The Bees and the Tortoise

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Bambara, Mali

The Bees had made a new drum. Bees love dancing, as everyone knows, and that day they danced and hummed for hours to their new, well-strung drum. Of course, all the other animals heard the noise coming from the bees' hive and they came there hoping to be invited to join in; but the bees kept their celebration all to themselves. The lion, the elephant, the leopard, the hartebeest, the buffalo, the antelope, the hog, and even the tortoise were there.

After listening for a while, the animals grew so fond of the sound of the new drum that they decided to steal it. The lion tried first but he was stung by a hundred bees and had to run away. All the animals tried but none of them succeeded in stealing the drum.

Then, at last, the tortoise offered to try. They all laughed heartily, but the tortoise went into the hive and told the bees that he was a master drummer. He played beautifully after the bees had given him permission to drum for a little while. Suddenly the drum disappeared. The clever tortoise had hidden it under his shell.

Then he excused himself and walked quietly away. The bees tried to sting him but to no avail – he was too well protected. That was why he had the confidence to try when everyone else had failed.

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