XXVIII.—How the Frog Beat the Bush Buck in a Race, and Won His
Daughter as a Wife.
Long ago, when the men, animals, and birds were living together, there was a bush buck who was fine and strong; he was also a very quick runner. This bush buck had a daughter whose skin shone like a bright red stone. She was much admired by all the men and animals, and many of them wanted to marry her, and spoke to her father on the subject, but he placed such a high dowry on his daughter that no one was rich enough to pay it.
At last some of the young men, who were very anxious to possess the pretty daughter of the bush buck as a wife, asked the father to reduce the amount of dowry to such an amount as they would be able to pay. As the bush buck was very fond and proud of his daughter and did not want to part with her, he refused to reduce the dowry, but told the young men and animals that he would give them all another chance of winning his daughter, and that was, if any one could beat him in a race he would hand his daughter over to the winner as his wife without any dowry at all. In making this offer the bush buck thought he was perfectly safe, as it was well known that he was a faster runner than anyone in the country.
A day was appointed for the races to be held, and a long straight course was cut. It was decided that the races should be run from one end of the course to the other and back again to the starting-point, and the first one to get back would be declared the winner.
When the day for the race arrived a large number of men and animals met, and the course was lined with spectators on both sides as far as the eye could see. Several young men who were noted for their speed and many swift-running animals competed for the bush buck’s daughter, but they were all beaten by the bush buck. After several races of this kind had been held, the fame of the pretty daughter of the bush buck spread far and wide, and many other men and animals came from distant parts to try and win her, but without success.
One day, when the bush buck’s daughter went down to the spring to get drinking-water, she met a young frog, who fell in love with her and decided to ask her father’s consent to their marriage. But before he did so the frog called all his company, who were very numerous, together, and told them that he intended to try and win the bush buck’s daughter, and that he would race her father. At this all the other frogs laughed, and said that the bush buck would have finished the course before the frog had jumped one pace.
The young frog allowed his companions to enjoy their laugh, and when they were quiet again he said, “I have a plan, and if you will all help me I am certain to win the race, and when I have got the bush buck’s daughter for my wife I will give you a big feast, and it will be a great score to us to win her where everybody else has failed.” He then said to his company, “Are we not all alike?” And they answered all together, with one croak, “Yes.” The young frog then told them his plan. As they all knew, the conditions of the race were that the two competitors were to start together and run to the end of the course, and then return to the starting-point, and the one who returned first would be the winner. All the young frogs were to go out in the early morning and hide themselves in holes at intervals along the whole of the course and one frog was to be at the turning point. Whenever the bush buck called out, one of the frogs was to answer him and pretend he had been running all the time.
All the frogs agreed that the plan was a good one, and promised to help their companion to win the race. When he had thus arranged everything to his satisfaction, the young frog went to the bush buck and challenged him to race for his daughter. But, although the bush buck laughed at the idea, he had to consent to run, and the race was arranged for the following day along the usual track, and the first home to be the winner.
Early in the morning all the frogs took up their positions along the course, and the young frog jumped on to the course where the starting-place was and waited for the bush buck to arrive. By this time many people had arrived to watch the race, and soon the bush buck joined the frog, and the signal to start having been given they both jumped off together. But the frog returned to his hole, and the bush buck raced off alone as fast as he could go. When he had gone about half the distance the bush buck called out, “Where are you, frog?” and one of the frogs at once answered, “I am here, are you tired of running?” And the bush buck said, “Yes, I am tired. Let us run back, and the first in shall be the winner.” So he turned round and started off again. When the bush buck got near the starting-place the frog came out of his hole, and directly the people saw that he had got back before the bush buck they declared the frog to be the winner, much to the disgust of many of the young men, who were watching the race, and who cursed the frog for his luck in winning such a fine wife. When the bush buck arrived he was much out of breath from running, and was greatly surprised at being beaten by the frog, but as he had passed his word that he would give his daughter to the winner, he handed her to the frog.
The frog then took his beautiful wife to his house near the spring, where they had a big play; and after the dancing was over the frog gave all the members of his company who had helped him to win the race quantities of food and tombo, which had been prepared for them. The young frog then went into the water, and called upon his wife to follow him. She went into the stream until the water came up to her neck, but, being naturally very timid, she was afraid to go further, and struggled back to the bank, where she said to her husband, “If you wish to live with me you will have to come on to the land, as I cannot live in the water.” So the frog came out and joined his wife, but he only lived with her for a very short time, as the pretty bush buck walked so fast he could not keep up with her. Very soon she strayed away into the forest, where she met a fine young bush buck, and, forgetting all about the frog, went off with her young lover. One day when she went to the spring to draw water the frog called out to her to return to him, but, as she refused to do so, the frog lost his wife for ever whom he had won so cleverly.
Told by Abassi of Inkum.—[E.D., 11.8.10.]