The Downfall of the 
Tortoise. 
AT the beginning of things, when the world and 
all that is therein were created by God, He 
made the tortoise the wisest of all the creatures 
living on the earth. Abasi (God) did this by giv- 
ing it wisdom contained in a bundle and fastened 
to the top of its back. When this most priceless 
gift was conferred, Abasi warned the tortoise as to 
what would happen if it ever parted with the bundle 
even for a moment. For a very long time all went 
well, because the tortoise gave earnest heed to the 
warning. One day, however, it w^as travelling in 
the bush and found a fallen tree lying right across 
its path. There was no room for it to pass under- 
neath, and with the bundle on its back it found it 
impossible to climb over the tree trunk. In its 
dilemma, it took off the bundle and laid it on one 
side, so that it might scramble over, quite intending 
to take it up again and secure it in its old place. 
But whilst he was busy climbing, the bundle took 
to itself wings and flew away, and Man seized it, 
and put it on his head, thus making him the wisest 
of all God's creatures ever since. It must have 
been since its downfall that the following stories 
came into existence about the tortoise. Thinking to 
have great sport, it challenged a whale to a trial 
of strength. The whale was not far from the beach 
