370 FOLK LORE 



never been written, save by travellers and mission- 

 aries, they must have been handed down orally in 

 the various tribes from a time as remote as the 

 earhest occupation of the great continent by black 

 races. It is clear, therefore, that these old legends 

 and fables must, to an unlettered people, have 

 largely taken the place of books, and, in their 

 simplicity or complexity of construction, they afford 

 us considerable assistance in gauging the intellectual 

 capacity of the people. 



I shall now proceed to transcribe a few for the 

 benefit of my readers, or such of them as are un- 

 acquainted with African stories. 



The Hare, the Elephant, and the 

 Rhinoceros 



Once upon a time the elephant went out and 

 met the hare. " What news ? " said the elephant. 

 " Good," replied the hare. " I have eaten well, my 

 stomach is full, and I feel remarkably strong. Let 

 us have a tug-of-war." " What ! " cried the elephant, 

 who could scarcely believe his ears. " Why, if I 

 put my foot down upon you, who would ever 

 believe you had been a hare ? " " Never mind," 

 said the hare, " take this rope and tie it round 

 your neck ; 1 will go down thisi ravine, and you 

 will see that you will not be able to pull me up 

 again." So the elephant tied the rope round his 

 neck, chuckling to himself the while, and the hare, 

 with the other end, disappeared down the ravine. 

 He there found an immense rhinoceros, to whom 

 he said, "Will you wager that if I tie this rope 

 round your neck, and go up to the top of the 



