African Folklore: The Longest Story in The World

African folklore
The Longest Story in The World

Once upon a time there lived a chief who liked to listen to stories.
And he knew so many stories that sometimes he stopped the
story-teller and finished the story himself.
One day the chief sent his servants everywhere to find a good
story-teller.
"Our Chief will give many presents to the man who will tell him
the longest story in the world and make him laugh."
The servants shouted in the streets. Many people came to the

chief and told him very long stories. They tried to make him
laugh. But nobody could do that.
The chief always said, "That is not the longest story and there is
nothing to laugh at.”
Once a boy came to the chief and said, "Oh, my Chief, let me try
to tell you the longest story in the world and make you laugh."
The chief said, "Well, sit down and begin your story!" The boy
began.
Long, long ago there lived a man, Mogambo by name. He ate so

much that no man could feed him full. The chief of that country
heard about Mogambo and said, 'Bring him to me. I shall feed him
full.' And he ordered his people to bring hundreds of thousands of
pots of soup, meat and fruit.
Hundreds of camels carried the pots on their backs. The camels

stopped in front of the chief’s house. Many people came to see
Mogambo's dinner.
Then Mogambo came. The drummers began to drum. The

musicians began to play. And the people sang songs.
Mogambo made a bow to the chief and said to the people, 'Now
look at me! Look at me! Look at me!' With these words Mogambo
began to eat soup. And he ate. And he ate. And he ate. And he
ate. And he ate.
"Well, what then?" asked the chief, "He ate. And he ate. And what
then?"
"Oh, my chief," answered the boy, "this is only the first pot and
there were many thousands of pots! Wait a little. And he ate. And
he ate. And he ate.
Evening came. The boy went on with his story. “And he ate. And
he ate. And he ate. "
At last the chief ordered him to stop till the next morning. In the
morning the chief asked the boy to go on with his story.
"Now what can you tell

us about your Mogambo?" he asked.
"Oh, my Chief, he not only ate, but drank too, so he drank and then he
ate and he ate and he ate."
The story-teller said louder and louder, "and he ate and he ate and he
ate."
The chief looked at the boy and began to laugh.
"Well, my boy, your story is the longest in the world! Have a rest now!
Stop!"
And the young story-teller stopped his story, got many presents from
the chief, climbed up on a camel and rode away with these words: "And
he ate, and he ate, and he ate"
Why is the dog a friend of man?
Long, long ago the Jackal and the Dog were friends and lived in
the bush.
They hunted together every day. In the evening they came home
and ate their food together.
One day they did not catch anything and came back very hungry.
A cold wind was blowing in the bush.
"Oh," said the Dog, "it is so bad to be hungry and cold!"
"Go to sleep," the Jackal said. "When morning comes, we shall go

hunting again and we shall catch a young antelope."
But the Dog could not sleep. Then he saw a red light far away.
"Jackal," he cried, "what is that red light over there?"
"There's a village and that red light is a man's fire," the Jackal
answered.
"Fire is warm and it is cold here," said the Dog. "I say, Jackal, will
you go and bring some fire? You are so brave!"
"No, no, I won't. You can bring, if you like."
The Dog did not want to go, because he was afraid of men.
But he thought, "I am sure there are some bones near the fire. I
can eat them. And the fire is so warm!" He was so hungry and
cold! Hunger and cold made him forget his fear and he said to the
Jackal, "I am going to the village to get some fire and some
bones. If I don't come back soon, please cry Bo-aa, bo-aa! Then I
shall know where you are and where I must go."
So the Dog ran to the village. He saw a hut near the fire. There
were some bones near the hut. They were so good for the hungry
Dog! He came nearer to the bones. But then a man came out of
the hut and saw the Dog.
The Dog was afraid of him and cried, "Oh, please, don't kill me! I
am a poor Dog and I want to warm myself by the fire. Then I shall
go back to the bush."
"Very well," the man said. "You may sit by the fire. But when you
are warm, you must go back to the bush."
The Dog thanked him and sat by the fire. He was quite happy. He
was warm and there was a big bone under his nose.
He began to eat it. And then the man came out of the hut and
asked "Aren't you warm yet?"
"Not yet," the Dog answered; he saw another bone not far away
and wanted to eat it, too. Soon
the man asked again, "Aren't you warm yet?"
"Please let me stay a little longer. I am not quite warm yet," was
the Dog's answer.
Then the man came up to the Dog. The Dog looked into his eyes
and said, "Yes, I am warm now, but I don't want to go back to the
bush. I am often cold and hungry there. Let me live with you in
the village, please! I shall help you to hunt birds and animals in
the bush and forest. And you'll give me some bones to eat."
"All right," the man said. "You may stay with me."
From that day on the Dog began to live with the man. And when
you hear the Jackal cry at night Bo-aa, bo-aa, you know that he is
asking the Dog to come back.
But the Dog never answers and now the Jackal lives in the bush
alone.

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African folklore

The Longest Story in The World

The servants shouted in the streets. Many people came to the

Long, long ago there lived a man, Mogambo by name. He ate so

Hundreds of camels carried the pots on their backs. The camels

Then Mogambo came. The drummers began to drum. The

"Now what can you tell

The chief looked at the boy and began to laugh.

"Oh," said the Dog, "it is so bad to be hungry and cold!"

"Go to sleep," the Jackal said. "When morning comes, we shall go

"Jackal," he cried, "what is that red light over there?"

"No, no, I won't. You can bring, if you like."

the man asked again, "Aren't you warm yet?"

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