The Greeley tribune., 1903-09-10
BABOON AND TORTOISE.
How Each Animal Played a Trick
UpOu the Other.


An English missionary, writing to
the London Standard from Africa,
tells the following story. which he says
is a favorite fable among the natives
of the lower Zambezi:
In the time long ago baboon. swing
ing from bough to bough in the great
forest. espied on the ground tortoise.
Good morning. Friend Tortoise said
the baboon. For long time l have
been wishing to make friends with you.
Will you come and have dinner with
me today" with pleasure" replied
the tortoise as his tishlike eyes blinked
up at the great baboon. II shall bt
very glad to make your acquaintance"
When the tortoise arrived at tho
baboon's house, he found the fooo
spread out upon a bamboo platform
raised some two feet above the ground.
"Just help yourself TO whatever you
like" said the baboon, who COM
menced ut once to eat up the good
things spread before him. But the
poor little tortoise was unable to reach
the food, as the platform was far
above his head. The greedy baboon
was not long before he had eaten up
all the food there was. Then he turned
to the tortoise with n grin and said:
Il hope you have enjoyed your dinner,
Friend Tortoise. You do not seem to
have very large appetite" THANK
you replied the tortoise, II am salts
fed Pray come and dine with me to-
morrow and give me an opportunity of
repaying your Kindness The greedy
baboon. allured with the hope OF an
other meal. said he would come.
Soon the tortoise took his departure
and on the way home revolved in his
mind n plan of revenge for the insult
the baboon had put upon him. Now.
the home of the tortoise was near the
river. and the first thing he did when
he got to his house was to set fire to the
grass growing along the bank. so that
when the fire had spent itself there was
a long stretch of blackened stubble.
On the morrow. when the baboon ar
rived, he found a mat spread on the
ground, on which were sayory articles
of food Il am SO glad to see you"
said the tortoise. Dinner is quite
ready, as you see Will you Just run
down to the river and wash your hands
before we begin to eat?'
Away ran the baboon. his mouth wa
tering at the thought of the good things
he had seen. When he had washed his
hands, he started back again across the
patch of burned grass. But as he ran
along on all tours he soon found that
the burned grass made his hands as
dirty as they We're before. Il cannot
go to dinner with black hands like
these he thought. So he returned To
wash them a second time. Then again
he attempted to cross the burned grass.
but with no better success than before.
After washing his hands for the third
time he sat down to consider how he
was to return to the tortose's house
without getting his hands black. The
only way seemed to be to follow the
banks of the river until he reached the
end of the burned patch. This he set
out to do and at last. tired and hungry,
reached the home of the tortoise
When he got there he found. to his
astonishment, that the tortoise was inst
eating the last piece of food. "Hellor'
eAc'aiihed his host. Where have YOU
oeeh all this time? | waited long
WINE Tor you; but, as you did not re-
,urh' | thought that you must have
been dissatisfied with the food that Won
sa" ana so had gone back to your own
nome again. Now | have eaten IT nil
h!seii ana have nothing left in the
nouSe 10 oifer you. l hope you will not
ieei any more hungry when Won ret
nome than | did when returned from
your home Yesterday" Then the hob.
oon went oil, much annoyed that the
,"o'eS haa been so cleverly turned on
himself.