How It Came About That Osebo, the Leopard, and Adowa, the Antelope, Became Friends

We do not really mean, we do not really mean, (that what we are going to say is true).

OKUROTWIAMANSA (He-who-holds-the-nation-in-fear) was living there, and he said he would go in search of some one who would dislike him (and not be afraid to tell him so to his face). Among all the animals, not one was able to do so. Now, the little Adowa Antelope was living there; he said, “Father Leopard, what do you say about me and you becoming (open and confessed) enemies?” Osebo, the Leopard, said, “That is just what I want.” So they became (open and confessed) enemies. The Leopard tapped palm-wine. Off went the Antelope, drank the palm-wine, and became drunk; he could not rise up, and he lay underneath the palm-tree. In the cool of the evening, the Leopard said he would go and look at his property. When he went, the Adowa had drank his wine and was lying there drunk. The Leopard said, “Well, you are the one who says that you and I shall be open enemies; why, even Esono, the Elephant, could not be my open enemy, surely you are in for trouble.” Off went the Leopard and cut palm-leaves, and he wove a palm-leaf basket, and placed the Antelope in it; and took him, and carried him on his head. As he was coming and when he had reached about half-way, the Antelope became sober. He perceived that the Leopard was carrying him. The Antelope looked up, and a liana was hanging there. ‘The Adowa antelope snatched hold of it. Now speech and its omissions (i. e. I omitted to say something), some droppings of the Antelope were in the palm-leaf basket. The Leopard knew nothing of what was happening; and he carried him (as he thought) home. He said to his mother, “That senior of fools, the Antelope, he said he and I should become confessed enemies, so I have brought him; put palm-nuts on the fire.”—The mother of the Leopard said to her child, “The (palm-nut) soup is ready, so bring him that I may kill him.” When the Leopard looked in the basket (it was) empty. He had gone, and all that remained were his droppings. The Leopard said, “Mother, he has gone, and there remain his droppings; let us take them and put them into the soup.” So they put them in the soup, and finished all the (cooking) of the food; and they sat down to it. The little-old-woman put her finger in the soup and licked it. She said, “Oh, Kwadwo (for the Leopard’s birthday was a Monday), and this is only his droppings, what would his flesh not have tasted like; it would have been sweeter than tiger-nuts, therefore wherever he may rest, try and bring him.” And the Leopard set out for his palm-tree. As he was going, there lay the Adowa, drunk again. The Leopard said, “Oh, the first time if I made a fool of myself, now I shall go home to go and bring a box and return.” The Leopard went off home, took all his clothes (out of his box), put them down there, and he went off with the box and key to the palm-tree. He took the Antelope, placed it in the box, locked it, picked it up, and carried it off on his head. When he reached home, he said, “Mother, I have brought him; open the dampon (closed sleeping-room) door that I may put him inside.” The little-old-woman opened it, and he put him inside. Then the Leopard said to his mother, “I am going off to the Tall-grass-country to seek for onions, and salt, and ground ginger, and bring them, and we shall take the Adowa Antelope and make into a stew that we may eat.” The Leopard set out on his journey. Next morning, when things became visible, the little-old-woman was pounding palm-nuts, and when the Antelope put his eyes to a hole (in the door) he saw the old woman. The Duyker said, “Old-woman-grandmother, you are to be pitied; if you would open for me, I would do the pounding for you.” The old woman said, “You, Duyker, you will run away.” The Duyker replied, “May (the lesser-gods) Aserampon, and Ta’ Kese, and Dwomo, and Apeya, and Konkroma, and Ta’ Kora, and Krakye Dente, kill me, were I to run away when you open to me. Even if you wish, close all the doors.” The old woman said, “I have heard.” She closed the doors, and opened (the door of the room where) the Duyker was. The Duyker came, held the pestle, and pounded the palm-nuts. The little-old-woman was about to stoop down to take something from the ground, when the Duyker took the pestle and hit the back of her head, pe! and she died. The Duyker flayed off her skin, and covered himself with it, and cut up her flesh and put it on the fire. Not long after, Kwadwo arrived. The Duyker said, “Why have you delayed so long like this? I have opened (the door) for the Duyker and killed him, here even is his flesh on the fire.” The Leopard said, “Well done, Apeafo.” He, too, took the things which he had brought, and put them into the soup-stew. They had finished cooking; when they went and sat down to eat it, the Leopard took a bone. When he crunched it, and it went pu! pu! The Duyker mumbled in his nose, saying, “That is your mother’s bone you are crunching.” The Leopard said, “What’s that you say?” The Duyker replied, “I (only) said that this Duyker was rather old; his bones are hard.” The Leopard said, “That’s so, even I can hardly break them.” Now the Leopard scooped the stew into his mouth, making a noise like feao! feao! The Duyker said, “Ah, that’s soup-stew made from your mother’s head that you are splashing (into your mouth). The Leopard said, “What’s that you say? ’? The Duyker replied, “I was calling to mind, that even his droppings (we thought were tasty), as for his flesh, have you seen its deliciousness? ’? The Leopard said, “It is quite, quite, quite unnecessary even to say so.” Now, they had finished eating. The Duyker swept up the house there; he said to the Leopard, “I am going to throw the sweepings on to the midden-heap.” The Leopard said, “Go, then, what have I to do with it, am I a woman?” The Duyker reached the midden-heap. He said, “Ho there, Leopard! Ho there, Leopard! if you were not a fool, if you were not a beast, would I have killed your mother and made her into a soup-stew for you to eat?” The Leopard said, “Shall I find you (still standing there, if I come to you)?” The Duyker said, “You will even pass me.” The Leopard ran, yiridi! yiridi! (was the sound of his feet), and the Duyker, too, began to run, prada! prada! prada! The Duyker reached his home, and disappeared into his room. When he had built (the house), he had not left any way in, with the exception of one way which he had constructed. When the Duyker entered, he shut his door, bam! Now, look as the Leopard would, he did not see the way at all by which the Duyker had passed on going in. The Leopard went off and summoned all the animals, saying, “Come, and let us go and catch the Duyker for me, for such a fool has he made of me, that I cannot even tell you all the news until you have caught him for me.” All the animals came there to the Duyker’s house. When the Duyker heard that the animals had come to his house there to catch him, he took red peppers, salt, and onions, and ground them, and put them down there. Now all the animals were standing about. This one looked in that one’s face. Then Kusie, the Rat, said, “There is Kwakuo, the Monkey, and he has a long tail, so make him climb up first, and we can use his tail and get into the house.” Kwakuo, the Monkey, set about it, kra! kra! kra! and up he climbed. He sat on top of the house, but no sooner did he bend down his eyes to look for the Duyker, than the Duyker took the peppers which he had mashed, put them in his mouth, and spat them out into the Monkey’s eyes. Then the Monkey let go and fell down. The animals came and saw that something was in his eyes. One touched some of it, and licked his fingers. He said, “Oh, friends, come (and see) what Kwakuo has gone and brought.” All the animals came. They licked, and licked, and licked. That is why Kwakuo, the Monkey, has such deep-set eyes. Now they said, “Kokotee (Bush-pig), as for you, you are always digging, nuntun! nuntun! so you will be able to go to the house there.” When the Duyker heard that, he went and sharpened his knife, putting on a very sharp edge. The Bush-pig dug and dug, and its snout appeared inside the house there. Then the Duyker took his knife, laid it on the Bush-pig’s mouth, and was cutting. The Bush-pig said, “Oh, Bush-pig Asamoa, he is cutting my mouth.” The animals who were standing behind him (and could not hear distinctly what he said) said, “Well done, Apeafo; press your eyes, and bring him out.” Kokotee, the Bush-pig, withdrew his head; he and his mouth were bloody. When the animals saw that Kokotee Asamoa’s, the Bush-pig’s, mouth had been cut, they came away from that place, and yii! (was the sound of their stampede). That is how the Bush-pig got a blunt snout. Now, when the beasts had fled, Osebo, the Leopard, did not see what he could do. He declared, “Anyhow, I shall go nowhere else; here I remain for ever, until I die, unless I kill Adowa, the Duyker.” When Adowa heard that, then he took the skin of (the Leopard’s) mother and wrapped his body in it, and climbed up the house and descended at the back. Then he went there to the Leopard. He said, “Oh, Kwadwo, what has made you thin like this; why distress yourself about a Duyker? Let us go home and set our place in order, and come back.” They set out for home. The Duyker said to the Leopard, “Take out all your heirlooms and give them to me, and I shall keep them for you.” The Leopard said, “That’s not a bad idea.” Then he got out all his things and gave them to the Duyker. No sooner had the Duyker laid hands on them, and put them (safely) away, than he went and stood somewhere. He said, “Ho there, Leopard!” He replied, “Yes, brother, yes!” He said, “If you were not a fool, if you were not a beast, could I have killed your mother and made her into a soup-stew for you to eat? Now again I have lured you and taken all your heirlooms.” The Leopard said, “Will I encounter you there (if I come)?” The Duyker said, “You will even pass me.” Then the Leopard flew (at him), kiri! kiri! kiri! but the Duyker also bounded off. He went and entered his house and shut the door, bam! Now the Leopard stood there, his chest becoming choked; and his tail swished from side to side (making a sound like) fre! fre! fre! He couldn’t find a word to say. At length he said to the Duyker, “I speak the forbidden name of Thursday, that you must come, and we shall make friends.” The Duyker said, “I shall not come, however much you want, unless you arrange for us to drink the gods.” The Leopard said, “I agree, then I shall never be able to do anything to you.” The Duyker came to drink the gods with the Leopard. The Duyker said to him, “Never catch me; if you come across me, and if I am caught in a trap, set me free.’” The Leopard said, “I have heard.” And the Leopard also spoke, saying, “Even on the path which you will take, I shall take my hand, and scratch upon it, so that you may perceive that I and you have not any cause of quarrel between us.” That is why, when any Leopard is about, he does not catch the Duyker. Moreover, when a trap has caught the Duyker, he (the Leopard) goes and sets him free.

This, my story, which I have related, if it be sweet, (or) if it be not sweet, take some elsewhere, and let some come back to me.