Chapter 11 - Saved by his Tail - South African Folk-Lore Tales

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Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Saved by his tail. The endOta, please, said little jan,
the end of the animal's dam.You said it was too long to finish
last night. A ya, mybasi. It's full of Jaka's dry and
that's why it is so long.But it's near the end now. The

(00:23):
night was old by the time theanimals had finished with old Brewer Babian,
and the stars were going out.Only the big star that lasts the longest
was traveling quickly by the star's roadto call the dawn. It began to
get light already at the place wherethe shining old man gets up every day,

(00:44):
and that meant it was time forthe animals to fade away to their
sleeping places. Wom you looked roundon them. Who will look after the
dam to night, he asked,I will, said a little voice quickly.
Peep peep. And who is thisthat speaks from the ground, asked
worm, Let us find this braveone. They looked about in the sand,

(01:10):
and there under a milk bush nearthe dam sat the water tortoise.
He was nice and big, bassiesas big as the lid of the soap
pot, and his skinny legs werevery strong. He stretched out his skinny
neck and twinkled his little black eyes. I'll look after the dam, worm,

(01:32):
and I'll catch the water spoiler foryou. Ha ha ha. How
will you do that, asked Wormleu. If Worm will just let someone rub
my back with the sticky black stufffrom the floor of the hives, then
worm will see what will happen.This is a wise little man, said
worm Liu, and he ordered oldbrown sister Hyena, she with the limp

(01:57):
in the left hind leg, torub the water tartoise with the sticky stuff.
That night, my Bassis, whenYakals went to the dam to drink,
he peeped about, but no,there was no one to guard the
dam. Only a large black stonelay near the edge of the water.
Hoay, this is lucky, saidYakals, Such a nice large stone.

(02:22):
I'll stand on it while I drink. He didn't know that the stone had
a strong, skinny neck, andon the end of the neck ahead with
little bright eyes that could see everythingthat was going on. So he gave
a jump and whoops down. Hecame on to the stone with his two
front feet and there they stuck fastto the sticky black stuff, and he

(02:46):
could not move them. He tried, and he tried, but it was
no use toav He screamed. Toever, let me go. Peep peep,
said the little voice. Don't befrightened. Who says I'm frightened?
You owe two of us, tone, asked the jackos. Though my front
feet are fast, I can stillkick with my hind feet. Kick,

(03:09):
kick, kick, and stick fast, said the little voice. So Yakar's
kicked and kicked, and his hindfeet stuck fast. There was a funny
sound under the water, like waterbubbling through a reed. It was the
water tortoise laughing near Near, saidYackars, getting very cross. I've still

(03:32):
got a tail and I'll beat youwith it. Beat, beat, beat
and stick fast, said the littlevoice. So Jackals beat and beat,
and his tail stuck fast. NearHe said, again, very angry,
I've still got a mouth and I'llbite you with it. Bite, bite,

(03:55):
bite, and stick fast, saidthe little voice. Jakal's opened his
mouth and bit and bit, andhis mouth stuck fast. There he was
all in a bundle, sticking altogetherfast to the black stone, and the
more he tried to get free,the more he stuck fast. Peep peep

(04:15):
said the water tortoise, poking uphis head and laughing. Then he marched
to the top of the damn wall, where every one could see the strange
sight, and there he sat allquiet and good till the other animals came.
Ahay, they were glad when theysaw Yakal's sticking to the water tortoise.

(04:38):
They held a council and ordered himto be killed, and brue Hyena,
old brown sister's husband, was tobe the killer. They loosened Yakal's
mouth from the sticky stuff so thathe could talk for the last time.
He was very sorry for himself.His voice was sick with sorriness and he

(05:00):
could hardly get the words out.Thank you, um, he said.
I know I'm a wicked creature.It's better for me to die than to
live and trouble every one so much. Wom Liu and the other animals were
wondering what kind of death the watersteeler should die. Chop my head off,
said Yakos. Throw me in thefountain, but please, ah,

(05:23):
please, don't shave my tail andhit me on the big stone. Wom
Liu and the others were still puttingtheir heads together. Beat me with kiris,
drown me in the dam, saidYakos. But don't, ah,
please, don't smear my tail withfat and hit me on the big stone.

(05:43):
Wom Liu and the others made asif they were taking no notice of
him. Chop me in little pieces, beat me with thorn branches, said
Yakos. But please, ah,please, don't take me by the tail
and hit me on the big stone. At last, wum Liu turned round.
Just as you say, it shallbe done. Shave his tail,

(06:06):
he said to the others, smearit with fat, and hit his head
on the big stone. Let itbe done. So it was done,
and Yakal stood very still and sadwhile his tail was being shaved and smeared.
But when Hyaena swung him round onetwo three foot away, he slipped

(06:27):
and ran over the felt as fastas he could. All the others ran
after him, but they were onlyrunning to catch and he was running to
live. So he went like thewind, and soon they were left far
behind. He never stopped till hecame to a mountain where a crantz hung
over and made a kind of cave, and in he crept. The first

(06:53):
to come after him was wum Liu, who had run faster than the others.
Yakal swatched Worm crawling in, andwhen Worm's head touched the top of
the cave, he ran out,calling, wum wum, the crantz is
falling. If you don't hold itup, you'll be crushed to death.
I'll run and get a pole toprop it up, but Worm must please

(07:15):
wait till I come back. Heleft Worm plastering his head against the crantz
to hold it up while phi heshot away and never stopped till he got
safe home, where he rolled BolmaKissy over and over, laughing to think
how he had cheated all the animalsagain and of saved by his tail.