Mongoose and Goat shared a house, but they quarreled.
As Goat dashed out of the house, he ran into Leopard. Terrified, he bleated, "Auntie Le-le-le-leopard....."
Leopard interrupted. "Quiet, Goat! I need medicine. My cub is sick. Do you have medicine?"
"No," said Goat, thinking a wicked thought, "but Mongoose does. There, in that house!"
Leopard bounded into the house. "Give me medicine!" she said.
"I need a goat-horn to put it in," said Mongoose.
Leopard immediately ran out, killed Goat, and brought back the horn, but Mongoose was already gone.
So Mongoose escaped, and Goat fell into his own trap.
Inspired by: "The Fox and the Goat" in Negro Culture In West Africa by George W. Ellis, 1914.
Notes: You can read the original story online. The sending back-and-forth of Leopard is more elaborate in the original story; I shortened it to make it fit. There actually aren't any foxes in Liberia, nor are there any jackals, so I decided that perhaps the animal in question might be a mongoose, as I also did here: Race for the Princess-Bride.
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