Concealed by the bushes, Tortoise crawled out of the sac, and, pretending to be displeased, called out, “Who dashed that dirty water in my face, as I was coming here, seeking for my fungi here in the forest?” They apologized, saying. “Chum! we did not know you were in those bushes. But, come, and join us.” So, he went there; and he, in pretence, exclaimed, “What thing can so suddenly have killed Friend-Creator his Mbodi there? Alas! But, Imĕ! what a large stomach that is! Would you say that it was not it that killed Mbodi? Let us send some children to pierce that stomach. But ye! when ye shall go to pierce it, first bring spears, then jab the spears through it. I have not seen such a stomach as that!”
They finished the cutting in pieces; and they gave Tortoise his share of the animal. He left, bidding them await his return. He went hastily with the meat to his town, and sat down to rest for only a little while. Then he rapidly went back again to see what would happen to Leopard.
The family of Njambe had taken that stomach and laid it in the water of a stream. Then they took spears, and they stabbed it. Leopard, being wounded, struggled up and down as he tried to emerge from inside the stomach. The people, when they saw this, shouted, “Aw! lâ! lâ! lâ!” And there was Leopard lying dead! For, in stabbing that stomach, the spears had reached Leopard.
Tortoise said to them, “Give me the skin of Leopard!” So they handed it to him. He went off with it to his house. When it was dried, he took it into his inner room, and hung it up. He said to his children, “Let no person bring any of the children of Njâ into this room.”
Before that time, the children of Tortoise and of Leopard always hunted small animals; and they were accustomed daily to kill rats in their houses.
On another day, the children of Leopard having no meat, and not knowing that their father was dead said, “A hunt for Betoli tomorrow!” The children of Tortoise replied, “Yes!”
Early in the next day then, the children of Leopard made ready and called for those of Tortoise; and they all started together.
They began at first at Leopard’s end of the town; and, going from house to house, opened the houses and killed rats. They passed on toward Tortoise’s end of the town, opening houses, and killing rats. When they came to the room of Tortoise himself, his children said to the others, “No!” The children of Leopard asked them, “Why?” As they arrived at the door, the children of Tortoise said, “Our father said that, even for catching rats, we should not enter that room.” But the children of Leopard broke down the door, and entered into the room. There they lifted their eyes, and discovered the skin of their father Leopard hanging! At once, they all hasted out of the house. But, suppressing their sorrow and indignation, shortly after this, they all said, “To go to throw wheels on the beach!” (a game; solid wheels, about eight or ten inches in diameter, and some three inches thick, chopped out of an enormous tuber). They made ready their little spears, and they all went in a company. Their challenge was, “To the beach!” These arranged themselves on one side, and those on the other.
The children of Tortoise began the game, rolling the wheel to the children of Leopard. These latter, as the wheel rolled by, pierced its center with all their spears; none failed. The Leopard company shouted in victory. “Boho, eh?” And the Tortoise company dared them with, “Iwâ!” Then the Leopard company insultingly retorted, “We are the ones who are accustomed to sleep with people’s sisters, and continue to eat with them!” (i.e., that they could commit crimes with impunity, and still be allowed the intimate friendship of eating together, without the others daring to punish them).
Then the Leopard company bowled the wheel toward the side of the Tortoise company. These latter pierced the wheel with all their spears; none missed. The Tortoise company shouted for victory, “Boho! eh?” And the Leopard company dared them with, “Iwâ!” Then the Tortoise children shouted boastfully, “We are those who are accustomed to kill people’s fathers, and hang up their skins, eh?”