A long time ago, when animals could talk, Nongwena the chameleon made a hive to feast on honey all year round. With difficulty, he strengthened this hive on a tree and tied it with thick vines so that it would not be damaged by wild animals or the wind, and then he descended from the tree and, satisfied with himself, returned home.
Several days passed. The chameleon went into the forest to see how things were going, and, to his joy, he saw that a large swarm of bees had already settled in the hive; the bees were hard at work preparing sweet, fragrant honey.
Forgetting about everything in the world, Nongwena admired the working bees: some returned, carrying pollen in their proboscis, others flew out of the hive to collect it. The chameleon looked at them for a long time until his eyes began to sparkle, and then he went home. From then on, every time he passed a tree, he sat down nearby to watch the bees at work.
Three months passed, enough time for the honeycomb to fill with honey, and Nongwena decided it was time to get the honey. He took a large knife, a basket and a calabash and headed into the forest.
On the way, Nongwena picked a bunch of dry grass, twisted it into a tight rope to light it with a firebrand brought from home and smoke the bees with smoke. Approaching a tree with a beehive, he lit a tourniquet and began to climb up. Having reached the hive, he couldn’t believe his eyes: someone had gotten ahead of him and taken the honey. The chameleon was terribly upset and began to think about how to find the thief.
Not all of the honey was stolen, and Nongwena realized that the thief was not new to such matters and it would not be so easy to catch him red-handed.
Having descended from the tree, the chameleon thought about everything carefully. He went home, stocked up on provisions for three or four days and hid in the hollow of a huge tree, from where he could watch the hive day and night.
No one showed up that evening or that night. The next day, no one came either, and Nongwena even began to fear that someone had warned the enemy. But at dawn
On the third day, the chameleon saw a tree lizard quickly climbing up a tree. She took off the lid of the hive, took out the honeycombs and sat down to feast on honey on a tree - she didn’t even care about bee stings. Nongwena climbed down from the tree and shouted:
“So you’re the one stealing my honey?!”
- And you still dare to accuse me of theft? After all, it was I who built the hive! — the lizard Shikwa Sha Mukala attacked him, pretending to be offended.
- How can your tongue even turn to weave something like that?! Aren't you ashamed?!
- What an impudent fellow! - exclaimed the lizard, closing the hive with a lid. She climbed down from the tree and attacked the chameleon: “What are you imagining?” If you have such eyes that everyone looks wherever they want, if you change the color of your skin just a little, then that means you are smarter than everyone else?! Well, you can't compete with me! Get out while you're still alive!
“I’ve never seen such impudence in my life!” - Nongwena cried. “Not only did you steal my honey, but you dare to insult me!” I will not humiliate myself and argue with you! Yes, my eyes are not like yours, I can look to the right with one eye and back with the other! And it was not in vain that God Nzambi sent me the gift of changing color! And you envy me because you are a pathetic, despicable creature! All you know how to do is to appropriate someone else’s property and even insult the rightful owner! Now I will call all the animals. And let the smartest, most powerful and noble ones resolve our dispute.
“Well, call me,” the tree lizard agreed, and she herself sucked on the sweet honeycomb.
The chameleon, with its usual leisurely gait, headed into the forest, and Shikwa Sha Mukala remained on the tree to feast on the honeycombs.
Soon the animals began to gather in the clearing to take part in the trial. One after another they came and sat around the tree where Shikwa Sha Mukala was sitting, and she calmly continued to eat and stopped only when Nongwena returned, accompanied by a lion, an elephant, a leopard, a panther, a hippopotamus and an antelope.
Seeing the king of beasts and the powerful rulers of the forest kingdom, the lizard climbed down from the tree. All conversations around immediately stopped.
The lion was appointed chairman of the court, the elephant and hippopotamus were his assistants; The jurors chose a leopard, a panther, a crocodile, a snake, a rhinoceros, and a porcupine. Nongwena warned that the case ahead was serious: it was not only a matter of theft, but also an insult to dignity. Nongwena and the lizard Shikwa Sha Mukala sat in front of the judges, behind them the rest of the animals were located in a semicircle, and birds dotted the branches of nearby trees.
The lion called the antelope and ordered it to interrogate first Nongwena and then Shikwa Sha Mukala to find out which of them was right.
The antelope approached the chameleon and asked:
“What are you blaming the tree lizard for?”
“I already told you that I built a beehive, here it hangs on the branches,” the chameleon began, pointing towards the tree. “I fixed it on a tree, and returned home to wait for a swarm of bees to settle there.” I was so happy to see that there were bees in the hive, I just can’t even tell. I waited three months before I decided to take some honey to eat and prepare some intoxicating drinks, as we all do.
- Yes, we all do this! - the animals shouted in unison.
- What a noise! Shut up now! - the lion roared at them. And turning to the chameleon, he said: “Continue your story, noble sir!”
“I continue, noble sir and master,” answered the chameleon. “When I finally thought to look into the hive, there was almost no honey left, and then I hid in this hollow,” he pointed to a tree not far from the hive, “to watch for the thief.”
- And lay in wait? - asked the antelope.
“As you can see,” the chameleon nodded towards the lizard. While the chameleon was talking, Shikwa Sha Mukala remained silent, but, feeling that everyone was judging her, she spoke:
“It wasn’t like that at all.” And I'm not a thief. The hive is mine!
There were no witnesses for either the chameleon or the lizard. No one saw how the hive was built, and after the lizard’s explanation, everyone became thoughtful. The members of the court conferred among themselves in a low voice and decided to resort to cunning. And so the elephant said to Shikwa Sha Mukala:
- You claim that the hive is yours. Then show us how you fixed it on the tree.
The agile lizard, without hesitation, grabbed the stick as if it were a beehive, and in an instant climbed the tree. It never occurred to her that she would never have been able to drag the hive up this way: it was too heavy.
Once at the top, Shikwa Sha Mukala muttered uncertainly:
“That’s how I brought in the hive.”
“Come down, we’ve already seen enough of your dexterity,” the elephant remarked mockingly. And, winking at Nongwena, he asked the chameleon: “Will you show me how you climbed and installed a beehive on a tree?”
With his characteristic slowness, the chameleon tied a stick to one end of the rope, as if it were a beehive, and began to climb up the trunk, holding the free end of the rope in his teeth. So he moved first one leg, then the other, until he reached the top. Once at the top, Nongwena pulled up a stick, attached it to a branch and sighed:
“That’s how I climbed the tree and lifted the hive.
- You're telling the truth. The hive is yours. Shikwa Sha Mukala is a liar and a deceiver! - the lion and other members of the venerable court exclaimed in one voice, followed by the rest of the animals and birds present at the trial.
“Come down from the tree, sir,” said the lion. With his unfailing calm and slowness, Nongwena descended the trunk and sat down opposite the accused. The lizard did not know where to go from shame: everyone looked at her with condemnation.
After conferring with the elephant, hippopotamus and other members of the court, the lion declared:
“The court considers it proven that Shikwa Sha Mukala is guilty, and I, as the supreme judge, pronounce the following verdict: it has been established that the hive belongs to the chameleon Nongwena, and not Shikwa Sha Mukala. Tree lizard Shikwa Sha Mukala is sentenced to a fine for theft. In compensation for the damage caused, she must give Nongwena three goats in our presence. The court warns her that she will pay with her head for repeating the crime.
At these words, the lizard trembled with fear: she immediately brought three goats and, in front of witnesses, gave them to Nongwena.
Since then, the tree lizard always avoids the inhabitants of the forest - it hurries to run past, without looking at anyone, because it is still ashamed, and the chameleon walks slowly and looks everyone straight in the eyes: after all, he is not a thief or a liar.
A long time ago, when animals could talk, Nongwena the chameleon made a hive to feast on honey all year round. With difficulty, he strengthened this hive on a tree and tied it with thick vines so that it would not be damaged by wild animals or the wind, and then he descended from the tree and, satisfied with himself, returned home.
Several days passed. The chameleon went into the forest to see how things were going, and, to his joy, he saw that a large swarm of bees had already settled in the hive; the bees were hard at work preparing sweet, fragrant honey.
Forgetting about everything in the world, Nongwena admired the working bees: some returned, carrying pollen in their proboscis, others flew out of the hive to collect it. The chameleon looked at them for a long time until his eyes began to sparkle, and then he went home. From then on, every time he passed a tree, he sat down nearby to watch the bees at work.
Three months passed, enough time for the honeycomb to fill with honey, and Nongwena decided it was time to get the honey. He took a large knife, a basket and a calabash and headed into the forest.
On the way, Nongwena picked a bunch of dry grass, twisted it into a tight rope to light it with a firebrand brought from home and smoke the bees with smoke. Approaching a tree with a beehive, he lit a tourniquet and began to climb up. Having reached the hive, he couldn’t believe his eyes: someone had gotten ahead of him and taken the honey. The chameleon was terribly upset and began to think about how to find the thief.
Not all of the honey was stolen, and Nongwena realized that the thief was not new to such matters and it would not be so easy to catch him red-handed.
Having descended from the tree, the chameleon thought about everything carefully. He went home, stocked up on provisions for three or four days and hid in the hollow of a huge tree, from where he could watch the hive day and night.
No one showed up that evening or that night. The next day, no one came either, and Nongwena even began to fear that someone had warned the enemy. But at dawn
On the third day, the chameleon saw a tree lizard quickly climbing up a tree. She took off the lid of the hive, took out the honeycombs and sat down to feast on honey on a tree - she didn’t even care about bee stings. Nongwena climbed down from the tree and shouted:
“So you’re the one stealing my honey?!”
- And you still dare to accuse me of theft? After all, it was I who built the hive! — the lizard Shikwa Sha Mukala attacked him, pretending to be offended.
- How can your tongue even turn to weave something like that?! Aren't you ashamed?!
- What an impudent fellow! - exclaimed the lizard, closing the hive with a lid. She climbed down from the tree and attacked the chameleon: “What are you imagining?” If you have such eyes that everyone looks wherever they want, if you change the color of your skin just a little, then that means you are smarter than everyone else?! Well, you can't compete with me! Get out while you're still alive!
“I’ve never seen such impudence in my life!” - Nongwena cried. “Not only did you steal my honey, but you dare to insult me!” I will not humiliate myself and argue with you! Yes, my eyes are not like yours, I can look to the right with one eye and back with the other! And it was not in vain that God Nzambi sent me the gift of changing color! And you envy me because you are a pathetic, despicable creature! All you know how to do is to appropriate someone else’s property and even insult the rightful owner! Now I will call all the animals. And let the smartest, most powerful and noble ones resolve our dispute.
“Well, call me,” the tree lizard agreed, and she herself sucked on the sweet honeycomb.
The chameleon, with its usual leisurely gait, headed into the forest, and Shikwa Sha Mukala remained on the tree to feast on the honeycombs.
Soon the animals began to gather in the clearing to take part in the trial. One after another they came and sat around the tree where Shikwa Sha Mukala was sitting, and she calmly continued to eat and stopped only when Nongwena returned, accompanied by a lion, an elephant, a leopard, a panther, a hippopotamus and an antelope.
Seeing the king of beasts and the powerful rulers of the forest kingdom, the lizard climbed down from the tree. All conversations around immediately stopped.
The lion was appointed chairman of the court, the elephant and hippopotamus were his assistants; The jurors chose a leopard, a panther, a crocodile, a snake, a rhinoceros, and a porcupine. Nongwena warned that the case ahead was serious: it was not only a matter of theft, but also an insult to dignity. Nongwena and the lizard Shikwa Sha Mukala sat in front of the judges, behind them the rest of the animals were located in a semicircle, and birds dotted the branches of nearby trees.
The lion called the antelope and ordered it to interrogate first Nongwena and then Shikwa Sha Mukala to find out which of them was right.
The antelope approached the chameleon and asked:
“What are you blaming the tree lizard for?”
“I already told you that I built a beehive, here it hangs on the branches,” the chameleon began, pointing towards the tree. “I fixed it on a tree, and returned home to wait for a swarm of bees to settle there.” I was so happy to see that there were bees in the hive, I just can’t even tell. I waited three months before I decided to take some honey to eat and prepare some intoxicating drinks, as we all do.
- Yes, we all do this! - the animals shouted in unison.
- What a noise! Shut up now! - the lion roared at them. And turning to the chameleon, he said: “Continue your story, noble sir!”
“I continue, noble sir and master,” answered the chameleon. “When I finally thought to look into the hive, there was almost no honey left, and then I hid in this hollow,” he pointed to a tree not far from the hive, “to watch for the thief.”
- And lay in wait? - asked the antelope.
“As you can see,” the chameleon nodded towards the lizard. While the chameleon was talking, Shikwa Sha Mukala remained silent, but, feeling that everyone was judging her, she spoke:
“It wasn’t like that at all.” And I'm not a thief. The hive is mine!
There were no witnesses for either the chameleon or the lizard. No one saw how the hive was built, and after the lizard’s explanation, everyone became thoughtful. The members of the court conferred among themselves in a low voice and decided to resort to cunning. And so the elephant said to Shikwa Sha Mukala:
- You claim that the hive is yours. Then show us how you fixed it on the tree.
The agile lizard, without hesitation, grabbed the stick as if it were a beehive, and in an instant climbed the tree. It never occurred to her that she would never have been able to drag the hive up this way: it was too heavy.
Once at the top, Shikwa Sha Mukala muttered uncertainly:
“That’s how I brought in the hive.”
“Come down, we’ve already seen enough of your dexterity,” the elephant remarked mockingly. And, winking at Nongwena, he asked the chameleon: “Will you show me how you climbed and installed a beehive on a tree?”
With his characteristic slowness, the chameleon tied a stick to one end of the rope, as if it were a beehive, and began to climb up the trunk, holding the free end of the rope in his teeth. So he moved first one leg, then the other, until he reached the top. Once at the top, Nongwena pulled up a stick, attached it to a branch and sighed:
“That’s how I climbed the tree and lifted the hive.
- You're telling the truth. The hive is yours. Shikwa Sha Mukala is a liar and a deceiver! - the lion and other members of the venerable court exclaimed in one voice, followed by the rest of the animals and birds present at the trial.
“Come down from the tree, sir,” said the lion. With his unfailing calm and slowness, Nongwena descended the trunk and sat down opposite the accused. The lizard did not know where to go from shame: everyone looked at her with condemnation.
After conferring with the elephant, hippopotamus and other members of the court, the lion declared:
“The court considers it proven that Shikwa Sha Mukala is guilty, and I, as the supreme judge, pronounce the following verdict: it has been established that the hive belongs to the chameleon Nongwena, and not Shikwa Sha Mukala. Tree lizard Shikwa Sha Mukala is sentenced to a fine for theft. In compensation for the damage caused, she must give Nongwena three goats in our presence. The court warns her that she will pay with her head for repeating the crime.
At these words, the lizard trembled with fear: she immediately brought three goats and, in front of witnesses, gave them to Nongwena.
Since then, the tree lizard always avoids the inhabitants of the forest - it hurries to run past, without looking at anyone, because it is still ashamed, and the chameleon walks slowly and looks everyone straight in the eyes: after all, he is not a thief or a liar.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru