[From Zanzibar Tales Told by Natives of the East Coast of Africa by George Batem
[From Zanzibar Tales Told by Natives of the East Coast of Africa by George Bateman, 1901. See item #25 in the Bibliography. The illustrations are by Walter Bobbett.]
Once there was a man named Goso who taught children to read, not in a schoolhouse but under a calabash tree. One evening, while Goso was sitting under the tree deep in the study of the next day’s lessons, Paa the gazelle climbed up the tree very quietly to steal some fruit and, in so doing, he shook off a calabash, which, as it fell, struck Goso the teacher on the head and killed him.
When Goso’s scholars came in the morning and found their teacher lying dead, they were filled with grief; so, after giving him a decent burial, they agreed among themselves to find the one who had killed Goso and put him to death.
After talking the matter over, they came to the conclusion that the south wind was the offender. So they caught the south wind and beat it. But the south wind cried, “Here! I am Koosee, the south wind. Why are you beating me? What have I done?”
And they said, “Yes, we know you are Koosee; it was you who threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”
But Koosee said, “If I were so powerful, would I be stopped by a mud wall?”
So they went to the mud wall and beat it. But the mud wall cried, “Here! I am Keeyambaaza, the mud wall. Why are you beating me? What have I done?”
And they said, “Yes, we know you are Keeyambaaza; it was you who stopped Koosee the south wind, and Koosee the south wind threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”
But Keeyambaaza said, “If I were so powerful, would I be bored through by the rat?”
So they went and caught the rat and beat it. But the rat cried, “Here! I am Paanya the rat. Why are you beating me? What have I done?”
And they said, “Yes, we know you are Paanya; it was you who bored through Keeyambaaza the mud wall, which stopped Koosee the south wind, and Koosee the south wind threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”
But Paanya said, “If I were so powerful, would I be eaten by a cat?”
So they hunted for the cat, caught it, and beat it. But the cat cried, “Here! I am Paaka the cat. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”
And they said, “Yes, we know you are Paaka; it is you who eats Paanya the rat, who bores through Keeyambaaza the mud wall, which stopped Koosee the south wind, and Koosee the south wind threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it.”
But Paaka said, “If I were so powerful, would I be tied by a rope?”
So they took the rope and beat it. But the rope cried, “Here! I am Kaamba the rope. Why do you beat me? What have I done?”
And they said, “Yes, we know you are Kaamba; it is you that ties Paaka the cat, who eats Paanya the rat, who bores through Keeyambaaza the mud wall, which stopped Koosee the south wind, and Koosee the south wind threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Gos