FOLK TALES

CHIEF WARAMBO AND THE NECKLACE.

Chief Warambo had a dream one night. In the dream, he saw all his forefathers at his installation ceremony. One thing Warambo noticed in his dream: all his forefathers had their two front teeth missing.
"Where are your two front teeth?" the puzzled Warambo asked his father who happened to be among the people at the ceremony.
"The heir to the crown always inherits four things from his father," Chief Warambo's father started. "One is the royal spear which has two heads. Two is the royal stool which I am sitting on. Three is the chain formed by the two front teeth of all the chiefs who have gone before the present chief. Last is the golden ring to be worn on the index finger. All these four things must be there before a chief takes over."
During the installation ceremony, Warambo saw himself being awarded all the vital possessions a chief had to inherit. Warambo was warned: "Don't lose any of the four items. They are not to be used by anyone, except the chief himself. Failure to follow these simple rules will lead to the death of the chief's whole family and livestock."
So, in the dream, Warambo vowed to protect with all his might and strength the dignity and honour of the of the chief's family. Nothing would shake him, nothing would worry him. The chief's name was to be upheld in all generations.
The old chief woke up the following morning. He called for his youngest wife who came running to serve her master. "Yes your greatness," answered the wife.
"Fetch my golden ring, spear, and necklace. I want to meet the elders today," the chief ordered. The wife hesitated but recovered quickly and went out look for what she had been told to look for. The wife wondered: what necklace was this the chief was asking for?
She soon came back with the required things, except the necklace which she was hearing of for the very first time.
"Which necklace, I might ask, your greatness?" the wife finally gathered courage and asked.
The chief shot her a murderous glance and then roared: "The necklace which contains all the front teeth of my forefathers and myself."
His wife was shocked . Never had she heard of this manner of talk. Two things she knew. One, there was no such necklace. Two, she could not argue with her husband.
The chief saved her the agony of looking for what was not there. "Send the messengers to get all my wise men at once. All my sons should also be there," he told the relieved wife.
After some few minutes, all the required people were gathered inside the chief's hut. They were silent not knowing what the chief had to tell them.
"My sons and all wise men, a serious thing has happened. I can't find my royal necklace. As you all know, my son cannot inherit the chiefdom without without this necklace, as it contains the only link with my forefathers - their front teeth," the chief began.
"If the necklace is not found," continued the chief, "it will mean the death of all my family and livestock. So I am sending you all over the chiefdom to look for the necklace. If it is not found in seven days, then disaster shall strike."
After the brief meeting, in which no one questioned the chief on the strange existence of the ring, the wisemen and sons spread out to look for the missing necklace. Maybe there was one.
After three days of fruitless and frustrating search, the wisemen and the sons held a meeting without the chief's knowledge. Tambo, the chief's eldest son, chaired the meeting.
"It is clear that my father is now too old and has started imagining things. No one has heard of this necklace business. All of you know that my father lost his two front teeth in a fight during his teen days," Tambo said. "So we shall have to do something before the seven days are over. I suggest we get volunteers to donate their front teeth."
Unfortunately for Tambo, no one was willing to part with his teeth. So a few people were called and forced to part with their front teeth.
Afterwards, a beautiful necklace was made from about fifty teeth. It was polished and it sparkled like ivory. The necklace was ready. The deadline had been met.
So the wisemen and Tambo went to the old chief and presented the necklace to him. All were extremely tense as the old leader looked at the necklace carefully. Their tension turned to relief when the chief happily declared, "Yes this is the one. This is the necklace I was telling you about."
Warambo took the glittering necklace and placed it round his son's neck. "Now I can die in peace."
One week later, Warambo died in his sleep and Tambo, his son, was crowned chief. Tambo called the wise men and they decided that it would be prudent to reward the people who had donated their teeth. Each was then given ten cows, several sheep and goats.
Tambo became a wise ruler and one of his favourite quotes became: "Age brings experience, advanced age brings wisdom but very advanced age only brings problems."

FEATHER OF MARRIAGE.

The visit was a normal one. Mzee Ketan, one of the oldest men in the village, had gone to visit his life-long friend Mzee Karat. Together they sat and remembered the old days when they were but young ones running around and causing havoc. They roared in laughter as they went through the early chapters of their lives.
Presently Mzee Karat's youngest daughter came in to serve the two old men. It was here that Mzee Ketan's eyes fell on the young and beautiful Katos, a beauty who had mesmerized many.
"I thought that all your daughters were married," Mzee Ketan told his host, a father of quite a number of children.
"That is the last one and she will soon be ready to leave, though no one has proposed," replied Mzee Karat.
"What if I propose now?" asked Mzee Ketan jokingly, though deep down he was serious about it.
Mzee Karat laughed and then replied, "You want my daughter to be your fifth wife! That is a good idea as it will strengthen the bonds of our friendship."
The two old men then went on to discuss the issue of dowry, how and when to deliver it.
Marriage in the Kabul tribe was taken as a very sacred thing. There were several steps usually undertaken before a girl left her father's homestead. The first step was that the boy or man had to prove his intention by bringing the girl's father a feather - a peacock's feather. Without this, one could not marry. Once the feather was brought home, the man handed it to the girl of his choice - in this way the girl knew that she was about to be given away.
The second step was a result of the first one. Dowry was discussed. It usually consisted of about ten to twenty animals, mainly cows, goats and sheep. This normally took place after the feather handing occasion.
Once the dowry had been paid, then the girl was officially married and had to leave her father's homestead with her new husband. This last stage confirmed that the girl no longer belonged to her father's home. It saw the official escorting of the girl to her new home.
The feather was a precious thing in all homesteads. This was because of two reasons. One, the peacock was very rare in the region and capturing it or just seeing one was next to impossible. However, once in a while, they were spotted and hunted down. Secondly, the feather was the most important part of the marriage. Once a man had made his intentions known to the girl by handing her the feather, no other man could do the same: the girl remained engaged to the man, as long as the girl had attained the age of marriage.
Most feathers were handed over from father to son. This meant that families with many sons needed more feathers than those with fewer sons.
"But first you have to bring a feather to the girl so that she knows that she is going to be your wife," Mzee Karat told his friend.
It was at this juncture that the sharp ears of Katos overheard the conversation. She strained her ears to hear more and what she heard made her very sad. How could her father be so cruel as to hand her to such an old man? She tried to control her tears but she could not, so she ran out to report the incident to her mother.
"There is nothing I can do. Mothers, as you know, are never part of the marriage discussion. Our only job is to make the feasts memorable. Beyond that is asking for too much," Katos' mother told her sad daughter.
Katos, however, did not give up hope. She sought the counsel her slightly older brother. The two, the only children in their parents' homestead, had become very close to each other. Between them they shared endless secrets and fears.
Kepal, Katos' brother, was out herding the cows. So he was not due till late in the evening. Katos had no choice but to wait for her brother, her last source of consolation.
The first thing that greeted Kepal when he arrived from herding were tears from her sister who went to tell the bewildered boy the whole story of Mzee Ketan. He was both shocked and annoyed by what his father had done.
"It is unfortunate that the one who has the intentions of marrying you is not here," said Katos' brother.
Karanga, Katos' best friend, and other village warriors had gone after some cattle rustlers who had ambushed the local herdsboys and taken off with some of their livestock. The villagers had been mad and had sent a party of fifty warriors to go after the rustlers. The party had not yet come back and the length of the mission was not known as it depended on how far the rustlers came from.
Brother and sister sat down trying to think of how they were going to stop the feather from reaching their home before Karanga was back. Katos could not stop crying. "I am too young to be married to that old man!" she wailed uncontrollably.
Finally their desperation paid when Kepal said, "First we have to find out how many feathers he has in the house." Mzee Ketan was known in the villagers as the man with many sons and one daughter. It was therefore obvious that his sons ( all married) had used many feathers while marrying.
The following day, while herding, Kepal started boasting about the number of feathers he had seen in his father's house.
"I can marry up to fifteen wives as there are those number of feathers in my father's house," Kepal boasted.
The others joined in the game of boasting. Only Mzee Ketan's son did not join in the boasting. The others, however, teased him so much that he had no option but to reveal the truth.
"There is only one feather in my home and it looks like my father wants to use it to marry another wife. This means that I'll either have to hunt peacocks or wait for my much younger sister to get married," lamented the young boy much to the sympathy of his friends. Such cases, however, were quite common in the village.
That evening, Kepal went home and told his sisters that Mzee Ketan had only one feather in the house. The problem now lay in getting rid of that one feather which stood in the path of happiness of the young girl.
"I am afraid, sister, there is no way we can get that feather," bemoaned Kepal.
His desperate sister could not take a negative answer. "Steal it, if that is the only way out," Katos added sadly, though she knew that there was no way Kepal was going to steal that one feather. Stealing was considered a major crime in the village and it usually carried heavy penalties with it.
It seemed like nothing could be done to improve the situation. So the two sat sadly thinking about the following day, the day Mzee Ketan was to bring the feather.
The following day, Kepal did not go herding. He gave someone the animals. He, like everybody else in the homestead , was awaiting the arrival of Mzee Ketan with the peacock feather. So all stayed in their houses waiting for the horn to announce the arrival of their visitor.
Soon morning turned to mid-day and the horn had still not been heard. The others who knew him as an early visitor were surprised at his lateness, especially on such an important day.
It was evening and still Mzee Ketan had not yet been seen. Katos showed some signs of relief at the lateness. Maybe the old man had changed his mind. Maybe.
It was very late in the evening when the horn was heard. Katos' spirits sank when she heard it. She could not help control the torrential tears streaming down her cheeks as she turned to her angry brother for comfort.
Mzee Ketan made his way to the village and all were surprised to see the old man and his four escorts on foot, instead of using the customary way of bringing a feather - donkeys.
Mzee Karat welcomed his guest, though he noticed that the old man looked sad and dispirited. The host took his visitors to the house and that is when Mzee Ketan told his story.
"My friend, I don't have the feather. We were on our way here when the donkey I was riding on was bitten by a snake. The donkey panicked and dropped me and the gourd containing the feather down. The others donkeys also panicked and all ran away. It was after fighting and killing the snake that we realised that the gourd had broken and that the feather was nowhere to be seen. We spent the whole morning and afternoon looking for that feather," Mzee Ketan narrated sadly.
Mzee Karat could not understand why his friend had not gone back home for another feather.
"That was the last feather in my house and I am now too old to hunt. So it looks like I'll have to wait for my daughter to get married, and that is a long way to go," said the old man.
The story leaked out and it soon reached the sharp ears of Katos' mother who did not waste time in breaking the news to her sad daughter. The girl brightened up. It seemed like the gods were on her side.
Two days later, Karanga was at Mzee Karat's doorstep with a feather intended for Katos. The brave warriors were back in the village after a successful mission.
Mzee Karat could not deny the brave warrior his chance to get a wife. One moon later, Katos moved out of her father's homestead to go and live with Karanga.


T H E W I D O W.

Ambo could not contain the hunger in her any longer. So she decided to do what was considered a grave crime - steal!
"There is no way my only son and I will sit here and die of hunger while there is food in the gardens," she said to herself.
Ambo was a widow, a very young one. Her husband had died the previous season and left her heavy with child. The child had been born a few moons after the father's death and he had been named after the father - Dinga.
Dinga, Ambo's husband, had left Ambo with three different gardens, big enough to feed a big family a trade with. Ambo, in the confusion following her husband's death, had not paid so much attention to the gardens, not until her husband's brothers had moved in to take over the gardens.
Ambo had then gone to the elders to report the issue and the answer had been a discouraging, "A woman cannot own land. If you want to own any land, then you have to get married to one of Dinga's brothers." There was no compromise on that and Ambo, who had refused to be married off, watched as her child grew without a father and land.
Days had passed and Ambo had taken to begging her fellow women for food. After many days of continuous begging, her fellow women had told her to swallow her pride and pain and be married off. That was the last time Ambo had bothered to beg.
Desperation had driven Ambo to her own parents, where she thought that her parents would at least sympathise with her and accept her back.
"My daughter," her father had said, "once you leave your father's house to go to your own, then there is no way you can be accepted back where you left."
Ambo's mother had added, "You now belong to the Dinga family and even when you die, you shall be buried there." Ambo, though familiar with the customs, had hoped that her parents would be her saviour.
Ambo had gone back to her house and sat down wondering how to face the hardships in life with her nine-moon old baby. After much deliberation, she had finally swallowed her pride and gone to Binta, Dinga's elder brother.
"Binta, I have decided to come and be your last wife," Ambo had told her unamused and indifferent brother-in-law.
"I am sorry Ambo, your days are over. I would have taken you during the first three moons after your husband's death. It is now nine moons past and unfortunately there is nothing much I can do," Binta had told the sad and embattled Ambo.
"But I was expectant at that time and I could not just walk into your house," Ambo had defended herself.
Binta had laughed and said, "You cannot force me to marry. The customs are very clear on that issue and I am not going to spend my time debating on this. Good night!"
Ambo had gone to the other two brothers and it had been the same story all along. And that was the night she went to bed on an empty stomach. That night she went to bed but she could not even sleep a wink. Worse was the constant crying of her son. And that was the night Ambo decided to steal.
Everyone was asleep in the village when Ambo went out to Binta's granary. There she took food enough to last her for three days. She silently went back, cooked the food and ate. For the first time in many days, Ambo and her son slept soundly and woke up feeling better the following morning.
Nobody noticed the missing food in the granary, and after another three days, Ambo repeated her act again. This too went unnoticed.
Ambo's stealing now extended to the gardens as she also needed fresh maize to boil and roast. The gardens also had fresh vegetables which she could cook. Unfortunately for Ambo, the disappearance of fresh maize raised eyebrows.
"Someone has been stealing my maize," complained one sharp-eyed old farmer to his wife who also expressed the same complaints concerning vegetables.
"It must be that Ambo woman. She is the only one who doesn't go the garden, yet eats like all of us. I am sure it is her," the farmer's wife replied.
The old man decided to put some sentry in the garden throughout the day. This, however, did not succeed as Ambo operated only at night when everyone was deep asleep.
After several days, various people started complaining of the disappearance of foodstuff from their gardens. Ambo heard all these and just kept quiet, determined not to starve to death.
One of the victims decided to lay a trap on the thief who had proved elusive all along. He dug a pit, covered it with grass and left for the night.
That night, the unsuspecting Ambo, came to the garden and WHAM! She landed in the deep pit and unknowingly started to scream. Her screams, unfortunately, were not heard by the deep sleeping villagers.
Ambo's son cried throughout the night and the villagers, accustomed to crying children, did not bother to find out what the excessive noise was all about.
Early in the morning, the old farmer, who had set the trap, went to he his garden and was delighted that his trick had at last borne some fruits. The other villagers were called and all came to see the thief who, as suspected, was Ambo.
Ambo was removed from the pit and taken back to the village where a hearing was set straight away. All the villagers were to be present.
During the hearing, Ambo sat silently with her son. The rest of the villagers sat in a circle, surrounding the whole court.
The elder leading the hearing stood up to speak. "According to the village rules, any man found stealing faces death either by stoning or drowning in the Loka lake. A woman found stealing is expelled from the village. She cannot even go back to her parents, because a thief is a disgrace to the society. A thief, my village-mates, cannot be part of the village."
Ambo was called and told to explain to the villagers why
action should not be taken against her. She narrated the whole story of her rejection. The impatient villagers, however, were neither interested in her story nor moved by her tears.
One die-hard elder who believed only in punishment stood up and said, "A criminal is a criminal, whether starving or not. So the laid down rules for punishing a thief have to be followed to the word. We don't make rules so as to break them and if this woman is not going to be punished, then we are not a village." He then sat down as he was cheered by others who also recommended punishment. Dinga's brothers also spoke against the act. It seemed like Ambo was all alone.
One elder, to the amazement of all, stood up to defend Ambo. "I am shocked by the spirit in this village of ours. When I was a child, this village was one big and happy family where unity was the order of the day. One who could not get food, did not have any problems as the villagers were all generous and believed in sharing. Once a moon we had a food-sharing ceremony whereby each family traded cooked food with their neighbours. All those are now gone and each family and person is just interested in their own things.
"I am ashamed as here we stand ready to condemn a woman who has been suffering right under our own eyes. This is a shame to our ancestors who taught us that a village is one big and happy family. Where, my village mates, is your generosity? Where is your unity? Where is your humanity?"
The elder sat down and all now remained silent as they digested the words of the elder. Most affected were the judges who had very fond memories of how their village used to be.
The leader stood up and asked if there was anyone to challenge what the elder had said. There was no one. Ambo was then declared innocent.
Much to Ambo's relief, all the villagers now became friendlier. She was given back her gardens to cultivate and she really channeled her energy there. Ambo never went hungry again and as she had swore during the hearing, never stole again.


THE BOY WHO COULD NOT MARRY.

Abich had attained the ripe age of marriage and like all those who had attained that age, he was going to do something about it. According to the customs, Abich's parents were meant to look for a suitable bride for their son. If the parents did not succeed in this mission, then the son was free to look for a bride on his own.
Abich was the only son in his mother's homestead. All his seven sisters had been married bringing fat dowry to Abich's mother. Abich father had died when Abich was still a very small boy. The absence of Abich's sisters and father meant that the homestead had only two people living in it - Abich and his aging mother.
There was no hurry from Abich's mother. "My son, you are still too young to marry. Wait until the coming season and I will get you a very good bride," Abich's mother told her impatient son.
Abich sadly watched as his friends all married and left him alone. "Mine will come next season," he told his friends who could not understand what Abich was waiting for.
The following season came and it was the same story from Abich's mother. This time, however, Abich decided to go for a bride on his own as he felt that he was truly ready for marriage.
His first stop was at his friend's place.
"May take your daughter to my mother?" Abich asked Amuga's mother customarily. Daughters were always taken to mothers first to be approved.
"Son of my fellow woman," replied Amuga's mother, "I hope that my daughter will find favour in your mother's eyes. She is good at everything she does."
Abich was happy and he was escorted by his friend Amuga and some of Amuga's numerous brothers. The escort left Abich at the entrance leading to his house. Abich took the girl home and his mother who had not been anticipating such radical moves by her son was quite shocked to see the beautiful and well-mannered sister of Amuga.
"Mother, I have brought home a girl who I want to be my wife," Abich told her disapproving mother. His mother kept quiet and just showed the girl around. She left the girl with some work to do and came back to talk to her son.
"My son, listen to me," Abich's mother began. "I have never told you this but let me tell you today. That girl's family does not have a good name. Her grandfather was a night-runner (wizard) and it is said that one of her grandmothers was a witch. My son, it is not safe to marry into such families."
Abich was tongue-tied. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with a family of night-runners, at least not after what had happened to his father. (It was believed that his father had been bewitched by his brother-in-law.)
The following day the girl was returned to her home. No explanation was given to the surprised parents of the girl and the family members.
Abich, however, did not give up his search. He went to
another friend called Agum. There he asked for Agum's sister and his wish was granted by the parents of the girl.
Abich mother was her old self once again. "My son, it is not good to marry girls who are taller than you. Girls who are taller than their husbands give birth to twins or triplets." Nobody in the village wanted anything to do with twins or triplets as these were considered a bad omen to the village and were in all cases thrown to the hyenas in the forest.
Very sadly and dejectedly, Abich took the girl back. Again no explanation was given to the girl's parents. Abich was really cursing his ill-luck all the time. Why couldn't he be as successful in getting a wife as his friends had been.
As a last desperate step, Abich decided to venture to the shores of the lake and pay another friend a visit. Once there he made his mission known and as a family friend. his mission was approved. The girl was escorted to Abich's place and this time Abich silently crossed his finger and muttered some prayers.
"That is the daughter of Aguyo the brewer. All their family members are brewers and drunkards. Can't you even see her eyes," Abich was told by his mother.
The following day, Abich took the girl back and he was shocked to notice that the girl's eyes were as white as milk. Drunkards' eyes were supposed to be flaming red.
While coming back from the shores, Abich decided to pass by his grandmother's (maternal) place and explain his problem to her. Grandmothers were known for being fond of grandchildren and trying their best to make sure that they (the grandchildren) remained happy in life.
"What brings my Abich to this corner of the world unannounced?" Abich's grandmother asked her grandson who looked thin and pale.
Abich immediately poured his problems to the very patient and sympathetic grandmother of his who listened keenly. She did not for one moment interrupt.
"I have seen this many times before," his grandmother said. "A case of a mother who does not want her son to marry because she is scared of losing all the attention. There is a simple solution to that. All you have to do is to stop looking for a wife, spend least time at home and whenever possible talk very negative of women."
Abich was happy at the advice given by his grandmother whose parting words were, "By the beginning of the new moon, you shall have a wife."
Back at home, Abich did exactly what he was told by his grandmother. He started preparing his own meals, complaining that women were worse cooks than men were. He went to the extent of cleaning the compound on his own, fetching firewood and going to the market to purchase his own food.
All this time, Abich made sure that he hurled negative comments on women. "Women are good but men are better. The only good woman is a dead one. The best thing a woman can do is to sleep!" All these negative comments kept on hurting the mother and she eventually lost her patience and cool and went and brought a bride to the unsuspecting Abich. It was customary not to reject any girl brought to you by your parents.
Much to Abich's surprise, it was Amuga's sister who was brought. Abich pretended to be annoyed and his mother looked triumphant at having brought someone to help her prove that women are better than what her son thought. And so Abich at last managed to get a wife and just as his grandmother had said. A moon was not yet over.

THE FLOODS.


The rains pounded the land furiously for the seventh consecutive day. All in the village were greatly concerned about their crops, which were bound to rot in the gardens.
"At this rate, we shall be harvesting fish instead of crops," said one worried farmer to his equally worried wife. The situation was quite grave and the villagers could not even go out to trade in the market.
On the ninth day, the elders decided to consult Nyuka, the village witchdoctor who lived on the slopes leading to the entrance of the village.
"All the families have been offering sacrifices to the gods," the witchdoctor told the elders when they went to visit him. "But there is one family which has not been offering anything to the gods. It is the family of Ngoto and his wife Jero."
The elders all kept quiet at the mention of the noble family of Jero and Ngoto. Few knew the story behind Jero and the witchdoctor Nyuka. Jero, a village beauty for quite a long time, had been the target of most men who had gone to painful extremes to ensure that they took her as a wife. Among the men who had shown interests had been the youthful and confident Nyuka, a man whose family was reknowned for its role in witchcraft. "There is no way our daughter can be married by a sorcerer," Jero's mother had told the visibly shocked and humiliated Nyuka who had always gotten what had come on his way. Nyuka had vowed to marry none other than Jero.
"You shall regret for the rest of your lives. All you will regret the decision you have made today," Nyuka had told the parents of Jero. This had been many moons back.
Jero had not stayed long with in parents' homestead. Ngoto had come and won favour with both the parents of the girl and the girl herself. The two now had seven children and were living happily completely unaware of the intentions of the revengeful Nyuka.
"This is my chance to revenge," the witchdoctor muttered to himself after the elders had left promising to come back the following day for a solution. The witchdoctor paced up and down his house looking for a possible way on getting his revenge without touching Jero.
"She will be mine at last," said the witchdoctor who was not even concerned about the rains which kept on falling harder and harder.
The following day, the elders came back and were told by the confident Nyuka, "I spoke to the gods and they told me that something undefiled should be sacrificed. The undefiled thing should be the eyes of an unmarried girl."
Jero and her husband only had one daughter and it was rather obvious that it was her whose eyes were going to be scorched out. The elders, really desperate to do something about the floods, conceded to the wicked plans of the witchdoctor.
All the villagers were summoned and told what the gods had communicated to Nyuka. All were quiet when they heard about the sacrifice. Most were convinced that the gods had spoken and gods were not opposed in whatever they communicated to their subjects.
Jero and her family were sad. They did not want anything harmful to happen to any member of their happy family. "Why us mama?" Jeor's daughter kept on asking over and over again. Her mother who suspected foul play from the very beginning kept quiet and silently cursed under her breath.
On the evening of the sacrifice, in the dim light of the moon and still under the pounding rains, Jero's daughter was led to the covered pyre. Jero could not help crying as she watched her daughter being led by one of the elders.
Jero's daughter was given some herbs to drink. The herbs immediately made her go into a deep slumber. The witchdoctor then took an arrow head and ruthlessly scorched out the eyes of the innocent girl. Jero's tears increased. Ngoto's fury doubled. Nyuka's delight became boundless as the villagers watched in great disbelief.
The eyes, now out, were taken to the covered pyre and there, in the presence of all, a fire was lit and the eyes sacrificed to the gods. The rains pounded harder and harder as the villagers went back to their homes. Ngoto carried her asleep and unconscious daughter back to the house.
The following day, the floods had not abated. The villagers watched with impatience as the rains continued the whole day. The elders also watched as the rains continued. They, however, decided to wait. Nyuka seeing that the rains had not stopped, sat down to think of another possible way out.
Two days passed and still the rains did not show any signs of decreasing. On the third day, the elders paid Nyuka a visit again. The witchdoctor said, "The gods said that the sacrifice offered was not good enough. They need more eyes, of the whole family if possible." The elders were then sent to the village to alert the villagers of another meeting.
That night Jero and her husband planned escape. "If there is another meeting then we shall be next to be sacrificed," Jero told her husband and children who did not seem to understand why the gods had picked on them.
"Where are we going, mama?" Jero's daughter asked. She had regained consciousness but was still in pain. She, like all the others, did not know of the cold war going on between her mother and the witchdoctor.
"We shall go to my parents who live on the eastern side of the slopes," Jero replied to her daughter's question.
Very early the following morning, Jero, Ngoto and their children escaped from the still sleepy village. Nobody heard them leave and they slowly waded the waters and braved the heavy downpour.
After a whole day of travelling, Jero and her family finally reached their destination. Jero's parents were shocked to see their daughter and her whole family so late at night. They were even more shocked to hear what actually made them leave.
The absence of Ngoto's family was quickly noticed by the sharp eyes of the villagers. Ngoto's brothers and friends immediately
went to one elder to ask about the absence of one of their mates.
"I don't know where he is," said one elder who was also shocked that Ngoto and his family were missing. Ngoto's mates then proceeded to wake up the other elders and together they all went to the witchdoctor to find out more about Ngoto and his family.
Nyuka was also shocked to hear that Jero was missing. Now he knew that there was no way his plans were going to succeed.
"Where are they?" demanded Ngoto's elder brother who was convinced that something dreadful had happened to his brother. The others, apart from the elders, echoed the same complains.
Nyuka stammered and then said that he did not know where the family was and that he was going to consult the gods. There was a brief scuffle as Ngoto's brothers, unable to control their anger and fury, rushed at the witchdoctor and started beating him up. Someone produced a knife and stabbed Nyuka.
All stopped when Nyuka screamed and fell down. Suddenly everyone stopped and watched with awe and fear as the once feared witchdoctor bled profusely. Nyuka stopped screaming and now all watched as the last signs of life slipped from the witchdoctor.
Ngoto's mates, realising their mistake, walked out of Nyuka's compound leaving the elders there. The moment they stepped out of the compound, the rains decreased and slowly the pounding changed to showers and then eventually stopped. All were shocked to see the sky clearing.
"The rain has stopped," shouted some children happily. The news of the rains were received with great joy and all who had been in the house came out to see how it looked without rain.
The news of Nyuka's death spread fast to the other villages and soon it reached the ears of Jero's family. Jero, very relieved, knew that she could now live in peace.
Jero went back to the village and the fear that had tormented her was no longer there. She soon told the villagers what had taken place many moons before between Nyuka and her. Many sympathised with her, though there was nothing they could do to restore the sight of Jero's daughter.
The floods came to an end and the crops, which had started rotting in the gardens, changed colour and started growing normally.

FABLES

FEATHER MY NEST.

Far out in the woods, lived a colony of robins - bush robins and farm robins. Farm robins were known for lack of manners, pride and general wildness. Bush robins were good, humble and hardworking birds.
Bob Robin, a farm robin, had reached the ripe age of marriage. It was time to go out and look for a good, faithful and hardworking wife. So out he flew to the bush to fulfil his mission.
Bob Robin came to the edge of the bush and heard a faint, sad and moving song. It was a girl’s song. He strained his ears to capture the melody that almost swept him off the tree he was in. The song ended and, almost immediately, began again. This time Bob Robin missed none of it:
Rain rain wash my tears away
Thunder thunder scare no one today
Wind Wind bring a friend to stay

Without knowing, Bob Robin found himself drifting towards the origin of the song. It was not long before he came face to face with the singer herself, a plain humble looking and very clean bush robin.
“I am Bob Robin,” he started strongly while circling her and chirping excitedly. “Will you come with me to the farm to lay eggs for me, make my nest comfortable and bring up children for me?”
The bush robin blushed, looked down shyly before replying in a soft but clear voice, “First sing me a song.”
Bob Robin looked shocked. He knew his voice as being croaky. He, however, cleared it and made the best attempt to sing his heart and head out.
Rain rain wash …
Wash the evil intentions
off my heart
And make me cleaner than a hat….
Wind Wind…… Blow!
Blow us to the nest..
Blow you east
Blow you west
For me you blow the best!

Lady Robin was struck. Her feathers stood out, clearly impressed by the young bird in front of her. His song was simply lovely. It warmed her heart and she gained courage. She found her voice and spoke softly, “I am Lady Robin. You Bob Robin look a clean and well-mannered bird. It is my pleasure and pride to go and lay eggs for you. I’ll compose songs and together we shall sing them early every morning and late in the evening. We may go.”
Bob Robin was very delighted as off they flew from the bush to the farm where his nest was. He did a jig almost landing on his back.
Lady Robin entered the nest and started cleaning straight away while scolding her husband. “You should eat worms outside the nest and change the grass inside everyday. Shame on you! Now go out and look for fresh grass.”
Out flew the impressed husband to look for clean grass. Blade by blade he carried the brand new grass to his home. After several rounds of this, the nest was clean and spanking new. It smelt of the fields and reminded the two of the size of their love for each other. That night they feasted on fat worms outside the nest and huddled together they sang:
Today is our night
Together we shall pull our weight
And not at all fight
Today is our night
There shall be plenty of light
Other robins heard them and knew that these were two who had just started their life together. Some laughed remembering how they had started their lives together. Most were very impressed by the song.
A week later, Lady Robin laid one egg. This continued for seven days when she stopped laying the eggs and started preparing for the period of hatching, which is preparing the eggs to become chicks.
Meanwhile Bob Robin flew in and out of the nest to bring food for his wife who had to remain inside the nest. It was a hard job but Bob Robin enjoyed it.
After two weeks of hatching, the first egg cracked and a tiny beak broke out. This was repeated for five other eggs while two did not hatch. Bob Robin was a very proud bird. His feathers stood out, his beak proud and pointed to the skies above. He immediately broke out into a song:
Now that I am a father
Let me spread out my feathers
And sing to change the weather.
Now that I am a father
Sing with me all ye birds
Sing to welcome my chicks
Sing my brothers, sing my sisters
Sing with me……………
Now that I am a father.

The nest was filled with uncoordinated chirpings from the chicks. “I’ll teach them how to sing,” said Bob Robin proudly to his wife. They looked at each other, happy that the nest was warm and full of life. He flew out severally to get worms for his chicks. He sang happily as he sped past several trees to his family.
Late in the evening, the tired robin finally squeezed beside his wife. Together they sang to thank God for the wonderful gifts He had given them. Life was good.
Bob Robin had a neighbour called Tom Robin, a young robin who was not yet married. Tom was a wanderer and loved touring the bushes and the forests for adventures and for fruits. It was during one of these tours that Tom Robin discovered that fermented fruits were the sweetest things ever created.
“Bob, come let us go and look for those fruits I told you about. A married bird should eat well so that he can have the strength to feed his family well,” Tom told his friend one day. He went on to describe the fruits, his eyes blinking quickly to show excitement.
Bob immediately protested. “But I have to keep my wife and children company. I also have to be around to fetch food for them.”
Tom was not defeated easily. In a deep voice full of concern, he told his friend, “More the reason why you should eat well, otherwise you will grow thinner everyday.” As Tom said this, he ruffled Bob’s feathers before adding, “ You used to be fatter than this. Once a week to the bushes will restore your strength. Think about it.”
Bob Robin decided to play safe. So he went and told Lady Robin that he was going to the forest to look for wild fruits.
“Come back early,” warned Lady Robin, “and bring some fat worms for us.” Bob Robin made all kind promises to his adoring wife. She looked lovely taking care of those five noisy yet charming chicks.
The two male robins then flew out to look for the fermented grapes that Tom Robin had been talking about all the time. Bob Robin was dying to see and taste these fruits.
It was not long before the two birds reached their destination and straight away descended on the fallen grapes sucking them dearly.
“Wow, what a feeling!” exclaimed Bob Robin as he deeply sucked juice from grape to grape. He kept on chirping excitedly, “This is great!” He and Tom Robin slapped each other in the back, clearly overwhelmed by the fallen grapes.
By late evening, the two birds were completely drunk and could hardly walk, let alone fly. Bob Robin tried singing but the words could hardly come out. So they just lay where they were until late at night when they gathered minimum strength to take off. Took off they did but after crashing into several trees.
Very late at night the two birds came home singing loudly, wildly and completely off key. The whole colony woke up and they were not amused by this disturbance, the first of its kind. Lady Robin was both furious and ashamed of her husband.
“You are a shameful husband. Getting drunk is the only thing you could do. Your chicks remained hungry the whole day because of you and here you come singing at the top of your voice and smelling like a brewery,” Lady Robin complained hysterically. Only the chirping of the hungry chicks stopped her.
The following morning, Bob Robin woke up with a throbbing headache and sour tongue. He was feeling terrible, guilty, and ashamed at what he had done the previous day. He went and apologised to his wife but she could hear nothing of it.
Bob Robin was sorry and vowed never to take fermented fruit again or go to the forest to look for fruits. He became a good and responsible husband for the next few days. Lady Robin forgave him. They went back to their singing as the chicks gained weight and height.
But to Bob Robin the temptation of visiting the forest kept on strongly coming and going. Worse still, it seems like more and more birds were discovering the sweetness of fermented fruits. The colony was getting noisier and noisier. Lady Robin was not too happy with the turn of events.
Tom Robin did not leave Bob Robin in peace. One day, Bob, without the knowledge of his wife, decided to go to the forest briefly. He vowed to himself that he would only take one grape. When he arrived, he found a group of young birds already drunk and singing wildly. He joined them and soon one grape became one too many. Within a short time, he was also drunk.
Late at night the group of young birds came singing and making noise. Bob, who was among them, went to his nest and tried to squeeze in between his wife and chicks. His wife did not allow him to do so. He was chased away to go and look for another place to sleep in. He went to Tom Robin’s nest.
Early in the morning, Lady Robin, who had had enough of drunkards, gathered her chicks and flew out of the nest back to the bush where she had come from. As she flew, she sang:
Rain rain wash my tears away
Thunder thunder scare people today
Wind wind let me alone to stay.
Wind Wind…… Blow!
Blow! Blow you east
Blow! Blow you west
Please blow me from the rest!

Bob woke up from his place of slumber and went straight to the nest. His wife and chicks were missing. The nest was empty.
Bob Robin was sad. First he sat inside the empty nest waiting for his family to come back. “Maybe they will be back in a while,” he comforted himself. They did not come back. Next he flew all over the farm looking for his family but they were nowhere to be seen. He went to the bush where he had met Lady Robin for the first time but she was not there.
Very late in the evening, completely tired and depressed, Bob Robin came back to his nest and sang a very sad song:
Lady lady please be back
Drink and drink has spoilt my luck
Lady lady come be my wife
Drink and drink has ruined my life.
Tears, tears……Flow
Flow! Flow you east
Flow! Flow you west
For me you flow from the nest!


CAT GETS A HOME.

The whole family was silent as they gathered round to listen to their very sick parents. All wanted to hear what the parents had to say.
Father Cat looked around. All his children were there: the Lions, the Leopards, the Cheetahs, the Jaguars, the Tigers, the Pumas, and the youngest, the Cats named after their parents.
"My sons and daughters, our days are numbered. We have called you here to remind you of the unity that has always been our strongest point. Your mother and I want you to strengthen this unity among yourselves,” said Father Cat who went to talk in length about the family history. His children listened keenly.
Three days later, Father Cat and Mother Cat died of old age. The family mourned them deeply.
After some time, Lion called for a another meeting and here duties were allocated to all the members of the family. Animals were given a day in which they would be responsible for feeding the whole family.
The first day was the turn of the Lions to bring food. They set off to the forest while the rest waited at home playing games. The Lions went straight to a herd of buffaloes and managed to kill four of them. They dragged their game home and that day the family had a hearty meal. It was a good beginning.
The following day was the Tigers' turn. They woke up early to go to the lake, where all the animal drank water. The tigers hid behind some bushes before striking. Five gazelles fell and were taken home. That evening everyone was happy. Everyone, except the Lions.
"The meat was too soft and it was not enough,” grumbled one Lion to his sister. "They should have brought buffalo meat which is neither too soft nor too hard." The others agreed entirely with their brother.
The tigers were unamused. "Whenever it is not the Lions' idea, they complain and make a fuss over nothing. As far as we re concerned, we brought food and all managed to eat,” said one angry Tiger.
The following day, the Cheetahs went out to hunt. Out to impress the rest, they went for the buffaloes which were not in a very good mood, especially after losing four of their members to the lions. The buffaloes charged at the Cheetahs and chased them away.
"Wow!" exclaimed one Cheetah. "Those buffaloes are really in a foul mood today. I think we should to for gazelles." But the gazelles were nowhere to be seen. Since it was getting late, the Cheetahs decided to get the antelopes which were readily available. They managed to get six of them.
The others had waited long enough. So when the Cheetahs reached home, the welcome they received was not exactly the best.
"We have our meals at mid-day," said one Lion. "It is way past mid-day."
"And what is this that you have brought?" added another Lioness with disgust written all over her face.
The meat was sweet but insufficient, according to the Tigers. The rest did not mind the meat at all.
The Leopards brought zebra meat, which the Lions, Tigers and Cheetahs dismissed as very tough.
The Jaguars caught a giraffe, which was ruled out as having very long muscles, obviously making chewing a difficult thing.
The Pumas, after much sweating, managed to get two old buffaloes which were too bitter for the rest.
"How can you bring such old and rotten meat for a meal?" screamed one Lion in disgust. The complaint was echoed by all the rest, except the cats which didn't seem to mind the meat.
Finally the turn of the Cats came. Out they went determined to prove to the others that they were capable of doing something. But things were not that simple. After a rough day in which one of them was killed by a buffalo, the Cats finally came home very late in the evening.
"Rats!" screamed the Tigers. "Squirrels!" added the Leopards. All the others refused eat Cats' catch and that day they all went without food. Only the cats ate.
"What is the use of bringing good food when the others only serve rats, squirrels and rotten buffaloes?" asked one Lion.
The following day, the Lions, after several days of resting, were out again to hunt. "We might as well have our meal here and then go back and tell the others that we did not succeed," said one Lioness after they had caught some buffaloes. And that is what they exactly did. The game was on, it was everyone for himself.
Sooner than expected the family scattered into different parts of the forest. Only the Cats were left behind. They found it quite boring being alone and with no one to protect them. So they also left to go and look for a better place.
After many days of travelling, the Cats came to a house. "Let us go and ask for food there," said one hungry Cat.
As they were going to the house, they saw four rats running towards the house. Since they were hungry, they gave the mice a mighty chase. The mice entered the house and the Cats stopped outside wondering whether to go in or not.
Someone from the house screamed. "Get these ugly creatures out of this place!" The Cats moved in fast and gladly gobbled the rats. The owner of the house was happy.
"You have saved me from those filthy creatures which have been terrorizing my family. Ask anything that you want from me," she told the exhausted Cats.
The Cats all asked for shelter and food. Both were granted without any complains. Ever since then, Cats live with human beings while their elder brothers and sisters roam the forests in search of their food.


CHAMELEON'S DAUGHTER.

There was excitement throughout the animal kingdom. It was time for one of the greatest and most awaited occasions of the season: Wedding time.
"Let us see who you will marry this season," Mother Giraffe told her tall and handsome son. "Last season your sister got married to Elephant's son and the two of them are very happy together."
The procedure was simple. Each young male who had attained the age of marriage had to look for a suitable bride and propose to the bride. If the bride agreed then a meeting was to be arranged between the parents of the two. The meeting was to discuss and negotiate the dowry which had to be settled before the Wedding time. Each season there were about twenty animals being joined.
A young lion brushed his fur and combed his long mane. "I'll go for the most beautiful and attractive of all the females. One who has smooth skin, nice legs, white teeth and sparkling eyes," said the young excited lion to his amused mother.
"Listen carefully to me my son. Look for a female with a clean heart because a clean heart means a clean house, and most important of all, a clean heart means clean intentions. My son, beauty alone does not count," the lioness told her son.
The young lion looked at her mother and cheekily asked, "And who exactly do you have in mind, mother?"
"The most humble of all is Chameleon's daughter," replied the lioness who was interrupted by her son's thundering and irritating laughter.
The lioness was hurt and mumbled to herself, "These youngsters of nowadays know nothing about marriage."
The young lion was certainly not alone in his train of thought and dreams. All the other young males saw beauty as the only determining factor in choosing a partner in life. Hence spotted animals like leopardess, animals with beautiful fur like sheep, those with white small eyes like elephant were considered beautiful. No one wanted anything to do with Chameleons, Frogs or Lizards.
The big day was nearing. All the eligible males had already made their choice. One was allowed only one choice. Chameleon's daughter was sad. She was the only female without a partner.
"Mother you told me that I would get a partner. Why hasn't anyone come for me?" Chameleon's daughter asked with tears streaming down her cheeks. Even crocodile's son and python's son who had missed partners did not come to propose.
"Don't worry my dear, someone will come to propose to you. It always pays to be patient," Mother Chameleon consoled her sad and depressed daughter.
But no one came for her. The big wedding party was held and twenty animals exchanged vows. Only three eligible animals did not feature at all: Chameleon's daughter, Crocodile's son and python's son. These three had to wait till the following season to choose other partners.
Unfortunately the following season was the same for Chameleon's daughter. No one wanted to marry her.
"Her eyes are bigger than her feet," commented one young handsome and proud Fox. "She'll frighten the children at night," was the comment given by the big Elephant. Even her closest family friends did not spare her at all. "She'll never reach the market: far too slow for life," was the comment given by Frog's son.
Chameleon's daughter became sadder and more depressed as another year passed by without anyone coming to propose to her. Her parents were also worried by now as it now seemed evident that no one was going to marry their only child. As the days increased so did their worries.
Meanwhile the newly married couples started having their own share of problems. The beautiful ones were just that: beautiful. Most of them proved to be lazy, bad cooks, boastful and annoying to their husbands.
"You just spend all your time walking to and from the marked so that others can admire you. Who are you trying to attract now? You are already a mother of two and very married," a young leopard scolded his vixen wife, who was quite unmoved by the shouts.
Soon most young males started complaining to their about their wives. Only the ones who had married Frogs, Lizards and Tortoises were satisfied with their spouses. The rest were quite unhappy but there was nothing they could as the laws did not allow one to change a partner.
The following season, Chameleon and his wife were shocked to see a long queue of young unmarried male outside their house. They all wanted to have Chameleon's daughter as a partner in life. They had learnt from their elders.
All who wanted Chameleon's daughter were subjected to a very simple test. "What will you give our daughter in life?" was the question all were asked. Most gave funny answers like clothes, food, and a big house. They all failed. Only Tortoise's son passed the test. "I promise to give your daughter two things: happiness and myself."
So Tortoise’s son finally married Chameleon’s daughter. The two became the envy of many.


COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!

The sun blazed fiercely as silence engulfed the whole village. No one moved, nothing stirred. All was silent and peaceful, something which would make one think that the village was deserted.
Moments later, a roar was heard and life sprang into the animal kingdom. The roar was the alarm to wake everyone up. Like all the other days, the roar had come late.
Chief Lion stretched himself and moved out of his house. "My goodness! It is almost mid-day. Quickly gather all the other animals to the gardens," Buffalo was instructed.
Soon all the animals were out of the village, going to work on their gardens which were some distance from the village. They reached there and what a mess they saw. The birds of the forests had invaded their crops again. This was now becoming too much. At this rate, they would soon have no crops.
"Wow!" exclaimed Lion. "We seriously have to do something about this destruction before it is too late."
Leopard was also shocked. "Why not put someone as a guard to keep the birds away?" he asked.
"But this place is too big for one animal or even for a small group," said Zebra. "We all have to guard the place."
There was silence as each animal looked at the damage the birds had wrought. It was true, something had to be done - fast.
Elephant spoke, "I suggest we start work very early in the morning before the birds are up. We should also leave the gardens late in the evening. By this time, the birds will have fed somewhere else, surely not on our gardens."
"Good idea," said Lion. "From tomorrow, we all should be here before sunrise and leave in the evening. The mid-day meal shall be eaten here."
The animals then did their best to remedy all that the birds had made a mess of. It was a hard job, everyday repeating what you had done the previous day. Despite the depressing sight, all the animals worked harmoniously.
The following morning, however, no one woke up early enough. When the animals finally woke up, the sun was already high and the birds had already caused enough damage. The animals were sad.
"We need someone to wake us up every morning, otherwise we will continue with the same trend as before," said Hare sadly.
Hare's suggestion was considered and soon duties were allocated to all the animals. The first day was to be Hare's turn.
Come morning and no one had woken up, not even Hare himself. When he finally woke up, it was late. He went round waking the others who were still deep asleep. When they finally reached the gardens, all was a mess. The damage had been done.
"You have let us down, Hare," said Monkey. "When one is given a job to do, he should take it seriously." The other animals felt the same, now that they had somebody to blame for their lateness.
Naturally, Hare defended himself. "It was not my intention to let you down. Like everybody, I also like sleeping." Hare was right. All the animals loved their sleep dearly, and this was what was causing all the problems.
The days rolled by and no improvement was seen by the animals. Those on duty continued to oversleep and the birds of the forest also continued with their destruction.
"If this continues for one more week, then we shall have no crops left in the gardens. Our harvest will be nil," said Lion thoughtfully.
The next animal to be on duty was Hen. Her husband, Cock, told her, "Let me do this duty for you. I can't stand seeing you blamed for the misfortunes of our crops." Hen did not object, in fact she was relieved.
Throughout the night, Cock did not sleep. He was worried about letting the whole village down. He could not stomach the idea of going a whole season without a proper harvest. As the night wore on, Cock kept on tossing in bed, completely unable to sleep.
Finally he could bear it no longer. He went out and woke up Lion, whose first reaction was to complain that it was still too early to get out of bed. Cock, however, insisted so much that the Chief had no option but to wake up. Lion then gave one of his loud roars to wake up the rest.
"It is still dark," said Cheetah. "I am going back to sleep for some five more minutes." His wife could hear nothing of such. She forced him out of the house.
The animals all woke up complaining of the ungodly hour they had all been woken up. But soon the complains turned to compliments and Cock was widely congratulated for his commendable job. At last someone had succeeded where the others had failed.
For once the birds did not invade the gardens. The animals managed to work without the usual depressing mood. All were happy with what Cock had done.
"He ought to do this everyday," said Lion. "He is the only one who has proved trustworthy and mindful of others' welfare. Cock agreed to do it on a daily basis.
And so every morning, Cock would go and wake Lion who would in turn roar to wake up the others. This continued for some time when Lion thought it unnecessary for Cock to wake him up.
"All you have to do is to call out the animals and they will respond to your calls," Lion told him.
And ever since, Cocks always crow in the morning to wake up others just before the sun rises........ COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!!!!

THE HUNGRY HYENA.

Pangs of hunger interrupted the smooth sleep, which Hyena was having. He woke up, yawned mannerlessly and then clutched his stomach, which looked flatter than Monkey's head.
"I have never been so hungry in my life. The problem with food is that it is always available when I don't need it. Now that I need it, it is nowhere to be seen," Hyena grumbled to himself.
The hungry Hyena dragged his feet and slowly plodded out of his small hut to go and look for food. Just after stepping out of his hut, Hyena came across a dead rotting bird. He looked at it and sneered, "This is too small for me and furthermore it is unfit for animal consumption. I should look for something more substantial and appealing to my eyes."
The dead bird was kicked aside as Hyena went on looking for something, which would reduce his hunger considerably. Next he came across an egg; a large one and he didn't know whom it belonged to. "It looks like a Crocodile's egg to me, or it could be an Ostrich's egg," said Hyena while rolling the egg trying to decide what to do with it.
Hyena, however, decided to leave the egg alone, "Eggs are only good when one has a full stomach. Egg yolk washes down the food in one's intestine and gives one the satisfying feeling that one has really had a meal. I will come back for this when I am full." With those words he was off to search for something of more substance.
After leaving the egg, Hyena then spotted a squirrel and immediately darted for the kill. By now he was completely uncomfortable with his situation. He caught the squirrel quite easily as it looked like a squirrel, which could not run - it was lame.
"Although you are not very big, you will at least serve as a good breakfast," Hyena told the scared squirrel which could not stop squealing in pain.
The squirrel, despite the pain and risk of her life, decided to talk to Hyena. "You should be ashamed of yourself," she told Hyena who was shocked to be challenged by such a tiny creature. "An animal like you should be hunting animals like antelopes, gazelles and buffaloes, not dwarfs like me. There are bigger, fatter and juicer antelopes grazing just by the stream and here you are wasting your time with bones like me," the squirrel added hoping hard that Hyena would be taken in by the challenging and elaborate speech.
At the mention of the words `bigger', `fatter', and `juicer', Hyena released his grip on the squirrel and started off towards the pool. He did not want to miss the antelopes as he had done so many times before. Antelopes were among the sweetest animals in the forests, unfortunately they were also the most difficult ones to capture. Hyena took off, as he didn't want to miss the chance of capturing the fat, sweet and juicy antelopes.
Squirrel smiled to herself as she watched Hyena darting towards the stream. "That was a lame excuse," she muttered to herself. "It is good it fooled him. I didn't expect it to work, least of all on Hyena."
Hyena, as expected, went straight to the stream and there he saw some antelopes drinking water. He took his time as he planned how he was going to strike the six juicy and extremely fat antelopes in front of him. The more he thought the hungrier he became. Finally he could manage his hunger no longer and went straight towards the antelopes.
The well-fed and extremely fast antelopes saw the aggressor and immediately took off. Hyena picked on one antelope and decided to stick to it. There was no way he was going to stop the chase as his hunger was driving him.
The antelope being chased soon became tired and was about to collapse from exhaustion when Hyena gave up the chase. He had just spotted a herd of buffaloes and remembered that the last time he had eaten buffalo's meat, it had lasted him almost a full week. In that week, he had never bothered to hunt at all.
"If I can get only one buffalo, then my hunger will disappear for almost a month," Hyena said as he turned and channeled his remaining energy to the peaceful herd of buffaloes.
The buffaloes saw a cloud of dust coming towards them and wondered what it could be. Soon they realized that it was only Hyena. So the buffaloes snorted furiously, pawed the ground wildly and bellowed loudly enough to bring down even the mightiest of the trees in the forest.
Hyena heard the bellows and immediately came to a stop as he found himself face to face with five mighty and strong buffaloes. The buffaloes went for Hyena, tossed him around and laughed at poor Hyena as he flew from buffalo to buffalo.
The shaken Hyena got a chance and immediately took off from the herd of buffaloes who could not stop laughing. "Don't try to fly before you can crawl,” is all that Hyena kept on hearing over and over again as he sat down under a tree recovering from the shock and wounds he had sustained from the buffaloes.
Hunger now started clawing harder and deeper into Hyena's stomach. He went and looked around for the lame squirrel but he could not see her. The antelopes also were nowhere to be seen. Hyena then went to where he had left the egg and the dead bird but even those were not there.
So as the night wore on, Hyena curled himself under the big tree waiting for the lame squirrel to come that way. Hunger clawed harder and what had began as a hungry day had ended as an extremely hungrier one.