Long ago, in the grasslands of Angola, where the tall dry reeds swayed like restless dancers and the red earth cracked beneath the sun, two creatures lived side by side: Partridge and Turtle. They were neighbors in the bush, sharing the same watering places, hearing the same rustle of hunters’ footsteps, and enduring the same fierce cycle of seasons. One day, as the heat thickened and the dry winds swept across the land, they fell into a conversation that would linger in memory long after the flames of the fire season.
Partridge, always proud of his swift wings and quick step, looked at Turtle and laughed. “Friend Turtle,” he said with a mocking tone, “you can neither run nor fly. When the great fire comes sweeping through the land, you will surely be burnt where you sit.”
Turtle raised his head slowly, his eyes calm and unhurried. “I cannot be burnt,” he replied with quiet certainty. “It is you, Partridge, who will feel the fire.”
Partridge ruffled his feathers with pride. “I have wings to carry me above danger. I will rise into the sky, leaving the fire beneath me. But you, slow and earthbound, you cannot escape. When the flames arrive, you will roast here in this very spot.”
The argument ended there. Each kept his thoughts to himself, but the words lingered like dry leaves waiting for a spark.
The Coming of the Fires
Days passed, and the season of fire arrived. Across the countryside, hunters set flames to the dry bush, driving animals from their hiding places. The land crackled and roared as walls of fire rolled over fields and thickets. The smoke darkened the sky, and the wind carried the smell of burning grass far and wide.
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The blaze spread toward the place where Turtle and Partridge lived. Turtle, steady and unshaken, moved toward an old ant-hill. He pushed himself inside its hollow, burrowing into the earth’s protection. The flames swept closer, but the earth did not burn.
Partridge, however, darted back and forth in panic. He tried to outrun the fire on foot, but the flames chased him. His wings lifted him into the air, but the smoke blinded him and the fire’s heat seared him. Higher he flew, desperate to escape, but the flames licked upward, catching his feathers. Before long, the proud Partridge was overcome, his body falling lifeless to the ground.
Turtle’s Triumph
When at last the fire had passed and the hunters scattered to gather what the flames had flushed, Turtle emerged from the safety of the ant-hill. He looked around at the scorched earth, still smoldering with heat. There, lying blackened and lifeless, was his old companion Partridge.
Turtle shook his head slowly, remembering the boastful words they had exchanged. “Ah, my comrade Partridge,” he murmured, “it was you who declared I would burn. Yet here you lie, and I live.”
He approached the fallen bird, lifting one of Partridge’s spurs with his mouth. As he turned it in the light of the fading fire, he began to sing a small song, half mournful and half triumphant:
“Little horn of Partridge,
Partridge is dead,
The little horn is left.”
Thus Turtle, who had been mocked for his slowness and weakness, walked away unharmed, while Partridge, proud of his speed and wings, had perished in the flames.
Moral Lesson
This Angolan folktale teaches a lesson on pride and wisdom. Partridge believed that his wings guaranteed safety, yet in the moment of danger, his pride blinded him to the truth. Turtle, slow but thoughtful, trusted the protection of the earth and survived. The story reminds us that it is not always strength, speed, or boasting that ensures safety, it is calm wisdom, humility, and the ability to prepare wisely for trials.
In life, those who mock others for their limitations often fall victim to their own arrogance. True strength lies in patience and foresight, not in empty pride.
Knowledge Check
1. Who are the main characters in the folktale?
The main characters are Partridge and Turtle.
2. What did Partridge boast about?
Partridge boasted that his wings would save him from fire, unlike Turtle who could neither run nor fly.
3. How did Turtle escape the fire?
Turtle survived by taking shelter inside an ant-hill.
4. What happened to Partridge during the fire?
Partridge tried to run and fly but was caught by the flames and burnt.
5. What symbolic lesson does Turtle’s survival teach?
It teaches that humility, wisdom, and foresight are more valuable than pride and arrogance.
6. What is the cultural origin of the folktale?
The story is an Angolan folktale.
Source: Kimbundu folktale, Angola .
