The Midnight Goat Thief
Copyright © Anike Foundation
An Ndebele folktale from Zimbabwe
This tale is one of misplaced trust and betrayal between friends Hare and Baboon. The Hare has always been known to be cunning and the Baboon sometimes represents gullibility and blind trust. It is also a story about blind revenge and its pitfalls.
Once upon a time, Hare, tired of living alone, decided it was time to find himself a companion. He decided to make the journey to the neighboring village to meet his future in-laws.
As was customary, he needed someone to accompany him on this important occasion. So, he asked his long-time friend and happy-go-lucky fellow Baboon. He readily agreed.
Then, Hare and Baboon were on their way to the in-laws.
When they were half through the journey, Hare stopped Baboon near a dense shrub and said,
“Say friend Baboon, there is one important favor I need to ask of you.”
“Yes, friend Hare, let me know what it is I can do.”
‘Do you see this herb?’ said Hare.
“Yes, friend. It is the herb used to cure a tummy ache,” said Baboon.
“Well done friend!” said Hare. “When we get to my in-law’s place, they will give us food. When I eat the food, I may suffer from a tummy ache. Friend, you will quickly run back to this exact place, to this shrub. Dig up the roots and bring them back to cure me.”
Baboon agreed and they continued their journey. At sunset, they reached the in-law’s village. Hare and Baboon were well received and given a room to rest. Both Hare and Baboon were hungry and looked forward to the meal. A feast was made in their honor and brought to their room. As they took the first bite of the meal, Hare interrupted Baboon.
“Friend, I think that problem is already starting. My tummy is rumbling and is starting to ache. Do you remember the herb? Rush and get me some of it! Otherwise, I may not survive the night!”
Baboon panicked and quickly sprinted off to get the herb for Hare’s tummy. Meanwhile, Hare settled comfortably and devoured the whole feast all alone. When he had his fill, he called for the dishes to be removed. Soon, Baboon, huffing and puffing, tumbled into the room with the herb.
“Here you are friend, I ran as fast as I could. I found the tree. I dug the roots and I brought them to cure your aching tummy!”
Hare exclaimed, “Hmm, about that … ! As soon as you left my tummy suddenly felt better and I could eat. Now I feel quite strong!”
“So, where is my food then?” asked Baboon. Hare told Baboon the host had cleared the dishes. Baboon was disappointed but the two friends went to sleep. In the middle of the night, hunger kept Baboon awake. Hare suggested a plan to steal and eat a goat from the pen outside. Baboon readily agreed to the plan and soon the two pals accomplished their mission and returned to their room.
But lo and behold, while Baboon slept, Hare stealthily smeared him with the blood of the goat they had just eaten, which he had secretly brought with him to the room.
In the morning, the hosts woke up to find their goat missing. They questioned the two friends who both denied the crime until they saw Baboon stained with blood. He was apprehended and killed. Hare apologized for his friend’s behavior, thanked his hosts and left.
Meanwhile, Jackal, a friend to Baboon, received word on how Hare had tricked his friend and led him to his death. Jackal decided to avenge Baboon’s death. So, Jackal visited Hare and asked for his company to his in-law’s village. In the same manner, as they were halfway through the journey, Jackal asked Hare,
“Say friend Hare, there is one important favor I need to ask of you.”
“Yes, friend Jackal, let me know what it is I can do.”
“Do you see this herb?” said Jackal
“Yes, friend. It is the herb used to cure a tummy ache.”
“Well done friend,” said Jackal. “When we get to my in-law’s place, they will give us food. When I eat the food, I may suffer from a tummy ache.
Friend, you will quickly run back to this exact place, to this shrub. Dig up the roots and bring them back to cure me.”
Hare agreed but before they continued their journey he excused himself for a bathroom break. Without Jackal noticing, Hare secretly dug up the roots of the shrub and hid them away. They continued their journey. At sunset, they reached the in-laws’ village.
As usual, the visitors are welcomed, given a room and they retire for some rest. Soon, food was served.
“Friend,” said Jackal, “I think that problem is already starting. My tummy is rumbling and is starting to ache. Do you remember the herb? Rush and get me some of it! Otherwise, I may not survive the night!”
Immediately, Hare produced the herb and Jackal had no choice but to share the meal with Hare.
Again, in the middle of the night, Jackal woke Hare up, spelled out the plan and they killed and ate a goat. Jackal secretly kept some blood on his hands to later smear on Hare while he slept. They retired and Jackal waited for Hare to fall asleep. But Hare’s eyes remained wide open. He checked again and again until the sun came up!
Soon, the in-laws burst into the room looking for the midnight goat thief. Jackal was caught literally red-handed with blood! Hare had slept peacefully through the night even though his eyes never closed for a single moment!
Moral of the Story:
In life there are some characters who are clever and very cunning – they will always outwit you. Be careful not to fall prey to them; neither should you try to copy their ways because you may not have the same wittiness or advantages as they do.
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