The Tortoise Goes on a Journey

Yaounde, Cameroon

One day, the tortoise set out to Mebenga-land; there, he wanted to ask for the hand of Zameo's daughter. When he arrived after several days' travelling, he learned that Zameo had died. He called at the men's hall and met Zameo's brothers and sons. They told him, "You may marry our niece, on condition that you get Zameo's personal consent." That was an impossible condition, as they well knew, but few men are keen to marry their nieces and sisters to foreigners. Nevertheless, tortoise accepted but asked for three days' delay.

He went to his expert diviner, Nzozoli, who told him, "Brother tortoise, whenever on your trip someone comes up to you, give him food." The tortoise started out and soon he came to a forest. There, he met a rat. "What are you doing in this lonely forest, brother rat?"

"Brother tortoise, how can you ask such a question. Since yesterday, I have had nothing to eat." The tortoise picked the rat up and put him in his travelbag, which he had filled with bread before he left. "There, you stay in there, and eat what you find in it." The tortoise walked on, while the rat was busy nibbling in his food-bag.

On a branch he saw a swallow and asked her what she was doing there.

"Dear brother tortoise, I have had nothing to eat all day."

"Here, come and sit in my food-bag. You may eat what you find in it." The swallow joined the rat inside the bag. After a long journey they arrived in the land of Mebenga. There, the clansmen of Zameo took the tortoise to the old chief's grave.

"Now make chief Zameo speak to us," they said. The tortoise had previously released the rat from his bag, and given him detailed instructions. The rat ran in front, invisible in the tall grass, and hid in a hole which a fellow-rat had dug into the chief's grave. "Chief Zameo," the tortoise called out aloud. "Do I have your permission to marry your daughter?" From the grave there came a soft voice, "Yes, brother tortoise. I, Zameo, give you my daughter."

All the men were astonished, but they concealed their surprise. "You must pass one further test," they said. "Take a piece of earth and throw it up into the air. If it falls down, you may not marry Zameo's daughter." Another impossible task, of course, but the tortoise was prepared for it. He took the swallow out of his food-bag, then knelt down and pretended to scrape up some earth from the ground. Meanwhile, he whispered to the swallow, "Fly up and don't come down again." With that he released her. The swallow rose up into the air until she was well out of sight.

The clansmen finally consented, and the tortoise was allowed to take his bride home with him. Alas! On the way, the leopard found them and picking up the bride he ran away with her to his compound. The tortoise followed him, quickly surveyed the situation, dug a trap, and waited. In a few moments, the leopard appeared, tied his door carefully, and walked along the path. He fell into the trap. Why? Because the tortoise had dug it on the path to the latrine.

Learn from this. Always be prepared for adversity.

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