“When I was poor, everyone mocked me,” Tortoise thought. “Now they only pretend to like me, but I’ll teach them a lesson.”
Tortoise announced another feast. He invited all the people and the animals, but he sent his own wife and children away.
Then, when everyone arrived, Tortoise beat the drum. Just as Tortoise expected, the warriors appeared and attacked all the guests. Tortoise kept drumming, and the warriors kept attacking.
Tortoise didn’t stop until all the guests were lying on the ground, groaning in agony.
“That will teach them!” Tortoise said, laughing. “They won’t pretend to like me anymore!”
[a story from southern Nigeria]
Inspired by: Folk Stories From Southern Nigeria by Elphinstone Dayrell.
Notes: This is a continuation of Tortoise and the King's Drum. In the original story, Tortoise them demands that the king give him something else, which leads to this story: Tortoise and the Breadfruit-Tree.
Tortoise: called ijapa in Yoruba language.
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