TURTLE AND LEOPARD

One day, Turtle went to Leopard's house. He saw Mrs. Leopard standing at the door. Turtle bowed and said, "How do you do, ma'am?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied. "How are you?"

"Well," Turtle said, "I've got a fever and my skin hurts all over. I'm so sick with fever that I'm going to go to the bush to look for roots and make a root tea."

"That sounds proper," says Mrs. Leopard.

"By the way, where is Mr. Leopard today" asked Mr. Turtle.

"He's out hunting" she replied. "You haven't seen him?"

"No, ma'am," Turtle replied. "I'm sorry he's away far, because if he had been here I'd go ride him like a horse."

This statement upset Mrs. Leopard, so Turtle went home. When Mr. Leopard returned, Mrs. Leopard told him that Turtle said he was going to ride him like a horse. Mr. Leopard went wild, cracked his teeth, growled, and went over to Turtle's house.

"So, you say you are going to ride me like a horse?!"

"No I did not!" said Turtle "I never said anything like that!"

Leopard says, "All right then, let's go ask my wife."

Turtle replied "But I cant walk. I am sick with fever all over."

"Okay, I'll give you a ride" Leopard replied.

And Turtle replied "Fever will make me fall. Get me a little rope. I'll tie it around your mouth Mister Leopard. I'll hold on to the rope so that when I shake with the fever, I will not fall off of you."

Leopard got him the rope.

Then Turtle said, "Give me one little stick, Mister Leopard, so that I can keep the flies from bothering either one of us."

Leopard got him the stick. And off they went, with Leopard carrying Mister Turtle, and Turtle bouncing but holding the rope, and with Turtle flogging Leopard with the stick.

When they reached Leopard's home, his wife was waiting. She pointed at Mister Leopard and said, "Well, it's true. Turtle said he was going to ride you like a horse, and he's doing just that!" and she burst out laughing.

Mister Leopard realized that he had been fooled, and he grabbed Turtle off his back. He was mad now. He grabbed the rope and the stick and held Turtle tight. Then he found a bigger stick, and flogged Turtle multiple times, and so hard that the shell on his back had cuts all over it.

So the story goes, Turtle did ride Mister Leopard like a horse, and that is why he still has marks from the turtle-whipping on his back shell.

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