{"collection":"African","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/afr/yl/yl41.htm","path":"afr/yl/yl41.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/afr/yl/yl41.htm","text":"Sacred-Texts African Index Previous Next\nTORTOISE and Pigeon were often seen walking together, but unfortunately Tortoise treated his friend rather badly, and often played tricks on him. Pigeon never complained, and put up with everything in a good-humoured way. Once Tortoise came to him and said:\n\u201cI am going on a journey to-day to visit my cousins; will you come with me?\u201d\nPigeon agreed to accompany him, and they set off. When they had go ne some distance they came to a river, and Pigeon was forced to take Tortoise upon his back and fly across with him.\nSoon afterwards they reached the house of Tortoise\u2019s cousins. Tortoise left his friend standing at the door while he went inside and greeted his relatives. They had prepared a feast for him, and they all began to eat together.\n\u201cWill you not ask your friend to eat with us?\u201d said the cousins; but Tortoise was so greedy that he did not wish Pigeon to share the feast, and replied:\n\u201cMy friend is a silly fellow, he will not eat in a stranger\u2019s house, and he is so shy that he refuses to come in.\u201d\nAfter some time Tortoise bade farewell to his cousins, saying, \u201cGreetings to you on your hospitality,\u201d and came out of the house. But Pigeon, who was both tired and hungry, had heard his words p. 79 and determined to pay him out for once.\nWhen they reached the river-bank, he took Tortoise up once again on his back; when he had flown half-way across, he allowed Tortoise to fall off into the river. But, by chance, instead of falling into the water, he landed on the back of a crocodile which was floating on the surface, and when the crocodile came up to the bank, Tortoise quickly descended and hurried away.\nPigeon saw what had happened, and that Tortoise had safely reached the land; so he flew ahead of him until he came to a field where a dead horse was lying.\nTo trick Tortoise once more, Pigeon cut off the horse\u2019s head and stuck it in the ground, as if it grew there like a plant.\nWhen Tortoise reached the field and saw the horse\u2019s head, he went straight away to the King of the country and told him that he knew of a place where horses\u2019 heads grew like plants.\n\u201cIf this is true,\u201d said the King, \u201cI will p. 80 reward you with a great treasure; but if it is false, you must die.\u201d\nThe King and a large crowd of people accompanied Tortoise to the field, but meanwhile Pigeon had removed the head. Tortoise ran about looking for it, but in vain, and he was condemned to die. A large fire was made, and Tortoise was thrown on to it.\nBut now Pigeon repented of the trick he had done, and quickly called together all the birds of the air. They came like a wind, beating out the fire with their wings, and so rescued Tortoise.\nWhen Pigeon had explained this trick, the King pardoned Tortoise, and allowed the two friends to depart in safety.","title":"XXXVIII TORTOISE AND PIGEON","type":"page"}