The Partnership of the Elephant and the Rabbit

Once upon a time a rabbit and an elephant, coming from different ways, met on a road one day, and being old friends, stopped to greet one another, and chat about the weather and the crops, and to exchange opinions about trade. Finally the rabbit proposed that the elephant should join him in a partnership to go on a little trading trip to some shepherds, “Because,” said he, “I hear there are some good chances to make profit among them. Cloth, I am told, is very scarce there, and I think we might find a good bargain awaiting us.”

The elephant was delighted and accepted the offer of his little friend. Two bales of goods were prepared for the journey.

They set out on good terms with each other, and the rabbit, with his many experiences, amused the elephant greatly. By and by the friends arrived at a river, and the elephant, to whom the water was agreeable, stepped in to cross it, but halted on hearing the rabbit exclaim:

“Why, elephant, you surely are not going to cross without me? Are we not partners?”

“Of course we are partners, but I did not agree to carry you or your pack. Why don’t you step right in? The water is not deep, it scarcely covers my feet.”

“But, you stupid fellow,” said the rabbit, “can you not see that what will scarcely cover your feet is more than enough to drown me, and I can’t swim a bit; and, besides, if I get my fur wet I shall catch the ague, and how ever am I to carry my pack across?”

“Well, I cannot help that,” replied the elephant. “It was you who proposed to take the journey, and I thought a wise fellow like you would have known that there were rivers running across the road, and that you knew what to do. If you cannot travel, then good-by. I cannot stop here all day,” and the elephant walked on across to the other side.

“Surly rascal,” muttered the rabbit. “All right, my big friend, I will pay you for it some time.”

Not far off, however, the rabbit found a log, and after placing his pack on it, he paddled himself over, and reached the other bank safely; but to his grief he found out that his bale had been wetted and damaged.

The rabbit wiped the water off as much as possible, and resumed the journey with the elephant, which had looked carelessly on the efforts of his friend to cross the river.

Fortunately for the rabbit, there were no more wide streams to be crossed. The journey did not present such difficulties, and they arrived in due time among the shepherds.

Now at a trade the elephant was not to be compared with the rabbit, for he could not talk so pleasantly as the rabbit, and he was not at all sociable. The rabbit went among the women, and laughed and joked with them, and said so many funny things, that they were delighted with him, and when at last the question came up, a chief’s wife was so kind to him that she gave a mighty fine cow in exchange for his little bale of cloth.

The elephant, in the meantime, went among the men, and simply told them that he had come to buy cattle with cloth. The shepherds did not like his appearance or his manner, and said they had no cattle to sell, but if he cared to have it, they would give a year-old heifer for his bale. Though the elephant’s bale was a very heavy one, and many times more valuable than the rabbit’s, yet as he was so gruff and ugly, he was at last obliged to be satisfied with the little heifer.

Just as they had left the shepherds to return home, the elephant said to the rabbit, “Now mind, should we meet any one on the road, and be asked whose cattle these are, I wish you to oblige me by saying that they are mine, because I should not like people to believe that I am not as good a trader as you are. They will also be afraid to touch them if they know they belong to me; but if they hear they belong to you, every fellow will think he has as good a right to them as you have, and you dare not protect your property.”

“Very well,” replied the rabbit, “I quite understand.”

In a little while, as the rabbit and the elephant drove their cattle along, they met many people coming from market, who stopped and admired them, and said, “Ah, what a fine cow is that! to whom does it belong?”

“It belongs to me,” answered the thin voice of the rabbit. “The little one belongs to that big elephant.”

“Very fine indeed. A good cow that,” replied the people, and passed on.

Vexed and annoyed, the elephant cried angrily to the rabbit, “Why did you not answer as I told you? Now mind, do as I tell you at the next meeting with strangers.”

“Very well,” answered the rabbit, “I will try and remember.”

By and by they met another party going home with fowls and palm wine, who, when they came up, said, “Ah, that is a fine beast, and in prime order. Whose is it?”

“It is mine,” quickly replied the rabbit, “and the little scabby heifer belongs to the elephant.”

The answer enraged the elephant, who said, “What an obstinate little dunce you are! Did you not hear me ask you to say it was mine? Now, remember, you are to say so next time, or I leave you to find your own way home, because I know you are a horrible little coward.”

“Very well, I’ll try to think of it next time,” replied the rabbit in a meek voice.

In a short time they met another crowd of people who stopped when opposite to them and said, “Really, that is an exceedingly fine cow. To which of you does it belong?”

“It is mine. I bought it from the shepherds,” replied the rabbit.

The elephant was so angry this time that he broke away from the rabbit and drove his little heifer by another road. To the animals in the forest he remarked that a fine fat cow was being driven by the cowardly little rabbit along the other road. He did this out of mere spite, hoping that some one of them would be tempted to take it by force from the rabbit.

Giving away the Secret

But the rabbit was wise. He had seen the spite in the elephant’s face as he went off, and was sure that he would play him some unkind trick; and, as night was falling and his home was far, and he knew that there were many vagabonds lying in wait to rob poor travelers, the rabbit knew that if his wit failed to save him he would be in great danger.

True enough, it was not long before a big blustering lion rose from the side of the road, and cried out, “Hello, you there. Where are you going with that cow? Come, speak out.”

“Ah, is that you, lion?” said the rabbit. “I am taking it to Mugassa (the deity), who is about to give a feast to all his friends, and he told me particularly to invite you to share it, if I should meet you.”

“Eh? What? To Mugassa?” inquired the lion. “Oh, well, I am proud to have met you, rabbit. As I am not otherwise engaged I will accompany you, because every one considers it an honor to wait upon Mugassa.”

They proceeded a little further, and a bouncing buffalo came up and bellowed fiercely, “You, rabbit, stop,” said he. “Where are you taking that cow?”

“I am taking it to Mugassa, don’t you know? How would a little fellow like me have the courage to go so far from home if it were not that I am in the service of Mugassa? I am charged also to tell you, buffalo, that if you like to join in the feast Mugassa is about to give, he will be glad to have you as a guest.”

Where are you going with that Cow?

“Oh, well, that is good news indeed,” said the buffalo. “I will come along now, rabbit, and am very glad to have met you. How do you do, lion?”

A short distance off the party met a huge rogue elephant, which stood in the middle of the road, and in a tone which required a quick answer, demanded to know where the cow was being taken.

“Now, elephant, get out of the way,” said the rabbit. “This cow is being taken to Mugassa, who will be angry with you if I am delayed. Have you not heard of the feast he is about to give? By the bye, as you are one of the guests, you might as well help me to drive this cow, and let me get on your back, for I am dreadfully tired.”

“Why, that’s grand,” said the elephant. “I shall be delighted to feast with Mugassa, and—come, get on my back. I will carry you with pleasure. And, rabbit,” whispered the elephant, as he lifted him by his trunk, “don’t forget to speak a good word for me to Mugassa.”

All going along to the feast

Soon a leopard and then a hyena were met, but seeing such a powerful crowd behind the cow, they became very calm, and were invited to accompany the rabbit’s party to Mugassa’s feast.

It was quite dark by the time they arrived at the rabbit’s village. At the gate stood two dogs which were the rabbit’s chums, and they barked furiously; but hearing their friend’s voice, they came up and welcomed the rabbit.

The party halted, and the rabbit, after reaching the ground, whispered to the dogs how affairs stood, and the dogs wagged their tails approvingly, and yauped with fun as they heard of the rabbit’s wit. It did not take long for the dogs to understand what was required of them, and one of them returned with a pretended message from the great Mugassa.

“Well, my friends, do you hear what Mugassa says?” cried the rabbit, with a voice of importance.

“The dogs are to lay mats inside the village by the gate, and the cow is to be killed, and the meat prepared nicely and laid on the mats. And when this is done, Mugassa himself will come and give each his portion. He says that you are all very welcome.

“Now listen to me before I go in to Mugassa, and I will show you how you can all help to hurry the feast, for I am sure you are all anxious to begin.

“You, hyena, must kill the cow, and dress the meat and the dogs will carry it in and lay it on the mats; but remember, if a bit is touched before Mugassa commands, we are all ruined.

“You, elephant, must take this brass hatchet of Mugassa’s, and split wood nicely for the hearth.

“Buffalo, go and find a wood with a smooth bark, which burns well, and bring it to the elephant.

“Leopard, go to the banana plantation, and watch for the falling leaf and catch it with your eyelids, in order that we may have proper plates.

“Lion, my friend, go and fill this pot from the spring, and bring water that Mugassa may wash his hands.”

Having issued his instructions, rabbit went strutting into the village; but after he had gone a little way he darted aside, and passing through a side door, went out and crept toward an ant hill. On the top was a tuft of grass, and from his hiding-place he commanded a view of the gate, and of all who might come near it.

Now the buffalo could find only one log with smooth bark, and the dogs shouted out to the buffalo that one log was not enough to roast or to boil the meat, and he returned to hunt up some more.

The elephant struck the log with his brass hatchet, which was broken at the first blow, and there was nothing else with which to cut the wood.

The leopard watched and watched for falling leaves but failed to see any.

The lion’s pot had a hole in the bottom, and he could never keep it full, though he tried ever so many times.

Meanwhile, the hyena having killed the cow and dressed the meat beautifully, said to the dogs, “Now, my friends, the meat is ready. What shall I do?”

“You can help us carry the meat in, and lay it on the mats, if you like, for Mugassa must see it before anybody can touch it.”

“Ah, but I feel extremely hungry, and my mouth waters so that I am sick with longing. May we not go shares and eat a little bit? It looks very nice and fat,” whined the hyena.

“Ah, no, we should not dare do such a thing. We have long ago left the woods, and its habits, and are unfit for anything but human society; but if you were allowed to eat any, you could fly into the woods, and we should have all the blame. No, no, come, help us carry it inside. You will not have to wait long.”

The hyena was obliged to obey, but contrived to hide in the grass some of the tripe. The rabbit, from behind his tuft of grass, saw it all, and winked in the dark.

When the meat was in, the dogs said, “It is all right now. Just stay outside until the other fellows arrive.”

The hyena retired, and when he was outside of the gate searched for his tripe, and lay down quietly to enjoy it, but as he was about to bite it, the rabbit screamed, “Ah, you thief, hyena. You thief, I see you. Stop, thief, Mugassa is coming!”

These cries so alarmed the hyena that he dropped his tripe, and fled away as fast as his legs could carry him, and the others, the buffalo, elephant, lion, and leopard, tired out with waiting, and hearing these alarming cries, also ran away, leaving the rabbit and his dog friends in quiet possession. They carried the tripe into the village, and closed the gate and barred it, after which they laughed loud and long, the rabbit rolling on the ground over and over with the fun of it all.

The rabbit was the smallest of all, but by his wisdom he was more than a match for two elephants, the buffalo, the leopard, the lion, the hyena, and all. And even his friends, the dogs, had to confess that the rabbit’s wit could not be matched.

Thoughts of Africans

There are three friends in this world—courage, sense, and insight.

 

A person prepared beforehand is better than after reflection.

 

The day on which one starts is not the time to commence one’s preparation.

 

Lack of knowledge is darker than night.

 

An ignorant man is always a slave.

 

Whoever works without knowledge works uselessly.

 

Trade is not something imaginary or descriptive, but something real and profitable.