THE STORY OF TWO DRUMS. 
the elephant. He waited his time, and at the first 
opportunity broke into the room where the tortoise 
kept the drum safe under lock and key. Secul"ing 
the treasured drum, the elephant tried to beat the 
drum as the tortoise had done, but his foot was too 
clumsy and heavy, and he broke the drum beyond 
repair. The tortoise went back to the king and told 
him of his misfortune through the " bad fashion '* 
of the elephant. The king agreed to give him 
another drum. On his way home, he tried this in 
the same way as he tried the first, but was very 
much startled and upset by what followed. Four 
young men in full Egbo dress came on the scene 
and began thrashing him with Egbo whips until he 
managed to touch the drum again, whereupoti they 
vanished. On the remainder of the journey he 
did a lot of thinking, and finally resolved that his 
family and forest friends should share his bad for- 
tune even as they had the good. The same night 
his family were flogged as he had been in the bush. 
The next day the animals almost tumbled over one 
another in their eagerness to accept the to'rtoise's 
invitation to another feast. When they came and 
took their places in anticipation of a good time, the 
tortoise said to them : I shared my good fortune 
with you all, it would be very wrong of me if I 
denied you a share in my evil fortune.'' He beat 
the drum and then ran and hid himself, his wife 
and family. Sixteen men appeared in Egbo dress, 
with whips and clubs. They beat all the guests, 
but the elephant most of all, until its cries of pain 
echoed through the forest glades, and it repented 
of its wrong-doings. 
