The forest had become difficult for the varan family. Food was scarce, and the family struggled to find enough to eat. Day after day, they searched for something that could satisfy their hunger, but their efforts often brought little success.
Their situation became desperate.
Nearby lived a leopard. The leopard was a powerful hunter, feared by many of the animals in the forest. He was accustomed to being the one who chased other creatures for food rather than the one who had to worry about becoming someone else’s meal.
The hungry varans eventually encountered him.
They knew that the leopard was dangerous, but their hunger had left them with few choices. Instead of running away, they approached him and asked for food.
The request was unusual.
The leopard was surprised that the varans would come directly to him. He listened as they explained their difficult situation and asked him to help them.
The leopard considered their request.
He was not known for giving food away freely. As a predator, he naturally thought about his own hunger first. Yet the varans had an idea that immediately caught his attention.
They proposed an arrangement.
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They would receive food, and eventually, the leopard would be able to eat them.
To the leopard, the offer sounded promising.
A meal today and another meal later seemed like an arrangement that could benefit him.
The varans appeared to have placed themselves completely at his mercy.
But there was more to their plan than the leopard realized.
The family had not survived their difficult circumstances by relying on strength. They had learned to depend on patience, cooperation and clever thinking.
Their proposal was carefully arranged.
The leopard believed that he had discovered an easy source of food.
The varans, however, were thinking about survival.
The arrangement continued, and the leopard became increasingly confident that the varans would eventually become his meal.
He did not appear to suspect that the family had another purpose.
For the varans, the agreement gave them something they desperately needed: time.
They had found a way to remain alive in the presence of a predator that could easily have killed them.
Instead of challenging the leopard with physical strength, they used his own appetite to influence his decisions.
The leopard believed that he was the one benefiting from the arrangement.
He thought he had gained control over the situation.
But the varans understood something important.
A hungry predator can be easier to deceive when he believes that a reward is waiting for him.
The leopard therefore continued with the arrangement.
The varans remained together, and their cooperation became an important part of their survival.
Each member of the family understood that they needed to follow the plan carefully.
They could not afford to act carelessly.
Their lives depended on it.
The leopard, meanwhile, looked forward to the meal he believed was coming.
He had no reason to think that the situation might turn against him.
His confidence made him less cautious.
The varans had succeeded in changing the balance of power without physically defeating him.
They were still the weaker animals.
The leopard was still the predator.
But the arrangement had given the varans something almost as valuable as strength: control over the leopard’s expectations.
The leopard thought he was waiting for his opportunity.
In reality, he was being drawn into the varans’ carefully managed plan.
The longer the arrangement continued, the more the leopard trusted what he believed would happen.
He expected the varans to remain available to him.
He expected his eventual reward.
He expected that hunger would end in an easy meal.
But the situation did not unfold as he imagined.
The varans’ clever arrangement created an unexpected turn.
The leopard discovered that getting what he wanted was not as simple as he had believed.
His hunger had encouraged him to accept an arrangement without considering all its possibilities.
He had seen the varans as helpless creatures.
They had appeared to be an easy meal.
But they had used their difficult circumstances to think carefully and protect themselves.
Their survival depended not on defeating the leopard but on outsmarting his expectations.
The story therefore presents survival as something that can require more than physical strength.
The leopard possessed power.
The varans possessed numbers and intelligence.
By cooperating with one another, they were able to face a predator much stronger than themselves.
Their actions demonstrate the importance of thinking carefully when confronted by danger.
A weaker person or animal may not always be able to win through force.
Sometimes survival depends on finding another way.
The varans also understood the importance of cooperation.
If one member of the family had acted alone, the plan might have failed.
Instead, they worked together.
Their shared purpose helped them protect one another.
The leopard’s mistake was assuming that weakness meant helplessness.
The varans were hungry, but hunger had made them resourceful rather than foolish.
They understood that they needed to find a way to survive, and they used the leopard’s own expectations to create that opportunity.
The tale also warns against becoming too confident.
The leopard believed that the situation was entirely in his favour.
Because he was stronger, he assumed that he could control the outcome.
But strength alone does not guarantee success.
A clever plan can change the balance between a powerful predator and a vulnerable family.
The leopard’s expectation of an easy meal therefore became the source of his surprise.
What he thought would be a simple opportunity turned into an unexpected situation.
The varans had managed to survive by using intelligence where they lacked physical power.
Their story shows that desperation can encourage creativity.
When ordinary solutions disappear, people and animals may be forced to think differently.
The varans could not simply fight the leopard.
They could not outrun the dangers of the forest forever.
Instead, they created an arrangement that gave them a chance to remain alive.
Their solution was not based on strength.
It was based on understanding the leopard and using his expectations against him.
The story also highlights the danger of judging others too quickly.
The leopard saw the varans as nothing more than potential food.
He did not recognize the intelligence behind their actions.
His assumption prevented him from seeing the danger in the arrangement.
The varans, meanwhile, understood that the leopard’s confidence could work in their favour.
By the time the leopard realized that the situation was not what he had imagined, the varans had already gained an advantage.
Their cleverness turned a desperate situation into an opportunity for survival.
The tale leaves a lasting lesson about intelligence and cooperation.
Strength can be useful, but it is not the only form of power.
Sometimes, the ability to think, plan and work together can protect those who appear powerless.
The varans survived because they understood this.
They did not allow their hunger or fear to prevent them from thinking.
Instead, they created a plan that gave them hope.
The leopard’s hunger, on the other hand, made him confident that he had found an easy meal.
That confidence became his weakness.
In the end, the varans’ clever arrangement transformed the situation.
The predator who expected an effortless meal encountered something he had not anticipated.
And the starving family that seemed vulnerable demonstrated that survival can depend as much on intelligence as on strength.
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Moral Lesson
Strength does not always guarantee victory. Intelligence, cooperation and careful planning can help the vulnerable survive even when faced with a much more powerful opponent.
Knowledge Check
1. Why did the varan family approach the leopard?
They were starving and needed help finding food.
2. What unusual arrangement did the varans propose?
They proposed receiving food while allowing the leopard to expect that he could eventually eat them.
3. Why did the leopard accept the arrangement?
He believed that it would eventually provide him with an easy source of food.
4. How did the varans protect themselves?
They cooperated and used a carefully arranged plan to take advantage of the leopard’s expectations.
5. What mistake did the leopard make?
He assumed that his strength gave him complete control over the situation and failed to recognize the varans’ cleverness.
6. What is the main lesson of the story?
The story teaches that intelligence, cooperation and planning can help weaker individuals survive against stronger opponents.
Source
Adapted from André Raponda-Walker’s Contes gabonais (1967), from the narrative “Le Léopard et le Varan,” pp. 185 onward.
