The dogs did not answer, but picked up their loads and carried them to the house. As each dog placed its load of firewood on the ground, it dropped down dead. Then the chief came out and said to Achor, “Look what you have done. All my hunting dogs are dead. This is what comes of telling you that my dogs carried the bundles for me.”
Ever since that day dogs never speak or do anything for their masters, although they can understand quite well. The reason the dogs will not obey now is because they say that the chief broke their dog law when he told his wife what they did for him.
Told by Abassi of Inkum.—[E.D., 27.5.10.]
VII.—How two friends fell out: the Spider and the Grasshopper.
Long ago the spider and the grasshopper were good friends. Unfortunately the spider was intensely greedy, and this led to much unpleasantness.
Now the spider wanted to go some distance from his house to marry a wife in a strange country, so he called upon his friend the grasshopper to accompany him. They started off together in the morning before the sun was hot, and when they had gone some little way, the spider said to his friend, “While we are away together, I want you to call me ‘Stranger,’ and I will call you ‘Dabi.’ We must not call one another by our proper names, as I do not want the people to know who we really are.” To this the grasshopper readily consented, little knowing what he was letting himself in for.
Shortly afterwards they arrived at the first town, and were welcomed by the chief. The grasshopper said he was called Dabi, and introduced his friend as “Stranger.”
The chief then ordered food to be placed before them, but the spider, whilst thanking the chief for his kindness, said: “Surely the custom of the country is, when a stranger arrives in a town, to first of all offer him ‘the peace dish,’ consisting of dried meat and kola nuts, to show that he is welcome, and that there is peace between them.”
The chief replied, “Yes, there is certainly that custom here, but as I thought you were hungry after your long walk, I ordered the food to be brought at once.” He then told one of his slaves to bring the dried meat and kola, and when it was brought, the spider eat all the meat and kola except two nuts, one of which he returned to the chief, and the other he gave to the grasshopper, saying, “You must wait, my friend Dabi, for your food, as this meat and kola was brought for the stranger, and your name was not mentioned.”
Later on the general supply of food was passed round, a certain amount being set on one side for the strangers. This the spider also eat, saying, “I am sorry, Dabi, but there is no food for you, as this was brought for the stranger, and that is my name.”