Crocodile Ngando was rich and noble. When his life ended, he died surrounded by general respect. The news of his death spread throughout the area and many came to mourn him.
When all the funeral customs were completed, they remembered the crocodile's inheritance. It was to be divided among Ngando's relatives. But who were his relatives? This is where the controversy broke out.
The birds said:
— Crocodile Ngando is from our family. His property should go to us.
But the animals did not agree with this.
- What kind of relatives are you Ngando? - they said. - Look at yourself? Are you like him? He wore scale armor, and you wore feathers.
“That’s right,” the birds answered, “he didn’t have feathers.” But we must judge not by what the crocodile was all his life, but by what he started with. He started with an egg. He was just like us. That's the main thing! His mother gave birth to him the same as us. This means that he is our relative and we are his heirs!
But the animals did not want to agree with this.
- This is not true! - they shouted. “We are Ngando’s relatives, and we are supposed to share his property!”
Then, from among those who came to mourn the crocodile, a council met to listen to the arguments of the birds and animals and decide who should own the inheritance.
The animals started first.
“Perhaps it is true,” they said, “that one must look for kinship at the very beginning.” But the egg has nothing to do with it. Life didn't start with an egg. The similarity here is only external. When the crocodile Ngando was born, he already had four legs, like the rest of us. If you're looking for proof, here it is. Therefore, we declare that the relatives of the crocodile are us and Ngando’s property should be given to us.
Here the birds could not stand it.
- You animals say one thing and then another! - they shouted. “Then you refused to recognize us as relatives of Ngando, because we wear feathers, not scale armor.” Look at yourself! After all, you yourself have fur and skin, and no one else has scales. Now you are arguing incorrectly again. Little Ngando's life did not begin when he grew as many legs as you say. It started earlier, in the egg! And the egg was similar to ours, and not to those that you call your eggs. You are not related to the crocodile. He's ours!
But the animals continued to argue, each stood his ground, and the council could not decide which of them was right.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru