The Rat and the Fish: 5 African Fables of Patience and Illusion

As a rodent ambulated along the riparian verge, it espied divers piscis. 'Good fortune!' it mused within its cranium, possessed by a ravenous inclination. 'I shall procure a portion thereof!'

In its fervent zeal to purloin the aforementioned piscis, the rodent did fail to observe that they were confined within a piscatorial snare. As it extended its reach into the aqueous medium with the intent to seize the piscis, it, too, became ensnared within the contraption.

'Pray, expound upon the rationale for your unwarranted seizure of my person?' exclaimed the rodent, its tone imbued with indignation. 'I harbor no animosity towards your being, nor, indeed, do I perceive any cause for conflict betwixt us.'

'Thou didst harbour the intention to expropriate that which I had ensnared,' retorted the snare, its voice resonating with unyielding resolve, 'therefore, I have apprehended thee likewise.'

Those who engage in the surreptitious appropriation of the possessions of others shall, assuredly, be subjected to punitive measures befitting their transgressions.

The Tortoise, chancing upon a clutch of fungi sprouting upon a fallen log, declared, “I shall bide my time until these fungi have reached their full maturation, whereupon I shall partake in a most magnificent repast!”

Thus, the Tortoise patiently tarried and lingered.

Presently, the Antelope, in a state of considerable agitation, dashed past, exclaiming, “Hounds, I say!”

“Huntsmen are upon us! Haste now! We must needs abscond from this locale with utmost dispatch! Thou art welcome to accompany me in my flight!”

“Nay,” quoth the Tortoise, with steadfast resolve, “I shall remain steadfast in this very spot until such time as these fungi cease their growth.”

“Well, be that as it may, thou hast received thine admonition,” retorted the Antelope, and with that, she made her swift departure.

Ere long, the huntsman's canine companions arrived upon the scene, followed closely by the huntsman himself. “What a delectable feast I have discovered here!” he proclaimed, seizing the Tortoise and the fungi, and bearing them away with him.

An elephant, possessed of a considerable appetite, espied a bamboo-palm situated within a mire. Forthwith, he hastened into the water, uprooting the bamboo-palm with some vehemence, and seized the tender palm-leaf bud; yet, in his ardent state of excitement, he did inadvertently relinquish his grasp, causing it to fall into the water.

The elephant, with trunk extended, endeavoured to retrieve it, yet met with naught but failure! Again he reached, yet still to no avail! The delectable morsel eluded his grasp, and with each successive attempt, the waters became increasingly turbid, obscuring his vision.

'Pray, maintain composure!' quoth a frog, its voice emerging from the murk.

The elephant, however, remained unmoved by such counsel.

'Composure, I implore!' repeated the frog, with a measure of insistence.

At length, the elephant deigned to attend to the frog's utterances.

He adopted a posture of stillness.

The waters, in due course, regained their clarity.

The elephant, at long last, discovered the palm-leaf bud and partook thereof with considerable relish.

One eve, the Hyena did espy a glimmering object within the waters of a mere. 'A bone, methinks!' she declared with rapacious intent, yet 'twas merely the moon's reflection.

She plunged into the water with alacrity, but to no avail, for the bone remained elusive.

Emerging from the water, she once more beheld the bone, its allure undiminished.

Again she leapt in, and yet again, her efforts repeated with unwavering resolve.

The water grew turbid, and the Hyena, in her frustration, believed the bone to be lost.

But anon, the waters cleared, and lo, the bone reappeared, its siren call irresistible.

As daybreak approached, the Hyena remained by the lake's edge, incessantly leaping and striving to consume the moonlight, which she, in her delusion, mistook for a bone.

Chameleon and Serpent were upon amicable terms.

“Serpent, I intend to exhibit to thee a matter of particular interest,” quoth Chameleon one day. “Observe! I possess the faculty of altering my hue!” Whereupon, Chameleon ascended the bole of a tree, assuming a brown coloration commensurate therewith. Subsequently, he proceeded onto a leaf, adopting a verdant aspect. “Am I not, pray tell, possessed of remarkable attributes?!”

Serpent, offering no rejoinder, abraded herself against the aforementioned arboreal trunk, whereupon her integument became detached in its entirety. She possessed, in consequence, an entirely novel epidermis, resplendent and lustrous.

Chameleon regarded his companion with astonishment, feeling somewhat discomfited by his prior vainglory. It was, indeed, veracious that he could modify his coloration; however, Serpent had manifestly surpassed him, exchanging her antiquated integument for one of recent derivation.