The Baboons Who Went This Way and That

Read The Baboons Who Went This Way and That for Free Online

Book: Read The Baboons Who Went This Way and That for Free Online
Authors: Alexander McCall Smith
through our fence of thorns as if it were nothing.”
     
    The pumpkin people nodded and said: “That creature must be an elephant. Only an elephant could do that.”
    Then they told the river people what had happened to their field of pumpkins and the river people nodded their heads and said: “That must be a hyena. Only a hyena would have the cunning to dig his way under a fence of thorns.”
       
    There were some animals who heard the people talking in this way. They heard the sad voices of the men and saw the place where the tears had fallen on the ground. These animals, who had kind hearts, were saddened and they went off into the bush and told the other animals about what had happened. Even some birds heard the story and began to sing sad songs about it.
     
    Of course it was not long before the elephant and the hyena heard what was being said about them. All the other animals now said that they were wicked and that they should not have caused so much sadness to the growers of the crops. The elephant felt ashamed when he realized  what the other animals were saying about him and so he went to see the hyena.

     
    “Everybody is calling us evil,” he said. “They shake their heads when they mention our names and say that there is enough food for everybody without our stealing the food of other people.”
    The hyena felt ashamed too and he lowered his head to the ground and howled through his yellow teeth.
    “I do not like to think of my name being so bad,” he said to the elephant. “Let’s go to the chief and ask him to change our names.”
    The elephant thought that this was a good idea. Once he was no longer called an elephant, then he would be able to hold his head up again among the other animals.
     
    “We shall set off early tomorrow morning,” he said to the hyena. “It is a long way to that chief’s house and we shall need all day to travel.”
    * * *
    The next morning the two friends set off just as the first light of the sun came over the top of the hills. They walked through the bush all morning and stopped only for a short time at midday. Throughout the afternoon they walked, following the path that led to the chief’s village, watching the sun go slowly down the sky. At last, just as the sun sank and the first of the stars began to glimmer above them, they saw the fires of the chief’s village.
     
    The chief’s messenger welcomed them at the entrance to the village. He had heard of the bad name of the elephant and the hyena, but because they were visitors to the chief he did not show his feelings about them.
    “We have come to have our names changed,” explained the hyena, his red eyes glowing in the darkness.
    The chief’s messenger listened politely and then said: “I’m sorry, but it’s too late for the chief to change your names. He can do that tomorrow morning when itis light and he can see what he is doing. I shall get some boys to show you to your sleeping quarters for the night.”
    A tall boy came and took the elephant to the place where he was to sleep. Because he was so large, this had to be in a field. The boy wished the elephant a good night and then he took the hyena to his place. Not being so large, the hyena was able to sleep in a hut, and was given the skin of a water-buck with which to cover himself.
    “At night there are only stars in the sky,” said the boy. “You will need this skin to keep you warm.”
    The hyena thanked him and settled down in a corner of the hut and began to cover himself with the skin. The boy closed the door of the hut and went back to the chief’s messenger.
    “Our guests have gone to bed,” he said.
    “Good,” said the messenger. “They can speak to the chief when the sun comes up and he can change their names then. That will make them happy.” 
     
       
    Just before the first light of the morning, the hyena crept out of his hut and made his way to the elephant’s sleeping field. He walked low down, his head dropped, as if

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