The Pig’s search for a Grinding Stone

Here is a story of the tortoise and the pig, two travelling traders. They bought, they journeyed to other markets and they sold what they had bought. But although their activities were the same, they were not equally successful. The pig became rich, while the tortoise grew poor.

Finally the tortoise planned to run away in order to escape from the men to whom he owed money. But the tortoise’s wife had a better idea and she went to see the pig. She told him all about her husband’s troubles.

“Please help us,” begged the tortoise’s wife.

The pig made enquiries and he discovered that what the tortoise’s wife had told him was true. So he lent the tortoise a large sum of money. That night the tortoise and his wife celebrated. The next day they went to the pig to thank him and it was agreed that the money should be returned after twelve months had passed.

The tortoise and his wife bought much food and clothing. They decided that instead of risking failure in their trading they would farm.

“The money from the sale of the crop on the farm,” said the tortoise’s wife, “will be enough to repay the pig.”

But the tortoise was lazy. For months he did nothing. Every day his wife asked when he would start farming and every day the tortoise replied that he would start at some future date. Every day, however, the tortoise would pass the time sitting and talking with his friends and buying coloured cloths and many sweet things to eat and drink.

The end of the twelve months came and there was no farm. Nearly all the borrowed money was gone. The pig sent a servant to ask the tortoise to bring the money, but the tortoise sent back a message saying he was too ill to come. Shortly afterwards the tortoise was cutting firewood when the pig unexpectedly arrived. The pig said he was surprised that the tortoise’s recovery from illness had been so rapid. The tortoise replied that the servant must have given the wrong message. He was too busy, not too ill, to come.

“Very well,” said the pig. “But it is now time for you to repay me my money.”

“I have all but one fraction of the money at the moment,” the tortoise lied. “You will be repaid when I have the full amount.”

“I would be pleased to have all but that fraction now,” said the pig.

“Wait until tomorrow,” the tortoise insisted. “I have some maize which I shall sell in the market.”

The pig agreed and returned to his house, while the tortoise and his wife planned how they might solve their difficulties.

The next day the pig reappeared. He was angry that the tortoise had not come to him already with the money. The tortoise quickly lay on his back with a small stone on his chest so that he looked like a grinding stone.

When the pig entered the tortoise’s house he saw only the tortoise’s wife. She said that her husband had gone out and she did not know when he might be back.

With a cry of anger, the pig seized what he thought was a grinding stone and threw it away into the forest as far as it would go. He did not bother to see where it landed. He did not know he had thrown away the tortoise.

Immediately the tortoise’s wife began to shout and cry.

“This pig has thrown away my grinding stone,” she complained in a loud voice. A crowd of villagers gathered. The tortoise then joined the crowd, pretending that he had just returned from a short walk.

“That grinding stone was a very special one,” said the tortoise to the pig. “It cost me the amount of money you lent to me. Until you find my grinding stone I cannot repay the money you lent me.”

The pig hurried off to the forest but of course he could not find what he was looking for. He looked everywhere. He dug in the ground with his snout. He has been breaking ground and searching ever since.