There lived in the forest an Elephant, a Lion, a Leopard, a Pacasa and many other animals. Each of them had a plot of land, and each cultivated it, growing maize and sweet potatoes. But they could not eat anything that they grew, because they did not have a fire on which they could cook food. They only drank water and nibbled grass.
And nearby, on a huge tree strewn with fruits, lived a large green Lizard. Sometimes he would come down from the tree and talk to other animals.
One day the Elephant said to his comrades:
- Why do you think our friend the Lizard always walks around happy and never complains about hunger? He doesn't seem to need fire to cook food. Do you know what he eats? Those things that hang on the tree and sometimes fall to the ground. Let's ask him why he is always full. Is it really from these raw fruits? But he won’t tell us the truth: he’ll be afraid that we’ll find out his secret. Better let's ask the great Nzambi, who sits in the sky and knows everything. Maybe he will take pity on us and save us from our troubles.
And everyone agreed. The elephant was the first to go to heaven to talk with the great Nzambi. He talked about the misfortunes that animals suffer without fire, and also about the fact that the big green Lizard gets its food right on the tree. Can the fruits of this tree be eaten raw? And what kind of tree is this? And the great Nzambi said:
– The tree whose fruits the Lizard eats is called: tree-sapling, zelembua-muzelembua, muzelembua-kumuzelem-bua, magic tree! These fruits can be eaten raw. Go home and repeat this name dearly. True, it is very long, but try not to forget it. And when you come home, say this name loudly, and the tree will immediately fall to the ground. Then you can all eat well.
The elephant remembered everything that the great Nzambi said. He walked and repeated:
- Tree-sapling, zelembua-muselembua, muselembua-kumu-zelembua, magic tree! “He repeated and danced, rejoicing that he had learned the secret.
But the cunning green Lizard guessed what was going on. He saw the Elephant from afar, went to meet him and began to dance with him, singing different words. They danced and danced, and poor Elephant forgot the name that had to be repeated.
Very annoyed, he confessed everything to the other animals. And then Leo decided to go to the great Nzambi.
Great Nzambi received him well, spoke to him kindly, and told him the name of the tree. Lev, returning home, also joyfully repeated:
- Tree-sapling, zelembua-muselembua, muselembua-kumu-zelembua, magic tree!
But this villainous green Lizard met Lev in the same way, danced with him in the same way, and Lev also forgot everything.
One after another the animals went to the great Nzambi, and each time the same thing was repeated. Finally, the little water turtle volunteered to go to the great Nzambi. The animals were so outraged by her insolence that they beat and cursed the poor Turtle.
“You must have forgotten who you are and who we are!” We are smarter, stronger, and much bigger than you, and you walk around, barely moving your legs, and imagine that you can do something!
But the fair Monkey objected:
- Why are you offending her? What harm did she do to us? Is it Turtle’s fault that we have such a leaky memory! Let him go! Maybe she will remember the words of the great Nzambi!
And the Turtle set off on a long journey. She walked slowly, with a calm, slow gait. The Great Nzambi, of course, listened to her, even sympathized with her more than with other animals, and then wished her to get home safely.
When the Turtle approached the house, a green Lizard came out to meet it, like other animals. The Turtle was small, and the Lizard was big, very big.
- Oh, that's how it is! – he shouted angrily. -Have you taken up this matter too? “And he bit off her head.”
But the Turtle grew a new head, and she again began to repeat the name of the tree. The evil green Lizard tore her into pieces and buried her in the ground. But she resurrected and again began to repeat the magic words. Then the green Lizard chewed it and swallowed it. And the Turtle resurrected again, said the name of the tree - and it fell to the ground. And the green Lizard died of anger.
The animals greedily attacked the lying tree, ate everything - leaves and fruits, and again beat and scolded the Turtle. Only the fair Monkey took pity on the Turtle and saved some fruits and leaves for her.
As the days passed, the animals began to starve again and think about how to get fire. But where to look for it? Where?
Early one morning, the Elephant saw a small stream of smoke rising from the top of a distant mountain, and called all the animals:
- Look there! Do you know what this is? It's smoke! And where there is smoke, there is always fire.
The animals were happy and sent him for fire. He had already descended to the opposite slope of the mountain, when suddenly a loud, menacing cry was heard:
– Who dared to set foot on Grasshopper Mountain?! Well, go away, or I will swallow you, like I just swallowed Pakasa!
The elephant had never heard such a terrible voice and was very scared. The Elephant returned home and told the animals what had happened.
Then Leo volunteered to go get the fire. He considered himself braver than everyone else and was confident that he would deal with the insolent man.
But when he descended to the other side of the mountain, a menacing voice stopped him:
– Who dared to set foot on Grasshopper Mountain?! Well, go away, or I will swallow you, like I just swallowed Pakasa!
The lion got cold feet, put his tail between his legs and came back empty-handed.
All the animals, one after another, tried their luck and returned empty-handed. Then the Turtle volunteered to go, but she was beaten again. It was only through the intervention of the Monkey that she was finally allowed to set off.
– Who dared to set foot on Grasshopper Mountain?! Well, go away, or I will swallow you! - threatened the invisible brave man.
But the Turtle walked and walked, fearlessly, slowly moving its paws.
-Who are you? - asked the Turtle, having reached the very hole in which the Grasshopper was hiding.
He stuck his head out and moved his antennae:
- Ah! It's you, Aunt Turtle! Please come in! But I was scared, I thought who it was coming... - And he invited her to sit down and rest. -What do you want, Aunt Turtle?
“I came to ask you for some coal.” We live on the other side of the mountain and we have no fire to cook our food. If you only knew how hungry we are!
- That's all? Just think! Oh, how I was scared when I heard heavy footsteps. What would be left of me if our venerable friend the Elephant had put his foot on my hole! - And they both laughed.
While the sweet potatoes were baking in the fire, they continued their friendly conversation.
“I beg you, Aunt Turtle, don’t tell anyone that you met me here, otherwise they will kill me.” Say that you didn’t see anyone, you just walked up to the fire and took away the coal. OK? - And the Grasshopper gave the Turtle the coal for which she came.
Returning home, Turtle hid the truth and did not tell anyone. She quietly called her friend Monkey:
- Look, I brought fire. Just don't tell anyone anything. Let's go to your house together and cook food.
And the rest of the animals mocked:
- Well, didn’t we talk! We, who can do anything, could not get fire, and you, with your stupid head, imagined that you could achieve what we could not.
But it was impossible to hide the smoke. As soon as the fire lit up in the Monkey’s hut, a thin gray stream immediately rose above the forest. The outraged animals immediately ran there and spanked the poor Turtle. How dare she hide from them that she had brought coal! Just think! The turtle turned out to be the luckiest of all!
“They will pay for what they did to me!” – the beaten Turtle complained to his friend Monkey. “I’ll go to the shore of my native lake and settle scores with them.” You know, Monkey, when you get thirsty, climb the tree as high as possible and wait until I call you, just be careful not to go to the lake with other animals.
In the evening, as usual, the animals went to the shore of the lake to quench their thirst. The elephant came first. He lowered his trunk into the water, but stumbled upon something hard. I touched a stone with my foot, there was only stone all around, but no water. And the Elephant sang in a plaintive voice:
Water, water, I pulled it out
your trunk,
But I didn't find anything!
Oh, how thirsty I am!
Mom, I'm going to die!
Water-water,
I stretched out my trunk,
But I didn't find anything!
Oh, how thirsty I am!
My father, I am dying!
He tried several times to feel for water with his trunk, but kept bumping into a stone.
Leo came after him. He also tried to get drunk, and also cried out to his parents. And so all the animals gathered on the shore of the former lake. And then - bang! - the blue stone burst, split into pieces, which crushed all the animals, and they died. Only one Monkey escaped punishment because he was a faithful friend of the Turtle.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru