African Folktales (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) by Abrahams Roger

Author:Abrahams, Roger [Abrahams, Roger]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3
ISBN: 9780307803191
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2011-08-02T16:00:00+00:00

Hlakanyana met a boy tending some goats. The boy had a digging stick with him. Hlakanyana proposed that they should hunt birds, and the boy agreed. They ran after birds the whole day.

In the evening, when the sun set, Hlakanyana said: “It is time now to roast our birds.”

The place was on the bank of a river, so they decided to swim before they ate.

Hlakanyana said: “Let’s dive in and see who can stay under longest.”

Hlakanyana came up last. Then the cunning fellow said: “Let us try once more.”

The boy agreed and they dove into the water again. This time Hlakanyana came up quickly and climbed out, and ate all the birds. He only left the heads. Then he dove back into the water. While he was still under, the boy came out.

When Hlakanyana had also emerged, he said: “Let us go now and eat our birds.” But they found only the heads.

Hlakanyana said: “You have eaten them, because you came out of the water first, and you have left me the heads only.”

The boy denied having done so, but Hlakanyana said: “You must pay for my birds with that digging stick.”

So the boy gave him the digging stick, and Hlakanyana went on his way.

He saw some people making pots of clay, and he said to them: “Why don’t you ask me to lend you this digging stick, instead of digging with your hands?”

They said: “Well, lend it to us.”

Hlakanyana lent them the digging stick, and the first time they stuck it in the clay it broke.

He said: “You have broken my digging stick, the digging stick that I received from my companion, my companion who ate my birds and left me with the heads.”

So they gave him a pot.

Hlakanyana carried the pot till he came to some boys who were herding goats. He said to them: “You foolish boys, you only watch the goats, but you don’t milk them. Why don’t you ask me to lend you this pot to milk them into?”

The boys said: “Well, lend it to us.”

Hlakanyana lent them the pot. While the boys were milking, the pot broke.

Hlakanyana said: “You have broken my pot, the pot that I received from the people who make pots, the people who broke my digging stick, the digging stick that I received from my companion, my companion who ate my birds and left me with the heads.”

The boys gave him a goat.

Hlakanyana came to the keepers of calves.

He said to them: “You foolish fellows, you sit here and drink nothing. Why don’t you ask me to let you milk this goat and then you can drink?”

The keepers of the calves said: “Well, let us milk this goat.”

Hlakanyana gave them the goat. While they were milking it, the goat died.

Hlakanyana said: “You have killed my goat, the goat that I received from the boys that were tending goats, the boys that broke my pot, the pot that I received from the people who make pots, the people who broke my

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