Reading Notes: Stories from Congo, Part B

(African leopard; source: Wikipedia)

Plot:

• There once lived a man who was unable to feed himself and his two wives who refused to work. One day, an idea struck him and he went to cut palm-kernels.
• He offered the palm-nuts to a leopard who then assured him that he would have no want of meat for himself and his wives if he promised to give him, and only him, palm-nuts regularly.
• The man then went to a crocodile and offered him some palm-nuts. The crocodile told the man that he would bring him and his wives fish everyday if the man gave him, and only him, palm-nuts often.
• The leopard and crocodile upheld their promise for a long time but eventually, they grew tired of palm-nuts and requested the man to bring them a dog. The man, not wanting to lose his dogs, devised a plan.
• He told the leopard and crocodile separately that a dog would be waiting for them if they went to a certain place. Both animals reached the location and assuming the other was a dog (for they had never seen a dog before), fought to the death. In this way the man was rid of both animals.

Characters:

• Man - clever for making a deal with the animals, betrayed them both in the end by playing a trick on them
• Leopard - faithfully upheld his end of the deal, fell victim to his own ignorance
• Crocodile - faithfully upheld his end of the deal, fell victim to his own ignorance

Bibliography. Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).