Deep in the forests of the Congo, a powerful Leopard owned a splendid plum tree whose branches hung heavy with ripe fruit. The Leopard prized this tree, for its fruit was sweet, and he trusted a Squirrel who lived among its branches to watch over it.
One day, as the Gazelle wandered through the forest, he spotted the plum tree gleaming with ripened fruit. His eyes brightened, and wasting no time, he tossed a rope into the branches. The rope caught securely, and with nimble leaps, the Gazelle climbed high into the tree. Filling his bag with plums, he turned to descend. But just then, he noticed the Squirrel in her nest. Faithful to her duty, the Squirrel quickly reported the theft to the Leopard.
On his way home, the Gazelle encountered a Palm-rat weaving. Mischievously, he tossed a plum at the Rat, breaking his web. Angered at first, the Rat confronted him, but when the Gazelle handed him several plums to taste, his anger melted. Entranced by the fruit’s flavour, he asked where he might find more. The clever Gazelle instructed him to make a bag without a bottom and to follow his whistle in the morning.
At dawn, the Rat, with his strange bottomless bag, followed the Gazelle to the tree. “Close your eyes while I climb,” said the Gazelle slyly. Obediently, the Rat shut his eyes, while the Gazelle used his rope to ascend. When the Rat asked how he might climb, the Gazelle teased, “Just knock your head against the tree, and soon you’ll be up.”
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The Rat foolishly obeyed, scratching and banging until, battered and swollen, he finally scrambled into the branches. The Gazelle instructed him to pick only green plums, which the Rat dutifully did. But when he placed them in his bottomless bag, they fell straight to the ground. Meanwhile, the Gazelle gathered ripe, sweet plums for himself.
“Look if the Squirrel is there,” said the Gazelle. As the Rat looked, the Gazelle hurled a plum at the Squirrel. The Squirrel cried out: “Oh, Leopard! Come quickly, the Gazelle is stealing your plums!”
The Leopard charged to the tree, roaring, “Come down at once, and I’ll cure you of your sickness!”
“Thank you,” replied the Gazelle, “but my mother already keeps all the remedies.”
“Come down, and I’ll cure your shaking!” the Leopard shouted.
“My mother has medicine for that too,” answered the Gazelle. “But listen, if you hear a thud, you’ll know I’ve landed. If you hear a patter, it is only my bag.”
The Gazelle tossed his bag to the ground, and with a heavy thud, the Leopard pounced, only to find the empty sack. In that moment, the Gazelle leapt down the other side and escaped.
The Rat, however, tried the same trick but failed. His body hit the earth with a thud, and the Leopard caught and punished him.
The Gazelle repeated this deception on many animals. Each was caught and punished while he escaped unscathed.
One day, the Gazelle invited Nkumbi, the bush creature, to join him. When they reached the plum tree, the Gazelle again said, “Close your eyes while I climb.” But Nkumbi only pretended to do so. He saw the rope and climbed after him. Both tied the bottoms of their bags, and both gathered ripe plums. The Gazelle was irritated, for Nkumbi’s cleverness matched his own.
“Let us throw plums into the Squirrel’s nest,” said the Gazelle. They did, and the Squirrel again called for the Leopard. The Leopard rushed up, but once more the Gazelle tricked him with the thud-and-patter ruse. Yet this time, Nkumbi copied him exactly and escaped as well.
Angry, the Leopard chased Nkumbi to the mouth of his burrow and began digging furiously with his claws. Unable to reach him, the Leopard spotted a Frog nearby.
“You are strong, aren’t you?” asked the Leopard.
“Yes,” boasted the Frog.
“Then watch this hole until I return with a hoe. Do not let Nkumbi escape.”
The Leopard left. The Frog squatted before the burrow. Soon Nkumbi appeared, chewing peanuts. “Uncle Nkumbi,” begged the Frog, “give me some.”
“Open your eyes wide,” said Nkumbi. But instead of peanuts, he blew pepper into the Frog’s eyes. The Frog shrieked in pain and leapt into a stream to wash. Nkumbi fled into the forest.
When the Leopard returned, the Frog pretended Nkumbi was still inside. “I had trouble,” he explained, “but I pushed him back.” The Leopard began to dig while the Frog crept nearer to the water. Pointing at holes, he tricked the Leopard into plugging them until he finally leapt into the stream. “Nkumbi blew pepper into my eyes,” he croaked. “While I washed, he escaped.”
The Leopard raged, trying to dam the water to catch the Frog, but the Frog slipped away downstream, his bulging eyes forever marked by the sting of pepper.
Thus, the mighty Leopard was humiliated, tricked again and again by the cunning Gazelle, the clever Nkumbi, and even the tiny Frog.
Moral Lesson
This tale teaches that wit and intelligence can overcome brute strength. The Leopard, though powerful, was no match for the cunning of smaller animals who relied on quick thinking and trickery. Yet the story also warns against arrogance—those who underestimate the weak may one day be outwitted by them.
Knowledge Check
Q1: Who owned the plum tree in the story?
The Leopard owned the plum tree.
Q2: How did the Gazelle first climb the tree?
He threw a rope into the branches and climbed up.
Q3: Why did the Palm-rat’s bag fail to hold plums?
Because it was bottomless, as instructed by the Gazelle.
Q4: How did the Gazelle repeatedly escape the Leopard?
By tricking him with the thud-and-patter bag trick.
Q5: How did Nkumbi escape from his burrow?
He tricked the Frog by blowing pepper into his eyes.
Q6: What lasting feature of the Frog does the story explain?
The Frog’s bulging eyes, from washing out pepper.
Folktale Origin
Source: Congo Folktale – Congo Life and Folklore
