The One-legged Man and the Tortoise

There was a tortoise who lived near a certain village where the people were very prosperous, but he was not very well off himself. The tortoise planned how he would steal food from the prosperous villagers.

First, he killed a giant rat, and used its skin for making a drum and the bones for making flutes.

When the tortoise had finished making his drum and his flutes, he called his friends from the village to come for a feast. They came at night when the moon was high and round. When they had arrived, the tortoise gave them food, and then gathering them in the courtyard of his compound he started to play his drum. Whilst he himself played his drum, his children played the flutes. At the sound of the drum and flutes the villagers began to dance, for they could not help themselves. They danced until they were exhausted, and even then they danced until they lost their senses. As the dawn was breaking, the tortoise told the villagers to go home, and as they left they thanked the tortoise for his kindness.

After two weeks, the tortoise found that he and his family had no more food to eat.

“Now is the time,” the tortoise said to his wife, “to prove the trick which I have planned.”

The tortoise and his wife took the drum and the flutes and went to the prosperous village where there was plenty of food. They hid among high grasses and bushes not far from the village well, but where the people could not see them. When evening came, the tortoise started to make music with his drum and there was also the sound of flutes.

When the people heard the drumming they left their work. They left whatever they were doing. They left their food and started to dance. While they were dancing the tortoise told his wife and family to go into the empty houses and take away as much food as they could. Then the tortoise and his family hurried away in the darkness.

After the drumming and dancing was over, the village people found that much of their food had gone, and so they were hungry.

Again and again the tortoise would come to the village at evening time and play his music. Again and again the people could not resist the sound of the drumming and they left everything in order to dance. Each time the tortoise and his family would steal what food the villagers had collected.

The people went to their king, and told him what was happening to them, complaining that they were losing their food.

“Please give us help to find out the trouble and rid us of it,” the people begged, “otherwise we shall all have to run away and leave your village.”

The king called to his palace all his councillors and the important men of the village and they discussed ways in which they might find out who was doing the drumming. They chose a powerful wizard to find out for them, but the next night, when the drumming started and the wizard went towards the sound to find out who was responsible, he too was caught by the music and started to dance. Meanwhile, the tortoise’s family were carrying away the food of the village.

The king again called to his palace all his councillors and the important men of the village. He also called everyone else in the village to come.

“I will give one hundred pounds,” the king declared, “to the man who finds out who is drumming and stealing our food.”

After he had spoken those words, a one-legged man, leaning on a piece of stick, came slowly forward until he was in front of the king.

“May your life be long,” the one-legged man said to the king. “I will find out who is drumming and stealing the food.”

At the sight of the one-legged man offering to try for the reward, many people laughed and many said he was foolish. But the one-legged man again asked for permission to try, and the king agreed.

“I wish you success in trying to find out who is drumming and stealing our food,” said the king. “I order you to try.”

On that same night the tortoise came again to the village. Again he played his drum, and while the people danced his family began stealing the food. Only the one-legged man did not dance. He heard the music and he wanted to dance, but with only one leg he could not. Therefore he went into the tall grass, where he saw the tortoise drumming. After this he went into the houses, where he saw the family of the tortoise carrying away the food.

The next day the one-legged man went to the palace to see the king.

“May your life be long,” he said to the king. “I have found out who is drumming and stealing your food.”

“Speak,” ordered the king. “Tell us who is causing us this great trouble.”

“The tortoise,” said the one-legged man.

When they heard the news, the villagers were filled with wonder at the trick which the tortoise had played on them. They rushed, all of them, to the tortoise’s house and drove him and his family away. They drove them so far away that the tortoise could never return.

“My villagers and I are grateful for your help,” said the king to the one-legged man.

The king gave the man the hundred pounds which had been promised as a reward. The man was overjoyed. He built himself a house and a compound in that village and he sent for his family to live with him. He had many sons and they made many farms. He became a councillor to the king and he gave wisdom to the village for the rest of his long life.