A long time ago there was a woman who lived alone in the forest. Now this woman had a little baby and she used to cook bone soup for this baby. In the same forest there lived many, many hyenas and they had made a path near the hut of this woman.
One day, one hyena went to get some fire from the woman. He found the woman removing the soup from the fire. He was given a bone which he ate with relish:
‘Where do you get these succulent bones?’
‘If you like you could come and look after my baby when I am out in the shamba looking for food. In return I could give you bones to eat. But under no circumstances are you to eat the bone when you are carrying the baby on your back.’
The hyena agreed to look after the baby for a fee of some bones every day. The woman used to go and fetch firewood and the hyena would be left at home looking after the baby. He was to wash, give him meat and soup and then put him to bed. Only when the baby was asleep was he to start eating his share of bones.
Now one day there were very many long bones to eat and the hyena in his hurry to eat them all forgot that he could not eat them while the baby was still on his back. The baby was asleep. His sleep was disturbed when one of the bones that the hyena was eating jumped and hit the baby on the head. The baby died without a single sound. The hyena had to think quickly. He took the baby and washed him very nicely. Then he took the baby’s caster oil and applied it to the baby’s skin. And the baby’s skin shone and glistened like a dancer’s face in the afternoon sun. The hyena put the baby to bed and sat by the fireside waiting for the mother of the baby to come.
The woman came. ‘Where is the baby?’ she asked. Said the hyena: ‘Hi, be is still asleep. I gave him so much meat and soup so that he sleeps like a log.’
The woman did not say anything. She sat by the fireside ready to prepare some food. After a short while the hyena went pretending to check whether the baby was still asleep.
‘The baby still sleeps. Let him sleep. He looks quite peaceful and comfortable. He will not bother you while you cook.’
The woman was becoming suspicious: ‘How is it that today the baby sleeps so much. He always eats meat and soup, does he not?’ She went and looked at the baby. She touched him and found that her baby was dead and cold. ‘Take him and throw him away.’ The hyena took the body and carelessly threw it behind the hut. Then he cut one of the arms and swallowed it. He came in the hut.
‘Where did you throw the baby?’
‘Behind the hut. Where else could I have thrown it?’
‘Go back. Take the body and throw it further away.
You can throw him beyond those trees near the river.’
The hyena rushed out and got hold of the body. And when he took the body, he ran all the way to the riverside. There he ate the baby bone and all.
Time passed. The woman still kept the hyena. He used to look after the hut when the woman was out in the fields. She was at the same time thinking of a way of punishing the hyena because she knew it was the hyena who had killed her baby with a bone.
One day she caught the hyena and tied him to a tree that was outside her hut. Inside the hut she put many, many long needles on the fire to boil while she went out to her garden. The hyena knew that there were needles boiling in the hut. He also suspected that he was going to be punished by having these sharp needles thrown onto him. He could do nothing because the rope that tied him was very strong. Just then, however, he saw some of his old friends passing by. They asked him:
‘Haiya son, why are you tied to a tree like that?’
‘Because I refused to drink soup with one fly in it.’ Said one most greedy hyena:
‘Hi! Hi! I will drink that soup with one fly in it. Where is it, son?’
‘Come here. Untie me and then I will tie you to the tree. When they ask you whether you can drink soup with one fly in it, tell them to bring it.’
And so this hyena was tied to the tree and his friend followed his old friends into the forest.
When the woman came, she went straight inside the hut. She came out carrying the boiling needles. She started throwing them at the hyena whom she thought was the same who had killed her baby:
Take that! And that!’
‘I will drink soup with one fly in it!’
‘You killed him, now take that one and that.’
‘I tell you I love the soup! I will drink it. Do not kill me ohoo.’
But the woman beat the hyena until he was completely dead.
The end
One day, one hyena went to get some fire from the woman. He found the woman removing the soup from the fire. He was given a bone which he ate with relish:
‘Where do you get these succulent bones?’
‘If you like you could come and look after my baby when I am out in the shamba looking for food. In return I could give you bones to eat. But under no circumstances are you to eat the bone when you are carrying the baby on your back.’
The hyena agreed to look after the baby for a fee of some bones every day. The woman used to go and fetch firewood and the hyena would be left at home looking after the baby. He was to wash, give him meat and soup and then put him to bed. Only when the baby was asleep was he to start eating his share of bones.
Now one day there were very many long bones to eat and the hyena in his hurry to eat them all forgot that he could not eat them while the baby was still on his back. The baby was asleep. His sleep was disturbed when one of the bones that the hyena was eating jumped and hit the baby on the head. The baby died without a single sound. The hyena had to think quickly. He took the baby and washed him very nicely. Then he took the baby’s caster oil and applied it to the baby’s skin. And the baby’s skin shone and glistened like a dancer’s face in the afternoon sun. The hyena put the baby to bed and sat by the fireside waiting for the mother of the baby to come.
The woman came. ‘Where is the baby?’ she asked. Said the hyena: ‘Hi, be is still asleep. I gave him so much meat and soup so that he sleeps like a log.’
The woman did not say anything. She sat by the fireside ready to prepare some food. After a short while the hyena went pretending to check whether the baby was still asleep.
‘The baby still sleeps. Let him sleep. He looks quite peaceful and comfortable. He will not bother you while you cook.’
The woman was becoming suspicious: ‘How is it that today the baby sleeps so much. He always eats meat and soup, does he not?’ She went and looked at the baby. She touched him and found that her baby was dead and cold. ‘Take him and throw him away.’ The hyena took the body and carelessly threw it behind the hut. Then he cut one of the arms and swallowed it. He came in the hut.
‘Where did you throw the baby?’
‘Behind the hut. Where else could I have thrown it?’
‘Go back. Take the body and throw it further away.
You can throw him beyond those trees near the river.’
The hyena rushed out and got hold of the body. And when he took the body, he ran all the way to the riverside. There he ate the baby bone and all.
Time passed. The woman still kept the hyena. He used to look after the hut when the woman was out in the fields. She was at the same time thinking of a way of punishing the hyena because she knew it was the hyena who had killed her baby with a bone.
One day she caught the hyena and tied him to a tree that was outside her hut. Inside the hut she put many, many long needles on the fire to boil while she went out to her garden. The hyena knew that there were needles boiling in the hut. He also suspected that he was going to be punished by having these sharp needles thrown onto him. He could do nothing because the rope that tied him was very strong. Just then, however, he saw some of his old friends passing by. They asked him:
‘Haiya son, why are you tied to a tree like that?’
‘Because I refused to drink soup with one fly in it.’ Said one most greedy hyena:
‘Hi! Hi! I will drink that soup with one fly in it. Where is it, son?’
‘Come here. Untie me and then I will tie you to the tree. When they ask you whether you can drink soup with one fly in it, tell them to bring it.’
And so this hyena was tied to the tree and his friend followed his old friends into the forest.
When the woman came, she went straight inside the hut. She came out carrying the boiling needles. She started throwing them at the hyena whom she thought was the same who had killed her baby:
Take that! And that!’
‘I will drink soup with one fly in it!’
‘You killed him, now take that one and that.’
‘I tell you I love the soup! I will drink it. Do not kill me ohoo.’
But the woman beat the hyena until he was completely dead.
The end