard entertained him. Now the leopard had a very fine wife, with whom the fish fell in love. And after a time, whenever the leopard was absent in the bush, the fish used to go to his house and make love to the leopard’s wife, until at last an old woman who lived near informed the leopard what happened whenever he went away. At first the leopard would not believe that the fish, who had been his friend for so long, would play such a low trick, but one night he came back unexpectedly, and found the fish and his wife together; at this the leopard was very angry, and was going to kill the fish, but he thought as the fish had been his friend for so long, he would not deal with him himself, but would report his behaviour to King Eyo. This he did, and the king held a big palaver, at which the leopard stated his case quite shortly, but when the fish was put upon his defence he had nothing to say, so the king, addressing his subjects, said, “This is a very bad case, as the fish has been the leopard’s friend, and has been trusted by him, but the fish has taken advantage of his friend's absence, and has betrayed him.” The king, therefore, made an order that for the future the fish should live in the water, and that if he ever came on the land he should die; he also said that all men and animals should kill and eat the fish whenever they could catch him, as a punishment for his behaviour with his friend’s wife. VIII. Why the Bat is Ashamed to be Seen in the Daytime There was once an old mother sheep who had seven lambs, and one day the bat, who was about to make a visit to his father-in-law who lived a long day’s march away, went to the old sheep and asked her to lend him one of her young lambs to carry his load for him. At first the mother sheep refused, but as the young lamb was anxious to travel and see something of the world, and begged to be allowed to go, at last she reluctantly consented. So in the morning at daylight the bat and the lamb set off together, the lamb carrying the bat's drinking-horn. When they reached half-way, the bat told the lamb to leave the horn underneath a bamboo tree. Directly he arrived at the house, he sent the lamb back to get the horn. When the lamb had gone the bat’s father-in-law brought him food, and the bat ate it all, leaving nothing for the lamb. When the lamb returned, the bat said to him, “Hullo! you have arrived at last I see, but you are too late for food; it is all finished.” He then sent the lamb back to the tree with the horn, and when the lamb returned again it was late, and he went supperless to bed. The next day, just before it was time for food, the bat sent the lamb off again for the drinking-horn, and when the food arrived the bat, who was very greedy, ate it all up a second time. This mean behaviour went on for four days, until at last the lamb became quite thin and weak. The bat decided to return home the next day, and it was all the lamb could do to carry his load. When he got home to his mother the lamb complained bitterly of the treatment he had received from the bat, and was baa-ing all night, complaining of pains in his inside. The old mother sheep, who was very fond of her children, determined to be avenged on the bat for the cruel way he had starved her lamb; she therefore decided to consult the tortoise, who, although very poor, was considered by all people to be the wisest of all animals. When the old sheep had told the whole story to the tortoise, he considered for some time, and then told the sheep that she might leave the matter entirely to him, and he would take ample revenge on the bat for his cruel treatment of her son. Very soon after this the bat thought he would again go and see his father-in-law, so he went to the mother sheep again and asked her for one of her sons to carry his load as before. The tortoise, who happened to be present, told the bat that he was going in that direction, and would cheerfully carry his load for him. They set off on their journey the following day, and when they arrived at the half-way halting-place,^2 the bat pursued the same tactics that he had on the previous occasion. He told the tortoise to hide his drinking-horn under the same tree as the lamb had hidden it before; this the tortoise did, but when the bat was not looking he picked up the drinking-horn again and hid it in his bag. When they arrived at the house the tortoise hung the horn up out of sight in the back yard, and then sat down in the house. Just before it was time for food the bat sent the tortoise to get the drinking-horn, and the tortoise went outside into the yard, and waited until he heard that the beating of the boiled yams into foo-foo had finished; he then went into the house and gave the drinking-horn to the bat, who was so surprised and angry, that when the food was passed he refused to eat any of it, so the tortoise ate it all; this went on for four days, until at last the bat became as thin as the poor little lamb had been on the previous occasion. At last the bat could not stand the pains of his inside any longer, and secretly told his mother-in-law to bring him food when the tortoise was not looking. He said, “I am now going to sleep for a little, but you can wake me up when the food is ready.” The tortoise, who had been listening all the time, being hidden in a corner out of sight, waited until the bat was fast asleep, and then carried him very gently into the next room and placed him on his own bed; he then very softly and quietly took off the bat’s cloth and covered himself in it, and lay down where the bat had been; very soon the bat’s mother-in-law brought the food and placed it next to where the bat was supposed to be sleeping, and having pulled his cloth to wake him, went away. The tortoise then got up and ate all the food; when he had finished he carried the bat back again, and took some of the palm-oil and foo-foo and placed it inside the bat’s lips while he was asleep; then the tortoise went to sleep himself. In the morning when he woke up the bat was more hungry than ever, and in a very bad temper, so he sought out his mother-in-law and started scolding her, and asked her why she had not brought his food as he had told her to do. She replied she had brought his food, and that he had eaten it; but the bat denied this, and accused the tortoise of having eaten the food. The woman then said she would call the people in and they should decide the matter; but the tortoise slipped out first and told the people that the best way to find out who had eaten the food was to make both the bat and himself rinse their mouths out with clean water into a basin. This they decided to do, so the tortoise got his tooth-stick which he always used, and having cleaned his teeth properly, washed his mouth out, and returned to the house. When all the people had arrived the woman told them how the bat had abused her, and as he still maintained stoutly that he had had no food for five days, the people said that both he and the tortoise should wash their mouths out with clean water into two clean calabashes; this was done, and at once it could clearly be seen that the bat had been eating, as there were distinct traces of the palm-oil and foo-foo which the tortoise had put inside his lips floating on the water. When the people saw this they decided against the bat, and he was so ashamed that he ran away then and there, and has ever since always hidden himself in the bush during the daytime, so that no one could see him, and only comes out at night to get his food. The next day the tortoise returned to the mother sheep and told her what he had done, and that the bat was forever disgraced. The old sheep praised him very much, and told all her friends, in consequence of which the reputation of the tortoise for wisdom was greatly increased throughout the whole country. IX. Why the Worms Live Underneath the Ground When Eyo III. was ruling over all men and animals, he had a very big palaver house to which he used to invite his subjects at intervals to feast. After the feast had been held and plenty of tombo had been drunk, it was the custom of the people to make speeches. One day after the feast the head driver ant got up and said he and his people were stronger than anyone, and that no one, not even the elephant, could stand before him, which was quite true. He was particularly offensive in his allusions to the worms (whom he disliked very much), and said they were poor wriggling things. The worms were very angry and complained, so the king said that the best way to decide the question who was the stronger was for both sides to meet on the road and fight the matter out between themselves to a finish. He appointed the third day from the feast for the contest, and all the people turned out to witness the battle. The driver ants left their nest in the early morning in thousands and millions, and, as is their custom, marched in a line about one inch broad densely packed, so that it was like a dark-brown band moving over the country. In front of the advancing column they had out their scouts, advance guard, and flankers, and the main body followed in their millions close behind. When they came to the battlefield the moving band spread out, and as the thousands upon thousands of ants rolled up, the whole piece of ground was a moving mass of ants and bunches of struggling worms. The fight was over in a very few minutes, as the worms were bitten in pieces by the sharp pincer-like mouths of the driver ants. The few worms who survived squirmed away and buried themselves out of sight. King Eyo decided that the driver ants were easy winners, and ever since the worms have always been afraid and have lived underground; and if they happen to come to the surface after the rain they hide themselves under the ground whenever anything approaches, as they fear all people. STORY 3 The Elephant and the Tortoise; or, Why the Worms are Blind and the Elephant has Small Eyes Why a Hawk kills Chickens Why the Sun and the Moon live in the Sky Why the Flies Bother the Cows Why the Cat kills Rats The Story of the Lightning and the Thunder Why the Bush Cow and the Elephant are bad Friends The Cock who caused a Fight between two Towns The Affair of the Hippopotamus and the Tortoise; or, Why the Hippopotamus lives in the Water Why Dead People are Buried Of the Fat Woman who Melted Away Concerning the Leopard, the Squirrel, and the Tortoise Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes The Story of the Leopard, the Tortoise, and the Bush Rat The King and the Ju Ju Tree How the Tortoise overcame the Elephant and the Hippopotamus Of the Pretty Girl and the Seven Jealous Women The Elephant and the Tortoise; or, Why the Worms are Blind and the Elephant has Small Eyes Many years ago when the world was young, the elephant and the tortoise were very good friends. At that time the elephant had very large eyes and the worms could see quite well. One day the elephant and the tortoise agreed to play cards, and they went on playing for a long time, but the elephant lost very often. This made him angry, and he accused the tortoise of cheating. They began to quarrel, and the elephant challenged the tortoise to fight. The tortoise accepted, and told the elephant to wait till the next day, when he would fight him in the market-place. Now the elephant, being much bigger than the tortoise, thought he would easily win, but the tortoise had many friends, and he went secretly to the worms and told them to go into the elephant's eyes in the night and blind him. This they did, and when the morning came, the elephant could hardly see. When they began to fight, the tortoise ran about and struck the elephant, who, being nearly blind, could not see to hit back. The worms made his eyes swell up, so that they became very small, and the elephant suffered much pain. At last he gave in, and the tortoise won the fight. Since then the elephant's eyes have always been very small, and the worms are quite blind. Moral.—Even small people, if they have plenty of friends, can overcome the strongest. Why a Hawk kills Chickens A long time ago a hawk made friends with a hen. The hawk wanted to marry the hen, but the hen said she was already married to the cock. The hawk then said that if the hen refused him, he would kill her children. The hen, being afraid, said she would agree to marry him, but that she must first have her head shaved, and that the hawk must wait until her hair had grown again before the marriage could take place. The hawk agreed to this, and the hen went away and never returned. After a time the hawk remembered, and went to look for the hen, but found that she was married to the cock. He was very angry, and swore that he would kill all her children whenever he met them. From that time until now the hawk has always killed chickens when he finds them in the open. Moral.—Women should not make promises they cannot keep. Why the Sun and the Moon live in the Sky Many years ago the sun and the moon lived on the earth, and were very great friends with the water. They often used to visit the water, but the water never returned their visits. At last the sun and moon asked the water why he never came to see them. The water replied that their house was not big enough, as when he came he would bring all his people with him. The sun then said he would build a very large house, and when it was finished he would invite the water. So the sun went home to his wife, who is the moon, and told her what he intended to do. In a few days the house was ready, and the sun asked the water to come. When the water came, he brought all the fish and sea-people with him. The sun and the moon invited him in, and the water poured in with all his people, until the house was quite full. The water still continued to come in, and the house overflowed, so that the sun and the moon had to climb on to the roof. Then the water rose higher and higher, and carried them up into the sky. Since that time they have always lived there. Moral.—If you invite a friend to your house, be prepared for all his family as well. Why the Flies Bother the Cows A long time ago the cows had a meeting and agreed that they would all go to a big market. Each cow took plenty of money with her to buy things. The flies, seeing this, thought it a good chance to get something, so they followed the cows, and when the cows had bought many things, the flies asked them to give them something to eat. The cows refused, so the flies were very angry, and said that as long as cows lived they would always bother them. From that day until now the flies have always been a nuisance to cows. Moral.—Always give something to a poor man when he asks you, or he will make himself disagreeable. Why the Cat kills Rats When Efiong, the cat, was a young man, he was very poor, and went about with no money. The rats, however, had plenty of food and money, so they made friends with Efiong, and whenever he came to their house they gave him food. Efiong then said he must return the compliment, and asked the rats to his house. The rats came, and Efiong killed them one by one and ate them. Ever since then the cat has always killed rats whenever he finds them. Moral.—Never trust a hungry man. The Story of the Lightning and the Thunder In the olden days the lightning lived on the earth with his mother, the thunder. They used to frighten the people very much, for whenever the lightning flashed, he often set houses and trees on fire. At last the people complained to the king, and he made a special order that the lightning and his mother, the thunder, should leave the earth and live in the sky. Since then they have always lived there. When the lightning flashes, his mother scolds him for being so quick, and that is why you hear the thunder after you see the lightning. Moral.—Children should obey their parents, or they may be driven away from their home. Why the Bush Cow and the Elephant are bad Friends In the olden days the bush cow and the elephant were very good friends, and always went about together. But one day they went into a farm and ate the food, which belonged to a poor man. The man came and drove them away, and they ran into the bush. The bush cow then said to the elephant—"Let us go and kill this man." But the elephant refused, and said he would not kill a poor man. The bush cow then became very angry, and told the elephant that they would never be friends again. Since that day they have always been bad friends. Moral.—Do not quarrel with your friend because he will not do wrong. The Cock who caused a Fight between two Towns Many years ago there was a cock who lived in one town, and he used to crow every morning. Another town near by had no cock, so the people did not know the time. They therefore sent and borrowed the cock. When the cock crowed, the people of both towns ran to market at the same time. This made them quarrel, and a big fight took place between the two towns, in which many people were killed. Moral.—If you borrow things from your neighbour, return them quickly, or they may cause trouble. The Affair of the Hippopotamus and the Tortoise; or, Why the Hippopotamus lives in the Water Long ago the hippopotamus had a fine farm on the land. The tortoise used to go to the farm and steal the food. The hippopotamus set traps for him, but the tortoise was too clever, and always got away. At last the hippopotamus was very angry, and told the king. The king called both of them, and the tortoise admitted stealing the food, but said he was very poor. The king then fined the tortoise, and told the hippopotamus that as he was so rich, he must live in the water, so that the poor people could have the land. From that time the hippopotamus has always lived in the water. Moral.—The rich must give way to the poor sometimes. Why Dead People are Buried In the beginning of the world the people never died, but when they became old they changed into snakes and other animals. After a time the world became very full, so that the people had no room to live. They then complained to the king, who sent to God to ask what was to be done. God told them that they must die like the animals, and be buried in the ground. From that day people have always died and been buried. Moral.—Do not complain without cause, or you may make things worse. Of the Fat Woman who Melted Away A long time ago there was a very fat woman who was married to a thin man. Whenever they went out walking, the people laughed at them, and said—"What a funny couple!" This made the woman ashamed, so she asked her husband what she should do. He told her to go into the sun every morning, and stand there for some time. She did so, and in a few days she melted away altogether. Moral.—Do not be ashamed of what you are, or you may do yourself harm. Concerning the Leopard, the Squirrel, and the Tortoise A leopard was very fond of palm wine, but he had no farm of his own. So he went to the squirrel, who had a farm, and asked him to lend him some palm wine. The squirrel agreed, and gave the leopard plenty to drink. The leopard then went to the tortoise, and asked him to lend him some yams, which he did. When the leopard had got both the palm wine and the yams, he invited the squirrel and the tortoise to a feast. After they had eaten and drunk, the leopard killed them both, so that he might not have to pay them back. Moral.—Do not lend to bad men, or you may lose both your goods and your life. Why the Moon Waxes and Wanes In the olden days the moon was a woman, and had sixteen children. God gave her a basket of water, and told her to pour it out once every day. She did so, and every day the water grew less, until at last it was finished, and then the moon died. After a time she came to life again, and the water returned to the basket. So the moon went on dying and coming to life again, and that is why she waxes and wanes every month. Moral.—Obey God’s commands, or you will suffer. The Story of the Leopard, the Tortoise, and the Bush Rat The leopard was very fond of bush rats, and used to kill many of them. At last the bush rat went to the tortoise, and asked him to help him. The tortoise told the bush rat to make a drum, and put it near the leopard’s house. The leopard, hearing the drum, came and asked who was beating it. The tortoise said it was the bush rat. The leopard said he would like to try, so he put his head into the drum, and the tortoise quickly fastened the lid. They then carried the drum away, and threw it into the river, so the leopard was drowned. Moral.—If you oppress poor people, they will combine and kill you. The King and the Ju Ju Tree A king had a juju tree in his town, under which he used to sit every day. The tree gave him all he wanted, both food and drink. After some time the king became proud, and said he was greater than God. Then God was very angry, and sent a whirlwind, which carried the king and the juju tree away, and they have never been seen again. Moral.—Do not be proud, or God will punish you. How the Tortoise overcame the Elephant and the Hippopotamus The tortoise and the elephant used to quarrel very much. One day the tortoise said he could pull the elephant into the river. The elephant laughed, and said he could not. So the tortoise got a strong rope, and tied one end round the elephant, and the other end he tied to the hippopotamus, who was in the river. The tortoise then went away into the bush. The elephant began to pull, and the hippopotamus pulled too, and they both thought the tortoise was pulling against them. They pulled and pulled, until at last they were both tired out. The tortoise then came and laughed at them, and said—"You see I have pulled you both." Moral.—A clever man can overcome stronger people than himself. Of the Pretty Girl and the Seven Jealous Women There was once a very pretty girl who was loved by seven women. These women were very jealous of her, and wanted to kill her. They therefore persuaded her to go with them into the bush. When they got there, they dug a deep hole, and told her to go down and fetch water. When she was in the hole, they threw earth on top of her, and buried her alive. But the girl’s spirit came out, and went to the town, where it told her father what had happened. He went with many people, and dug up the hole, and found his daughter dead. He then killed the seven women, and buried them with his daughter. Moral.—Jealousy is a very bad thing, and leads to murder. How the Cannibals drove the People from Insofan Mountain to the Cross River (Ikom) The Lucky Fisherman The Orphan Boy and the Magic Stone The Slave Girl who tried to Kill her Mistress The King and the ’Nsiat Bird Concerning the Fate of Essido and his Evil Companions Concerning the Hawk and the Owl The Story of the Drummer and the Alligators The ’Nsasak Bird and the Odudu Bird The Election of the King Bird (the black-and-white Fishing Eagle) How the Cannibals drove the People from Insofan Mountain to the Cross River (Ikom) Many years ago there was a town called Insofan, situated on a high mountain in the Ikom district. The people were very numerous, but they were always fighting with the cannibals, who lived in the surrounding country. At last the cannibals made war upon them and killed so many of the Insofan people that they had to run away and take refuge on the banks of the Cross River, where they founded fresh towns, and are now known as the Ikom tribe. Moral.—Do not fight against people who are stronger than yourself. The Lucky Fisherman A long time ago there was a fisherman who used to catch plenty of fish, but he was very poor. One day, as he was fishing, he caught a magic fish, which could talk. The fish said, “If you let me go I will make you rich.” So the fisherman put the fish back into the water. The next day when he went to his house he found it full of money, and he became a rich man at once. Moral.—If you do a kindness, you will be rewarded. The Orphan Boy and the Magic Stone There was once an orphan boy who was very poor. One day he went into the bush to cut wood, and found a stone which was shining. He picked it up and carried it home. When he placed it on the ground, food came out of it, and the boy had plenty to eat. He became rich, and many people came to see him. At last a bad man stole the stone, and the orphan boy became poor again. Moral.—Do not show your riches to every one, or they may be stolen. The Slave Girl who tried to Kill her Mistress A long time ago a woman bought a slave girl. The slave was very wicked, and wanted to kill her mistress, so she took a big stone and put it on top of the house in order that when her mistress came out in the morning she should be killed. The mistress, however, had juju, and when she came out she saw the stone falling and ran away, so that she was not hurt. The stone fell on the slave girl and killed her. Moral.—If you plan evil against another person, it may fall on your own head. The King and the ’Nsiat Bird There was once a king who was very fond of the ’nsiat bird. He kept one in his house, and whenever it sang he was pleased. One day a stranger came and asked the king to give him the bird. The king refused, but the stranger killed the bird and ran away. The king was very sad, and soon afterwards died of grief. Moral.—Do not set your heart on anything too much, or you may lose it. Concerning the Fate of Essido and his Evil Companions There was once a man named Essido, who was very bad. He had many companions, and they used to steal and kill people. At last the people complained to the king, who sent soldiers and caught them all. They were killed, and their bodies thrown into the bush, where the wild beasts ate them. Moral.—Bad men never come to a good end. Concerning the Hawk and the Owl In the olden days the hawk and the owl were great friends. They agreed that they would live together, but the owl said he must build his house in the daytime, as he could not see at night. The hawk, however, wanted to build his house at night, as he was afraid of people. They quarrelled about this, and have never been friends since. That is why the hawk flies in the day and the owl flies at night. Moral.—If two men cannot agree, they must separate. The Story of the Drummer and the Alligators There was once a drummer who went into the bush to beat his drum. When he beat it, the alligators came out of the water and danced. The drummer then took a stick and killed many of them. The alligators were very angry, and said they would kill him; but he ran away, and they could not catch him. Moral.—Do not trust a man who makes you dance, for he may kill you. The ’Nsasak Bird and the Odudu Bird A long time ago the ’nsasak bird and the odudu bird were friends. They agreed to build their houses together. The ’nsasak bird made his house very strong, but the odudu bird was lazy, and only made his house of grass. When the rain came, the odudu bird’s house was washed away, but the ’nsasak bird’s house stood firm. Since that time the odudu bird has always been poor. Moral.—If you are lazy you will always be poor. The Election of the King Bird (the black-and-white Fishing Eagle) Many years ago the birds had a big meeting to elect a king. They all came together, and each bird wanted to be king. At last the fishing eagle came, and when the other birds saw him they all agreed that he was the strongest, and made him king at once. Moral.—The strongest man usually becomes king.