Mr Leopard Shows His Hand

This tale has been adapted from the original for readability:

As if to make the punishment feel like proper poetic justice, Sobah linked this tale to the one before it.

“When they got home,” he said, talking about the time Spider beat Leopard so badly, “Spider cut a big calabash and hollowed out a little space inside, just big enough for him to squeeze through. He set it upright in the corner of his house.

“Well, after a week had passed, the white ants came and ate through all the ropes, and Leopard made his way home. He had no strength, because he hadn’t eaten a thing for a week. He thought he’d better catch a small meal first, to get his strength back, before he tried for bigger prey. On the third day he’d gained a little energy, so he set off, slowly, towards Spider’s house.

“Nahker was cooking when she heard footsteps. A small child called Kokany, which means ‘go and watch’, went to look and said, ‘Mum, a stranger’s coming. Hide the rice under the bed.’

“Nahker peeped out and said, ‘Spider, we’re done for today. Leopard’s coming.’

“Spider called the children and said, ‘If you stay behind and get into trouble, that’s on you.’

“They all followed him and climbed into the calabash standing in the corner. The opening was at the top where they could get in. When they were all inside, Spider rolled the thing over so the mouth lay flat on the floor.

“Leopard came in and found a big pot of rice on the fire and a pot of soup on the ground. The meat they’d been cooking was bush-hog. Everything was ready to serve. Leopard sat down and laughed to himself. Then he took all the rice, took the soup, and poured the soup over the rice. He ate every bit of it, not leaving a single grain. Spider wanted to cry, but he was trapped inside the calabash.

“When Leopard had finished eating, he went outside and sniffed around, but he couldn’t smell Spider. He went back in, sniffing and sniffing. Then he bent down, spotted the little calabash over there, and went to smell it. He caught Spider’s scent. He scraped it with his foot and tipped it over. The spiders scattered everywhere, and there were so many Leopard didn’t know which one to grab. They fled into the nearby bush and gathered at the base of a big tree.

“After Leopard had eaten the meat, he threw the bones on the ground. As Spider ran past, he snatched up an old bone Leopard had tossed away. He held it close and sat beneath a big stick with his wife and children.

“Then Leopard came with a sling. He loaded it with a stone, swung it round, and let it fly. It struck Bucknaykuhnunt, the biggest child. The child cried out.

“Spider said, ‘Don’t shout. Shut your mouth. Leopard will come and catch us. Take this bone and suck it.’

“The child said nothing. He took the bone but couldn’t suck it, he was too hurt. Leopard sent another stone and hit another child, and he kept on until he’d struck them all. Each time a child was hit, Spider said the same thing, but there was only one bone. So whenever someone new was hurt, Spider snatched the bone from the last one and gave it to the next.

“At last Leopard sent a stone that flew past the children and struck Nahker on the jaw. She cried out, calling for her mother.

“Spider said, ‘Wife, stop shouting. Shut your mouth. Leopard will catch us. Take the bone and suck it.’

“But in the end Leopard took a stone as big as a town, put it in his sling, and fired it straight at Spider’s forehead. Spider screamed about trouble and called for his mother.

“His wife said, ‘Spider, stop shouting. Shut your mouth. Look for the bone to suck.’

“Spider snapped, ‘Are you mad? After someone hits your companion, you don’t tell them to hush, you tell them to cry out, and now you want to talk about sucking bones. Is this the time for that?’

“Spider kept screaming until Leopard came and caught them. Leopard beat them all. Nahker and the children died, but Spider escaped to another country.

“People never kill Spider when they beat him. They let him live so he can feel the pain, and remember what he’s done.

“And to this day, Spider and Leopard are not friends again.”