Hunting Otter, Leopard followed the tracks to Otter's home under a tree, but Otter wasn't there.
Up in the tree, Pigeon was watching.
"Pigeon!" Leopard shouted. "Have you seen Otter?"
"He's not here now," said Pigeon. "Shall I tell him you called?"
"Noooooo!" growled Leopard. "That will be our secret."
"I won't tell," Pigeon said.
But when Otter returned, Pigeon said, "Run! Leopard knows you live here."
When Leopard found out, he was furious. He went Hawk and said, "If you're my friend, you'll kill Pigeon."
"I am," said Hawk, "and I will!"
That's why nowadays hawks keep chasing pigeons.
Inspired by: "Why All the Birds Hate Hawk" in Bulu Folk-Tales (in Journal of American Folklore) by George Schwab, 1922. The Bulu are a people who live in Cameroon.
Notes: You can read the original story online. In the original story, Pigeon tricks Leopard repeatedly, and it is after the third time that Leopard goes to Hawk and asks Hawk to kill ALL the birds, not just the pigeon!
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