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All for the Skin of a Lion · African Jungle Tales

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  Section twenty five of African Jungle Tales by Carl Bender. This LibriVox recording is
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  in the public domain. All for the skin of a lion. Friend,
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  said the lion one day to the rabbit, Stop and listen what I have
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  to tell you. Should you ever happen to run across the deer anywhere,
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  then let me know. But secretly, mind you, it was the good
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  fortune of the rabbit to meet the deer the very next day. Listen,
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  whispered the rabbit to the deer. The lion is after you. Let me
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  advise you to be on your guard, you don't say, answered the deer.
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  How good of you to go out of your way to warn me.
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  I sincerely hope to be able to do you a good turn. Some day,
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  after the rabbit had left the deer, the mountain goat came along,
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  and the deer beckoned him to come nearer, and then said, listen,
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  cousin, and don't forget what I tell you. If at any time you
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  should happen to meet the lion who was searching for me so diligently, then
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  greet him in my behalf and tell him that I will never do him the
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  favor of letting him catch me. When the lion heard this from the lips
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  of the goat, his rage knew no bounds. Who in all the world
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  could have apprised the dear of my intentions, he roared, More likely as
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  not the rabbit played this infamous trick on me. But wait, you rascal,
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  If ever I meet you, it will cost you your skin. After
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  many feudile efforts to ensnare and catch the rabbit, the lion one day surprised
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  him while he was sleeping under the ledge of a rock. Ah got him
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  at last thought he just let me get hold of him. I shall rip
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  him to shreds. Just as he was about to act, the rabbit,
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  quick as a flash shot out between the lion's legs, and before the latter
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  had time to think what had happened, he was gone. Several days later,
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  the rabbit unexpectedly ran up against the lion. He saw at a glance
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  that this time an attempt to escape would be useless, so he mustered up
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  courage, walked up to the lion, and devotedly greeted him as his superior
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  and king. Where have you come from, you miserable scamp of a tattler?
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  The lion roared, may your Majesty live forever. I've been told that
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  your majesty is building a new palace, and I thought it to be my
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  duty to come and offer my humble services. Meekly, answered the rabbit.
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  Well well, said the lion, feeling at once pleased and flattered at the
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  words of the rabbit. That certainly is good of you. Come right along
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  and we will get to work at once. I'm just putting on the roof.
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  You can climb right up and lay the mats in position. I shall
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  go inside and fasten them to the frame. Your humble servant, my lord,
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  said the rabbit. But how can a simple and insignificant creature like me
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  work on the roof. I fear I shall make a bungling job of it.
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  No, my lord, that is work for the great, for men
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  of experience. Let me work inside. I pray you I can tie the
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  mats to the frame while you work outside on the roof. I believe you
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  are right, said the lion, who again felt flattered at the words of
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  the rabbit. Harmoniously, they worked together, the lion outside on the roof
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  and the rabbit inside. The mats they tied to the framework of the roof
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  with bush rope. In the following manner, the lion would pierce the mats
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  from the top and stick through them one end of the rope. This the
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  rabbit would pull down twisted around one of the staves of the frame, and
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  then pierce the mats from below. The lion would then pull up the rope,
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  draw it tight, and proceed as before. In this way, all
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  the mats were tied to the frame of the roof while they were at work.
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  It so happened that the lion's tail hung down through the roof. The
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  lion was so taken up with his work that he never thought of the possibility
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  of being tied to the roof by his tail, But the rabbit thought only
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  the more of it. Here was an opportunity to get square with the lion,
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  and he made use of it every time. When he twisted the rope
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  to tie a mat, he also twisted it around the lion's tail and pulled
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  it tight. When the lion felt the stinging pain in his tail, he
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  thought that he was being maliciously pricked by the rabbit with the pointed end of
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  the rope, and he called down to the rabbit, what are you up
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  to you, scoundrel, What do you mean by pricking me? Not so,
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  my lord, answered the rabbit from below. I only picked off a
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  few ticks which I happened to see on your tail. How good of you,
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  said the lion. I should have known. When the rabbit had convinced
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  himself that the lion's tail was securely tied, he said, hunger pinches me,
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  my lord, and you have such delicious meat in your cooking pot.
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  May I help myself to a bit? All right, answered the lion,
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  But beware of taking the choicest and best. A lean piece ought to be
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  good enough for you. The rabbit, utterly, ignoring the words of the
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  lion, sat down to eat. When the lion, who was watching from
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  the roof, noticed how the rabbit helped himself to the choicest and best pieces,
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  he cried, hey you there, did I not tell you to take
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  a lean piece? I take what I please, retorted the rabbit. This
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  thoroughly aroused the lion, and, jumping up, he roared, you good
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  for nothing, and scoundrel? Did you hear what I said? As he
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  spoke, he wanted to jump off the roof, but alas he was tied
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  to the roof by his tail. Unable to move from the spot, every
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  effort to free himself not only caused him more pain, but also tightened the
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  rope only the more. When the rabbit saw that the lion was tied,
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  he got up and killed him. The skin he took, and with it
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  adorned himself there, said he, Now all the animals will flee in terror
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  before me. Then he arose and went to the home of the monkeys.
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  The monkeys were just getting ready for a feast, and big pots of beer
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  were steaming over the fire. All of them expected to have a jolly good
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  time. They sat around the fire in a circle and smacked their tongues in
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  anticipation of the treat that awaited them. Suddenly, the rabbit, disguised as
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  a lion, appeared in their midst. Fear and consternation took possession of them.
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  What in all the world could the lion want? What object could he
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  have in coming upon them? So suddenly these were the thoughts that troubled their
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  minds. Trembling with fear. The chief of the monkeys arose and said,
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  we are glad to welcome you in our midst. O lion, thank you,
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  said he and sat down. How do you fare, o King,
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  Some of the more daring of the monkeys ventured to ask, very well answered
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  with a condescending gesture, the lion, May we offer you a ladle or
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  two of our water, O king, asked the head of the clan,
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  and two big pots of beer were placed before him. The chief then filled
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  the ladle with beer, sipped of it, and then offered it to his
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  distinguished guest, who at once dipped the ladle into the pot, filled it
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  to the brim, and drank with the hearty approval of the assembly, to
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  your health, King of the monkeys, they shouted, with all these honors
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  heaped upon him. The rabbit was more than pleased. It was a new
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  sensation to him to be praised and looked upon as the acknowledged lord over all.
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  Shortly after this, the monkeys arose and said, it may have caused
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  you to wonder, o King, why we have gathered in this wise and
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  at this time. But the beer which you see and of which you have
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  tasted, has been brewed for our friends, who help us to cultivate our
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  fields. You certainly know that this is just the time of the year for
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  such work. Quite so Quite so, said the lion. But you must
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  not be disturbed on my account. Just go to your fields. On your
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  return you will certainly find me still here. Thereupon, the monkeys picked up
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  their hose and started single file for their farms in the jungle. They had
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  not gone very far when one of their number discovered that they had forgotten the
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  seed corn. Wait, said one of the men, I'll hurry back to
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  get it. When he reached the enclosure where they had left the lion,
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  he hurriedly brushed through the door. To his amazement, he saw the skin
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  of a lion spread out on the ground, and a rabbit sitting on top
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  of it. Ah ha, said the monkey, after he had sufficiently recovered
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  from the shock. The lion was but a rabbit in disguise, and he
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  hurried back and told the others what he had seen. Not the lion,
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  but a rabbit sitting on a lion's skin and picking off ticks. Up.
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  Let us catch and punish the rabbit. They all cried after they had heard
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  the strange news, and in wild haste, they hurried back to their crawl.
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  When the rabbit heard the shouting and tramping of feet coming nearer, he
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  became alarmed. He instinctively felt that trouble was ahead, that something was going
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  to happen if he did not bethink himself in time. So, acting on
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  the spur of the moment, he leaped over the enclosure and fled, leaving
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  the skin of the lion behind. When the monkeys saw that the rabbit had
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  fled, they followed in pursuit, determined to revenge themselves on the mean trickster.
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  The rabbit succeeded in hiding himself in a hollow tree, his pursuers just
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  miss seeing him, and hurried by. A diligent search was made in the
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  high grass and among the brambles, but no trace of the rabbit was found.
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  The monkeys got wild. Where in all the world can he be?
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  They all cried? Did the earth swallow him up? During all this time,
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  the rabbit had felt quite secure in his safe retreat, But then something
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  happened which it was not in his power to prevent. A nasty little fly
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  had crept into his nose and caused him to sneeze. This the monkeys heard
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  and commenced to search anew in the direction. Whence the sound had come closer
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  and closer. The monkeys came to the tree where the rabbit was hiding.
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  He could plainly hear them talk and understand what they said. Afraid that,
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  after all his pursuers might detect him, the rabbit left his retreat in the
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  hope of reaching the plain. But the monkeys had seen him and rushed on
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  and wild in relentless pursuit. The rabbit had a good start, and the
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  patches of underbrush and sudan grass decidedly were in his favor and helped to conceal
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  him for a time at least. Nevertheless, he knew that his capture would
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  be only a matter of time unless he managed somehow to trick them again.
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  A mud puddle, which he chanced to see right ahead of him, served
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  his purpose most admirably. Running straight into it, He rolled himself in the
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  mud several times, and then sat down by the wayside. Presently the monkeys
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  came along. On seeing the rabbit, they took him to be a stranger
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  and cried, hey, there, you mud wiggle. Did you see a
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  rabbit run by? Here? I saw one run by only a few minutes
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  ago. The rabbit lied, You certainly must have seen the cloud of dust
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  which he raised On hearing this, the monkeys hurried on. They kept up
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  the pursuit until sunset. Then they went home, disappointed and tired, and
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  pledging themselves to take bloody revenge on the rabbit at the first chance. The
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  lion skin, which the rabbit had left behind, the chief of the monkeys
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  took for himself. He dawned it every time he went hunting to frighten the
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  animals with One day, while out in search of big game, he met
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  the tiger, who had just killed a mountain goat, and he commenced to
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  roar in a most frightful manner, so as to create the impression that he
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  really was a lion. When the tiger saw and heard, he fled and
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  left the mountain goat behind. This was just what the Chief of the monkeys
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  wanted. He at once called his people together and bab them carry home the
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  game. Soon after, the tiger killed an antelope. He was just getting
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  ready for his meal when again the terrible roar of the lion was heard.
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  Presently, the rustling underbrush parted and there stood the monkey in the disguise of
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  a lion. Again, the tiger fled, leaving the antelope to the monkey.
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  Who now began to poke fun at the credulity of the tiger. One
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  day, it happened that the tiger met some of the monkey's children while they
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  were at play in a field, and he made use of this opportunity and
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  carried one of the little monkeys off. The others ran away screaming. On
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  reaching his hut in the jungle, the tiger questioned his little prisoner and said,
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  tell me, where is the den of the lion that continuously robs me.
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  I have caught a mountain goat, and he robbed me of it.
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  Later on I caught an antelope, this too he took away from me.
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  I am willing to let you go if you reveal to me the hiding place
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  of the lion. Then the little fellow, trembling with fear, said to
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  the tiger, be it known unto you, o king, that it is
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  not a lion that troubles you, but the chief of the monkeys, disguised
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  as a lion. But I beg you, my lord, not to betray
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  me. If you tell this thing to my people, they will surely kill
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  me, I have heard. Growled the tiger. Away with you now,
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  and the little monkey ran off glad to saved his life. Not so very
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  long after, the chief of the monkeys again went out hunting, but this
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  time the tiger was hiding in the underbrush and laying in wait for him.
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  There comes my man, said the tiger, when he heard the roar of
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  the lion. Soon he heard a rustling noise near by, and he placed
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  himself in position. Unsuspectingly, the chief of the monkeys came up. While
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  he was looking about, seemingly lost in thought. The tiger suddenly swooped down
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  upon him, and in less time than it takes to tell, the tiger
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  held the monkey tight in his clutches. Realizing that resistance was useless, the
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  chief of the monkey said to the tiger, my lord, I pray you
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  grant me an opportunity to parley with you. What ransom have you to offer,
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  the tiger asked, Come with me, my lord. The Chief of
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  the monkeys replied, and I will show you. Then the monkey led the
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  tiger to a giant tree, the lower branches of which were one dense mass
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  of foliage, while its upper branches were laden with delicious fruit. My lord,
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  hide yourself in the branches below, said the monkey, while I climb
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  into the top. First, take off the skin and leave it down here
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  with me, said the tiger of a truth. My lord, I believe
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  you are right, answered the monkey, as he divested himself of the skin.
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  Then tiger took the skin of the lion, folded it together, and
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  laid it aside. Now, said the monkey, when I climb into the
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  top and shake the branches, the fruit will fall down, and the deer
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  and mountain goats, who were very fond of it, will assemble under the
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  tree. Then is your chance. It will be up to you to make
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  use of it. The prediction of the monkey came true. He shook the
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  branches with all his might, and as the fruit fell to the ground,
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  many deer and mountain goats gathered under the tree to feed. When the tiger
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  saw this, he picked out the fattest goat, leaped down and laid hold
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  of his prey. Shortly after, the monkey too came down. Humbly approached
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  the tiger and said, my lord, you hold my ransom in your hands.
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  I have received it, answered the tiger. Then the monkey mustered up
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  courage and asked the tiger for the return of the lion's skin. My lord
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  said he could you not make me a present of the skin and make my
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  living by it? If I put it on and roar, All the animals
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  except you are afraid of me. Therefore, let me have the skin.
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  I pray you you may take it, growled the tiger. I have no
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  use for it anyhow, for I live by my own prowess and strength.
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  Take the filthy thing, if you care so much for it. Then the
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  monkey donned the skin again, expressed his gratitude to the tiger, and disappeared
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  in the jungle. Author's note Zulu end of section twenty five, read by
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  Lord Gibbs,