--- title: Ii.--the Cunning Hare; Or, Why the Tortoise Has a Patched… — Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria · full text with trees · page 2 description: Ii.--the Cunning Hare; Or, Why the Tortoise Has a Patched Shell., «Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria» by Elphinstone Dayrell: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: The hare (_asima bieso_, native name) was known to everyone as a very cunning anim --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/4/page/2/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/) / Ii.--the Cunning Hare; Or, Why the Tor… # Ii.--the Cunning Hare; Or, Why the Tortoise Has a Patched Shell. · page 2 [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/4/) **2** The tortoise then charged the hare with attempting to steal the king’s meat, and told the people of the trap he had set.[60](../../60/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare was found guilty, and was ordered to pay a large number of brass rods, and he was told that if they were not forthcoming, he would be killed, and that his mother and sister would be killed with him, as he had been the cause of the death of so many animals.[61](../../61/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare begged for a little time to enable him to get the rods, which was allowed to him.[62](../../62/ "tree and pragmatics") He then ran home and got his mother and sister to come with him at once to the foot of a big cotton tree, and, having got a rope round the lowest branch, he very soon got to the top of the tree, where he built a small hut for himself and his people.[63](../../63/ "tree and pragmatics") The hare then went down to the lowest branch where the rope was, and hauled his mother and sister up.[64](../../64/ "tree and pragmatics") He put them in the hut at the top of the tree, and sat down himself next to the rope with a sharp knife in his hand.[65](../../65/ "tree and pragmatics") As the hare did not appear at the appointed time to pay the rods, the people went to his house, and found that they had all disappeared.[66](../../66/ "tree and pragmatics") It did not take long, however, to discover that he had taken refuge in the cotton tree, so they all went there and found the rope hanging down.[67](../../67/ "tree and pragmatics") Then they all began to climb the rope together, leaving the tortoise on the ground, and just as he was about to commence to climb, the others having already reached halfway, the hare cut the rope with one cut of his sharp knife, and all the animals fell down upon the tortoise, smashing his smooth shell into small pieces, and hurting themselves very much.[68](../../68/ "tree and pragmatics") No one was killed, however, and they limped home one after the other.[69](../../69/ "tree and pragmatics") On the way they passed the tortoise’s house, so they told Mrs. Tortoise that they had fallen on her husband from a great height, and that his shell was broken into pieces.[70](../../70/ "tree and pragmatics") On hearing this the mammie tortoise got her basket and went off to the cotton tree.[71](../../71/ "tree and pragmatics") Having picked up all the pieces of her husband’s shell, and having placed them in the basket, she lifted the tortoise and carried them all home.[72](../../72/ "tree and pragmatics") When she got inside she put all the little pieces of the shell together and placed them on her husband’s back, where they grew quite strongly, but the marks showed where the pieces were joined together, and that is why you always find that the shell of a tortoise is covered in patches, and not smooth as it was formerly.--\[E.D., 26.5.10.\][73](../../73/ "tree and pragmatics") \_Note.[74](../../74/ "tree and pragmatics") The Inkum people came from a country about five or six days’ march north-west of the site of their present town, where hares abound.[75](../../75/ "tree and pragmatics") There are no hares in the country now occupied by them on the Cross River.[76](../../76/ "tree and pragmatics") This is one of their old stories, which they brought with them when they were driven south by the Awala tribe, and is still handed on from one generation to another.[77](../../77/ "tree and pragmatics") Told by Abassi, an Inkum boy.--\[E.D.\][78](../../78/ "tree and pragmatics") III.--THE STORY OF IGIRI AND HER HUSBAND INKANG, WHO BROUGHT UP A MUSHROOM BABY BOY, AND WHAT BECAME OF HIM.[79](../../79/ "tree and pragmatics") Chief Inkang of Inkum was married to a woman named Igiri.[80](../../80/ "tree and pragmatics") She was a fine well-made woman, and the chief was so fond of her that he would not have any other wives.[81](../../81/ "tree and pragmatics") Igiri was quite faithful to her husband, and never went with other men.[82](../../82/ "tree and pragmatics") They lived together for several years without having any children, much to their mutual grief.[83](../../83/ "tree and pragmatics") Inkang then told his wife to consult the ju-ju man, to see what should be done, in order that she might bear a son who would inherit his father’s property and look after his mother in her old age.[84](../../84/ "tree and pragmatics") The ju-ju man was consulted by Igiri, and the usual sacrifices of fowls and eggs were made, but without any result.[85](../../85/ "tree and pragmatics") When the time for collecting mushrooms arrived, which is the beginning of the rainy season, about the month of May, Igiri went out with her basket to collect mushrooms for their food, and her husband went with her.[86](../../86/ "tree and pragmatics") When they arrived at the forest they separated, Igiri going in one direction and Inkang going off in another, but not so far away that they could not hear one another shout.[87](../../87/ "tree and pragmatics") Igiri went on gathering the mushrooms and putting them in her basket, until at last she came across a very large mushroom which was fat and white.[88](../../88/ "tree and pragmatics") Then Igiri said, “How I do wish that this mushroom would turn into a boy baby, which we want so badly.”[89](../../89/ "tree and pragmatics") The mushroom, who was kind-hearted, then took pity on Igiri, and turned itself into a boy baby, much to the joy of the woman, who at once picked the baby up and placed him in her basket with the mushrooms.[90](../../90/ "tree and pragmatics") Without troubling to look for any more mushrooms, she put the basket on her head and called out to her husband, saying she was going home at once, and that he was to follow.[91](../../91/ "tree and pragmatics") When she reached the house, she was so pleased at having got the baby, that she asked Inkang to help her down with the basket.[92](../../92/ "tree and pragmatics") At this he was rather surprised, as, although it is the custom for anyone near to help the women to put down their heavy loads when they come in from the farm, this would not be done with a light load like mushrooms.[93](../../93/ "tree and pragmatics") Inkang therefore said to his wife, “What have you put in the basket to make it so heavy that you want me to help you down with it?[94](../../94/ "tree and pragmatics") Is it not mushrooms you have there?”[95](../../95/ "tree and pragmatics") His wife replied, “Only help me with the basket, and you shall then see what I have got.”[96](../../96/ "tree and pragmatics") Inkang’s curiosity was immediately aroused, so he went to his wife and helped her to place the basket carefully on the ground.[97](../../97/ "tree and pragmatics") Then they opened the basket together, and, to the chief’s intense surprise and joy, he saw a fat little baby boy lying smiling in the bottom of the basket, half covered with mushrooms.[98](../../98/ "tree and pragmatics") He then embraced his wife, who told him all that had happened in the forest.[99](../../99/ "tree and pragmatics") Inkang then said, “We must hide the boy in the house until he grows up, so that the people will not know what we have got.”[100](../../100/ "tree and pragmatics") Igiri took great care of the child for the next six years, and he grew up a strong boy.[101](../../101/ "tree and pragmatics") When the planting season came round, which is towards the end of the dry season, the chief and his wife used to go off every morning early to their farm, returning in the evening.[102](../../102/ "tree and pragmatics") The boy was always left at home, but the woman prepared food for him and placed it high up over the fireplace, and showed the boy how to get at it by standing on a native-made box.[103](../../103/ "tree and pragmatics") The first day they went to the farm the little boy got his food down and eat it, but did not notice that a small boy from the neighbouring town was watching him.[104](../../104/ "tree and pragmatics") The next day the small boy from the town, who was hungry (yams being scarce at that time), waited until the mushroom boy had gone out, and then went softly in and stole all the food, filling the calabash with water, which he replaced where he had found the food.[105](../../105/ "tree and pragmatics") This happened for three days in succession, until the mushroom boy became so hungry that he determined to go back to the forest where he came from, and turn himself back into a mushroom again.[106](../../106/ "tree and pragmatics") He was angry with Inkang and Igiri because he thought they were fooling him, and, of course, he knew nothing about the thief boy who had stolen his food each day.[107](../../107/ "tree and pragmatics") On his way to the forest he met his foster parents returning from the farm, and told them what his intention was.[108](../../108/ "tree and pragmatics") They did their best to persuade him to return home with them, but he was obstinate, and ran away to the place in the forest where he came from, and, having arrived there, turned himself into a mushroom and disappeared for ever.[109](../../109/ "tree and pragmatics") Since that time the mushroom has refused to take pity on women who have no children, and he has never changed himself into a baby again.[110](../../110/ "tree and pragmatics") Told by Abassi of Inkum.--(E.D., 27.5.10.)[111](../../111/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/4/) **2** - ← previous: [page 1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/4/) - next →: [Iv.--how Elili of Inkum Died, and Was Brought Back to Life Again.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/5/) - ↑ back to [Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg70959/)