In the lush tropical forests of African, where mighty rivers wind through dense jungles and ancient trees tower toward the sky, lived the most cunning creature in all the land, Mouse Deer. Small in stature but enormous in wit, this remarkable little animal had earned a reputation throughout the region for his ability to outsmart any opponent, no matter how large or dangerous they might be.
The River Encounters
One sweltering afternoon, when the tropical sun beat down mercilessly through the canopy above, Mouse Deer felt his throat growing parched with thirst. He made his way through the undergrowth toward the wide, muddy river that snaked through his forest home. The water looked cool and inviting, its surface rippling gently in the humid breeze, but Mouse Deer knew better than to approach carelessly.
Also read: The Two Eyes Fairy Tale
Hidden beneath those seemingly peaceful waters lurked Crocodile, a massive predator with jaws powerful enough to snap a tree trunk in half. Mouse Deer had encountered this cunning reptile many times before, and he knew that Crocodile was always waiting, patient as stone, for unwary animals to come close enough to the water’s edge.
Standing safely back from the riverbank, Mouse Deer called out loudly, “I wonder if the water’s warm today. I think I’ll put in my leg and find out.” But instead of extending his delicate limb, the clever Mouse Deer picked up a sturdy fallen branch with his teeth and slowly lowered one end into the murky water.
CHOMP! The water exploded in a violent splash as Crocodile’s enormous jaws snapped shut around the stick, his powerful tail thrashing as he dragged his “prey” beneath the surface. Muddy water sprayed in all directions, and the sound of splintering wood echoed across the river.
Mouse Deer burst into delighted laughter. “Silly Crocodile! Don’t you know the difference between a stick and a leg?” He bounded away through the forest, his small hooves barely touching the ground as he searched for a safer drinking spot upstream.
Several days later, Mouse Deer returned to the same stretch of river, his thirst once again driving him toward the water’s edge. This time, the river appeared completely calm except for what looked like a weathered log floating motionlessly near the bank. But Mouse Deer’s sharp eyes noticed that this “log” was positioned exactly where a crocodile might wait, and its shape seemed just a bit too convenient.
Keeping his distance, Mouse Deer announced in a clear, carrying voice, “If that floating object is really Crocodile pretending to be a log, it certainly won’t be able to speak. But if it’s truly just a piece of wood, it will surely tell me so.”
He waited in the humid silence, listening to the gentle lapping of water against the muddy bank and the distant calls of exotic birds. Then, from the direction of the suspicious log, came a deep, gravelly voice trying its best to sound wooden: “I’m really just a log.”
Mouse Deer nearly doubled over with laughter. “Silly Crocodile! Since when do logs have the ability to talk?” Once again, he scampered away into the safety of the forest, leaving behind one very frustrated reptile.
But Mouse Deer’s greatest challenge with Crocodile was yet to come. On the far side of the wide river grew the most delicious fruits he had ever seen, mangoes heavy with juice, wild figs bursting with sweetness, and tender young shoots that would make a perfect meal. The problem was getting across the crocodile-infested waters without becoming a meal himself.
Mouse Deer studied the river carefully, his clever mind working on a solution. Then, with characteristic boldness, he called out loudly, “Crocodile! I need to speak with you!”
The massive reptile surfaced slowly, his eyes gleaming with hunger and his tooth-filled grin spreading wide. “Well, hello there, Mouse Deer. How thoughtful of you to come directly to me. Have you finally decided to become my breakfast?”
“Not today, my friend,” Mouse Deer replied smoothly. “I come with official business from the King himself. His Royal Majesty has commanded me to conduct a census of all crocodiles in this river.”
At the mention of royalty, Crocodile’s demeanor immediately changed to one of respectful attention. “The King has sent you? Tell us what we must do to serve His Majesty.”
“You must gather your entire family and arrange yourselves in a perfectly straight line from this bank to the opposite shore,” Mouse Deer instructed with the authority of a royal official.
Excited by this royal recognition, Crocodile quickly summoned his relatives, friends, and neighbors. Soon, dozens of massive reptiles had positioned themselves across the river like a living bridge, their backs just breaking the water’s surface.
“Excellent!” Mouse Deer proclaimed. “Now hold perfectly still while I count each one of you for the King’s records.”
Without hesitation, Mouse Deer leaped nimbly onto the first crocodile’s broad back. “One!” he announced, then bounded to the next. “Two!” And the next. “Three!” He continued his counting and jumping until he had crossed the entire river, landing safely on the opposite bank.
“How many are there?” Crocodile called eagerly from across the water.
Mouse Deer grinned mischievously. “Just enough!” he replied. “And all perfectly silly!” Then he disappeared into the forest, his joyful song echoing behind him: “I’m quick and smart as I can be. Try and try, but you can’t catch me!”
The Garden Adventures
While Mouse Deer certainly enjoyed the wild fruits, roots, and shoots that grew throughout his forest home, nothing tempted him quite like the carefully cultivated vegetables in Farmer’s garden. Row upon row of plump cucumbers, sweet yams, tender gourds, and succulent sweet potatoes grew just beyond the forest edge, practically calling his name.
One morning, unable to resist temptation any longer, Mouse Deer crept to the boundary between wild forest and cultivated farmland. The sight that greeted him made his mouth water, endless rows of perfectly ripe vegetables glistening with morning dew.
“Mmmm,” Mouse Deer sighed longingly. “Look at those juicy cucumbers! Those delicious yams!” His stomach rumbling with hunger, he stepped carefully into the garden.
SNAP! A sharp pain shot through his leg as hidden rope tightened around his delicate ankle. He had walked straight into one of Farmer’s carefully concealed snares! Mouse Deer pulled and twisted desperately, but the trap held firm.
“Oh, no!” he gasped, his heart racing with panic. “Farmer will surely have me for dinner tonight!”
In the distance, he could see Farmer approaching, probably coming to check his traps as he did each morning. Mouse Deer’s quick mind raced through possible solutions until he hit upon a desperate plan. He collapsed to the ground, making his small body completely rigid and allowing his tongue to loll out of his mouth.
“Well, well,” said Farmer when he discovered the motionless form caught in his snare. “Look what wandered into my trap. A mouse deer! But this one appears to be dead already.”
Farmer prodded the still form with his boot, but Mouse Deer remained perfectly motionless, not even allowing himself to flinch. “Hmm, maybe this little fellow has been dead for quite some time,” Farmer mused. “What a shame! I suppose the meat would be spoiled by now. We certainly can’t eat him.”
With a shrug of disappointment, Farmer released Mouse Deer’s leg from the snare and tossed the apparently lifeless body back toward the forest edge.
Mouse Deer landed with a soft thud in a pile of fallen leaves, waited until Farmer’s footsteps had retreated, then sprang to his feet and raced into the safety of the trees. Behind him, he heard Farmer’s angry shout: “Hey! You tricked me!”
Mouse Deer couldn’t help but laugh with delight. “Farmer may be smart, but Mouse Deer is smarter!”
Despite his narrow escape, Mouse Deer found himself unable to forget those tempting vegetables. A few days later, he returned to the garden’s edge, his mouth watering at the memory of what he had seen.
“Mmmm,” he sighed again. “Those tasty gourds! Those scrumptious sweet potatoes!” But this time, something new caught his attention. Standing guard in the middle of the garden was a figure that looked vaguely human, but with a coconut for a head and a body that seemed to be made of dark rubber.
“A scarecrow!” Mouse Deer laughed. “That silly Farmer thinks he can frighten me with that ridiculous contraption? I’ll show him just how scared I am!”
Filled with confidence and mockery, Mouse Deer marched boldly up to the scarecrow. “Take this, you fake guardian!” He delivered a powerful kick to the figure’s midsection.
But instead of toppling over, the scarecrow held firm, and Mouse Deer’s leg stuck fast to its surface. The entire scarecrow had been covered with sticky sap from rubber trees!
“Let me go!” Mouse Deer demanded, pulling frantically. In his struggle, he pushed against the scarecrow with his other front leg, which immediately became trapped as well. “Turn me loose!” He pushed with both back legs, and they too became hopelessly stuck in the gummy trap.
No matter how he twisted, pulled, and pushed, Mouse Deer remained firmly attached to the scarecrow. For once in his life, his quick thinking seemed to have failed him.
When Farmer discovered his captive, he chuckled with satisfaction. “How thoughtful of you to return, my little friend.” He carefully pried Mouse Deer free from the scarecrow and carried him to an empty chicken coop beside the farmhouse. “You can spend the night here thinking about your mischief, and tomorrow you’ll make a fine dinner for my family.”
All through the long, humid night, Mouse Deer lay awake in the confining coop, his mind desperately searching for an escape plan. As dawn broke and golden sunlight filtered through the bamboo slats, he remained trapped and seemingly without hope.
Then he heard a familiar voice outside the coop. “Well, well! If it isn’t Mouse Deer! So Farmer finally caught you at last. I must say, it serves you right for all your stealing!”
It was Farmer’s dog, a loyal but not particularly bright animal who had always resented Mouse Deer’s raids on the garden.
Mouse Deer’s eyes lit up with sudden inspiration. “What do you mean, Dog? Farmer didn’t catch me at all.”
“Then why are you locked in that chicken coop?” Dog asked suspiciously.
“Because there simply aren’t enough beds in the house, of course,” Mouse Deer replied smoothly. “You see, Farmer is preparing a magnificent feast tomorrow, and I’m to be the guest of honor. He wanted to make sure I had a quiet, private place to rest before the big celebration.”
Dog’s tail stopped wagging, and his expression grew envious. “Guest of honor? That doesn’t seem fair at all! I’ve been Farmer’s faithful, loyal companion for years, while you’re nothing but a common thief. If anyone deserves to be guest of honor, it should be me!”
“You know what, Dog? You’re absolutely right,” Mouse Deer agreed earnestly. “Why don’t you take my place? When Farmer sees you in here tomorrow morning, he’ll realize that you’re far more deserving of the honor than I am.”
“Really?” Dog’s tail began wagging again. “You wouldn’t mind giving up such a privilege?”
“Not at all, my friend. You’ve earned it through your years of faithful service.”
“Mouse Deer, perhaps I’ve misjudged you. You’re not so bad after all. Thank you for your generosity!” Dog lifted the wooden latch with his nose and swung open the coop door.
“You’re most welcome, Dog. Enjoy every moment of the feast!”
Mouse Deer bounded toward the forest as fast as his legs could carry him, then turned back to watch from the safety of the tree line. Soon Farmer emerged from his house and stood staring in bewilderment at his dog sitting proudly in the chicken coop.
“You stupid dog!” Farmer’s angry voice carried clearly across the garden. “You let the mouse deer escape!”
Mouse Deer laughed with pure joy. “Poor Farmer will have to find a different dinner now!” Then he danced deeper into the forest, his cheerful song floating on the morning breeze: “I’m quick and smart as I can be. Try and try, but you can’t catch me!”
The Moral of the Story
These delightful tales remind us that intelligence, creativity, and quick thinking can overcome even the most dangerous situations. Mouse Deer’s adventures teach us that size and strength are no match for wit and resourcefulness. His ability to turn disadvantages into advantages shows that with clever thinking and adaptability, we can find solutions to seemingly impossible problems.
Knowledge Check
Q: How does Mouse Deer’s character embody the African trickster tradition? A: Mouse Deer represents the classic “small but clever” trickster who survives through wit rather than strength. His ability to deceive larger, more powerful opponents reflects traditional Southeast Asian values that celebrate intelligence and resourcefulness over brute force.
Q: What role does deception play in Mouse Deer’s survival strategy across all three stories? A: Mouse Deer uses different types of deception for different situations: misdirection with the stick, silence-breaking with the log, authority with the crocodile census, playing dead with the farmer, and manipulation with the dog. Each deception is carefully tailored to exploit his opponent’s specific weaknesses.
Q: How do the three different antagonists (Crocodile, Farmer, Dog) represent different types of challenges? A: Crocodile represents natural predators and physical danger, Farmer represents human authority and consequences of wrongdoing, and Dog represents social manipulation and misplaced loyalty. Together, they show how trickster wisdom applies to various life challenges.
Q: What cultural significance does the “counting crocodiles” trick have in Southeast African storytelling? A: This trick demonstrates respect for hierarchy (invoking the King’s authority) while showing how social structures can be manipulated by clever individuals. It reflects cultural themes about outsmarting authority figures and using social expectations as tools for survival.
Q: How does Mouse Deer’s relationship with Farmer evolve throughout their encounters? A: The relationship escalates from simple theft and escape to more complex psychological warfare. Mouse Deer learns from each encounter, showing adaptability, while Farmer becomes more sophisticated in his traps, representing the ongoing battle between rule-makers and rule-breakers.
Q: What does Mouse Deer’s recurring song symbolize in the context of these folktales? A: The song serves as both Mouse Deer’s personal motto and a statement of cultural values. It celebrates self-reliance, confidence, and the triumph of wit over might, while also providing narrative continuity that connects his various adventures into a cohesive character arc.
Source: Traditional Southeast African folktales
