African Folk Tales Read Online Free Page A

lioness.
    Again the lioness went back in to her room. Again, after waiting for a long time, she tried to go out to kill Manma. Again, one of the seven dogs stopped her. She tried seven times and seven times she was stopped by the dogs. By that time the night had passed and it was morning.
    The lioness saw no way of killing Manma on that visit.
    Remaining in the appearance of a princess, the lioness thanked Manma for having her in his house as a guest, and she told him that she would be going away.
    â€œI will escort you out of the village,” said Manma, and he took up a gun.
    â€œAre you going to shoot me?” the lioness asked.
    Manma put down the gun and took up his bow and arrows.
    â€œAre you going to kill me?” the lioness asked.
    Manma put down his bow and arrows and took up a whistle.
    â€œLet us go,” he said, and the lioness agreed that they should go.
    After Manma had escorted her for over five miles through fields and high grasses, they reached a river. Manma and the lioness said good-bye to each other and Manma began to walk back to his village. After Manma had walked for some distance, he found a locust-bean tree growing beside the path. He managed to climb up the tree just before the lioness, who had changed herself from the shape of a princess into her true shape, sprang at him in order to kill him. She had been following him.
    Manma blew very loudly on his whistle. Immediately Manma’s seven dogs appeared from the bush grass, first Tabantagi, then Guye, then Tako, followed by Tifi, Etsuegu, Tazata, and Eyeshisoko.
    Before the lioness was able to run away, the dogs jumped on her and killed her. The dogs kept the meat and Manma took the skin.
    â€œMy wife,” said Manma when he reached his house, “we had one child for our one lion skin. Now here is another skin.”

The Story of Muhammadu
    I N OLDEN times there lived a man called Muhammadu, a wood-cutter. The bundles of wood which he collected he brought to the market-place in the town to sell. Unfortunately, where he lived there were not many trees or bushes, so that the work did not bring him much profit.
    Muhammadu had no wife, but he worked very hard in order to save enough money to be able to afford one. He dug a hole in the ground in his compound, and in the hole he hid his money. He put in the hole all the money he earned from his wood-cutting, keeping out only what he needed to buy food.
    When Muhammadu had collected by his hard work and saved enough money to afford a wife, he dug up his money and left his town. He left behind him the gates and the walls and went to a small village in the bush. In the village he met a girl who agreed to be his wife. Muhammadu therefore went to the father of the girl and the marriage was arranged.
    Everyone in the village came to the marriage celebration. There was a great feast, at which Muhammadu’s wife received many presents—cloth, basins, pots, and corn. Muhammadu himself bought much corn and many mats, and he bought donkeys to carry the loads.
    When it was time for Muhammadu to return to his town, he loaded his donkeys with the cloth, the basins, the mats, the pots, the corn, and all the belongings of himself and his newly married wife. He said farewell to the people in the village and he and his wife set out on their journey.
    When they reached the gates and walls of the town, Muhammadu said to his wife, “This is the town where I live, and here is where we shall settle and prosper. This gate is where we shall enter.”
    There were many camels and donkeys and people entering the gates. Many of the people were greatly surprised to see Muhammadu the wood-cutter arriving with a wife and with donkeys heavily laden with goods and foodstuffs.
    Muhammadu met one of the most important councillors of the town, a man whose title was Galadima. Muhammadu made polite greetings to the Galadima, and then went on with his wife and his possessions to his compound.
    During the