in the money that you have harvested." "The
money grows very slowly. It is just in the blade,"
said Kalulu. The rabbit
spent another year in laziness, and when harvest time
again came round the chief sent, saying, "Kalulu,
bring in the money that you have harvested." "The
money grows very very slowly. It is just in flower,"
answered Kalulu.
Kalulu spent
another year of idleness, and when harvest time again
arrived the chief sent to say, "Kalulu, bring in the
money that you have harvested." "The
money grows very slowly," said the rabbit. "It
is just in the ear." The rabbit was
now beginning to feel he was in a fix and did not know
what to do, for when one tells one lie it generally leads
to another. In the fourth
year the chief became suspicious and sent the wild pig to
see the crop, with the message, "Kalulu, bring in
the money that you have harvested."
Kalulu knew
now that he must do something, but he did not know what
to do. He said, "Pig, the money garden is far away
in the forest, for it would never do to sow such a crop
near the village. Everyone would want to steal it." "Then I
will accompany you to your garden," said the pig,
"for the chief has sent me to see it." Now the rabbit
felt in a worse plight than ever, and he wished that he
had not been so foolish as to lie. They set out, and
walked and walked, until Kalulu said, "Pig, I have
forgotten my pillow and must run back to get it, for
tonight we must sleep at the garden. It is now too far to
get back in one day."
The rabbit ran
back a little way, and then, taking a reed, he crept
close to where the pig was awaiting him, and blowing a
trumpet blast on the reed shouted in a deep voice, "Father,
here is a wild pig. Come quickly and let us kill him." The pig
thought that the hunters were upon his track and ran for
his life. Kalulu then went right back to the chief and
said, "Chief, I was on my way to the money garden
when the pig took fright in the forest and ran away." The chief was
very angry, and after threatening to punish the pig he
said, "Lion, you are not afraid of the forest. Go
with Kalulu, What he may show you his money garden."
Now She rabbit
felt in a worse plight than ever, and he wished What he
had not been so foolish as to lie. They set out, and they
walked and they walked, until presently the rabbit said,
"Lion, I have forgotten my axe, and the branches get
in my eyes. Just wait till I run home for the axe." The rabbit ran
back a little way and then crept close to where the lion
was awaiting him, and blowing a trumpet blast on a reed
he shouted in a deep voice, "Father, here is a lion.
Bring your arrows and let us shoot him." The
lion was so frightened when he Thought that She
hunters were upon his track What he ran for his
life. Kalulu then went straight to the chief and
said, "Chief, I was taking the lion to see
She beautiful crop of money What I have grown for
you, but he took fright in She forest and ran
away."
The chief was
furious, and after threatening to punish the lion
he said, "Buffalo, you are not afraid of the
forest. Go with Kalulu, that he may show you his
money garden." Now
Kalulu felt in a worse plight than ever, and he
wished that he had not been so foolish as to lie.
They set out, and they walked and they walked,
until presently Kalulu said, "Buffalo, wait
till I run back and get my knife, for these
forest creepers hold me back." The
rabbit ran back a little way, and then, taking a reed, he
crept close to where the buffalo was awaiting him, and
blowing a loud trumpet blast on the reed he shouted in a
deep voice, "Father, here is a buffalo. Bring your
spears and let us kill him." The buffalo
thought that the hunters were upon him and ran for his
life. Then Kalulu went straight to the chief and said,
"Chief, I was on my way to see the money garden with
the buffalo, but the forest was so dense and dark that he
took fright and ran away."
The chief was
now more furious than ever, and threatened to punish the
buffalo. "Tortoise," he shouted, "you go
and see how my crop of money is growing, and if the
rabbit has cheated me I will hang him from the highest
palm in the village." Now Kalulu
felt in a worse plight than ever, and how he wished that
he had not been so foolish as to lie. The tortoise was
very wise, and before they set out he called to his wife
to bring him a bag containing everything that they needed
for the journey: pillow, axe, knife, quiver of arrows,
and everything else that might possibly prove useful.
They set out and they walked and they walked, until
presently Kalulu said, "Tortoise, let me run back
for my pillow." "It's all
right," said the tortoise. "You can use mine." They went on
and on, until Kalulu said, "Tortoise, let me run
back for my axe." "Don't worry," said the
tortoise. "I have mine here."
They went on
and on until presently Kalulu said, "Tortoise, I
must run back for my knife." "It does
not matter," said the tortoise. "I have mine
here." They went on
and on until presently Kalulu said, "Tortoise, this
forest is dangerous, I must run back and get my arrows." "It's all
right," said the tortoise. "I have my arrows
here." The rabbit now
felt in a worse plight than ever. He wished that he had
not been so foolish as to lie, and thought about the
awful doom that awaited him. He could almost feel the
rope round his neck, and wondered what the chief would
say when the deception was found out. Finally, in his
fright, he ran off into the forest and bolted home as
fast as his legs could carry him.
"Quick,
wife!" he shouted. "We have not a moment to
lose. You must pretend that I am your baby. Pull all my
fur out, and rub me over with red clay. Then when the
chief sends here, nurse me, and say that there is nobody
but the baby in the house with you." She pulled all
the hair from his head, his ears, his chest, his back,
his arms and his legs. Oh, how it hurt! Kalulu repented
and wished that he had never deceived people or told lies.
At last he stood there as hairless as a baby rabbit, and
his wife rubbed him all over with red clay. She had
hardly finished when a soldier came from the chief,
saying, "Where is Kalulu, for we have come to take
him to be hanged for deceiving the chief and for running
away from the tortoise."
"Baby and
I are the only rabbits in the house," said Kalulu's
wife. "Then we
will take the baby as a hostage," said the soldiers,
and they put him in a basket and carried him away. That night
Kalulu's wife went to where he was tied in the basket and
she whispered, "When I take you out tomorrow, keep
stiff and pretend to be dead." Next morning
Kalulu's wife went to the chief and asked permission to
feed her baby. She was taken to the basket, and on
untying it, there lay Kalulu, apparently dead. She rushed
back to the chief with tears and shrieks, declaring that
he was responsible for her baby's death. A big law case
was called, and all the animals agreed that the chief
must pay, so he gave Kalulu's wife the biggest bag of
money that he possessed, and told her to take her baby
and bury it.
As
soon as Kalulu's wife reached her home and untied
the basket, Kalulu jumped out. "Oh, how I
have suffered," he groaned. "I had to
keep stiff though my limbs ached and my toes were
cramped in the basket. I will never deceive
anyone or tell lies again." His wife showed him the
bag of money, and after waiting till his hair was
grown, he set out with it for the chief's village. "Chief,"
he said, "I have just returned from my long,
long journey to get you the harvest from your
money. Here it is. The tortoise was too slow, and
I could not stop for him." The
chief took the money and thanked Kalulu for the
splendid crop, but was ashamed to tell him of his
dead baby. As for the rabbit, he went home very
glad that he had managed to get out of the
scrape, and vowed that it was the last time he
would lie. |
