The Tortoise, the Leopard, and the Crocodile

"Give me some meat to eat now," Tortoise told Leopard, "and I'll give you Man to eat later."

"I've never seen Man," said Leopard.

"Don't worry," replied Tortoise. "I'll show you; he's covered with green scales."

So Leopard gave Tortoise some meat.

Tortoise said the same to Crocodile, who also had never seen Man. "I'll show you," Tortoise said. "He's covered with spots."

So Crocodile gave Tortoise some meat.

Then Tortoise led Leopard to the river. "Here's Man!" he shouted. Crocodile saw Leopard's spots; Leopard saw Crocodile's scales. "Man!" they each thought. 

They fought. 

They died. 

Tortoise ate them both.

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Inspired by: "The Tortoise Tricks the Leopard and the Crocodile" in On Another Day: Tales Told among the Nkundo of Zaire by Mabel Ross and Barbara Walker, 1979.
Notes: You can read the original story online. This story was told by Bekolo Bemo, as translated by Mabel Ross.

Tortoise by William Warby at Flickr