One day, the cunning Tortoise set a trap, hoping to secure food for himself. Before long, an unsuspecting antelope was caught in it. Instead of rejoicing quietly, the Tortoise began to cry out loudly, wailing as though misfortune had struck him. His cries soon reached the ears of the Jackal, who hurried over to find out what had happened.
The Jackal asked, “What troubles you, Uncle Tortoise?”
The Tortoise sighed heavily and replied, “Alas, an animal has been killed in my trap, but I have no one to help me take it out.”
Moved by pity, the Jackal answered, “Do not worry. I will remove it for you.” True to his word, the Jackal lifted the antelope from the trap and carefully reset the snare.
But the Tortoise had more deceit in mind. “Go,” he instructed, “and fetch some leaves on which we may cut up the meat.” Eager to help, the Jackal went in search of leaves. Yet while he was away, the Tortoise dragged all the meat into his hole in the rocks.
When the Jackal returned, he called out cheerfully, “Uncle Tortoise, here are the leaves!” But the Tortoise, hidden inside, rudely snapped, “Am I your relative on your mother’s side, or your father’s?”
Shocked and insulted, the Jackal grew angry. “If this is how you repay kindness, I shall unset your trap!”
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The Tortoise, sly as ever, mocked him. “Do so, but use your head. If you put in your arm or your leg, you will surely die.”
Believing this advice, the foolish Jackal thrust his head into the trap. At once, it snapped shut on him. In agony, the Jackal cried out, but the Tortoise emerged from his hole carrying a gun. Without hesitation, he shot the helpless Jackal dead.
This became the Tortoise’s cruel pattern. He tricked the Civet-cat, the Fox, the Rock Rabbit, and the Palm-rat in the same way, each one caught in his snare and killed by deceit.
One day, however, a wiser creature approached. The Gazelle, hearing the Tortoise’s familiar wailing, came forward and asked, “Uncle Tortoise, why are you crying so bitterly?”
The Tortoise moaned, “Since early morning, an animal has been lying dead in my trap, and I have no one to take it out for me.”
The Gazelle, suspicious, asked, “But who set this trap for you?”
The Tortoise lied smoothly, “A passer-by set it for me.”
Moved by kindness, the Gazelle said, “Very well, I will help you.” With skill, he removed the animal, reset the trap, and dragged the prey to the Tortoise.
“Now,” said the Tortoise, “go and fetch some plantain leaves so that we may divide the meat.” But while the Gazelle went to collect them, the greedy Tortoise hurried away with all the meat, hiding it once more in his hole.
When the Gazelle returned, he called out politely, “Uncle Tortoise, here are the leaves.” But instead of gratitude, he was met with the same scornful question: “Am I your relative on your mother’s side, or your father’s?”
This insult stung the Gazelle, and he retorted, “I will unset your trap!”
The Tortoise, thinking to deceive him as he had the others, shouted, “Do it with your head, not with your hands or feet, or you will die!”
But the Gazelle was not so easily fooled. He took a strong stick and poked at the trap. The spring snapped loudly, and the Gazelle screamed out in feigned pain. The Tortoise, thinking his trick had worked again, rushed out of his hole with his gun, ready to shoot.
At that very moment, the Gazelle leapt upon him, wrested the gun from his grasp, and killed him. Gathering up the meat, the Gazelle carried it back to his own town.
Thus, the deceiver met his own destruction, and the greedy trickster was undone by his own schemes.
Moral Lesson
This story reminds us that dishonesty and greed may bring temporary gains, but they ultimately lead to downfall. The Tortoise thought himself clever, yet his repeated betrayals cost him his life. True wisdom lies not in deceiving others, but in fairness, gratitude, and respect. Those who exploit others for selfish gain will eventually be trapped by their own deceit.
Knowledge Check (Q&A)
Q1: Who set the trap in this folktale?
A1: The Tortoise himself set the trap to catch animals.
Q2: How did the Tortoise deceive the Jackal?
A2: He tricked the Jackal into fetching leaves, then stole the meat, and later lured him into the trap with false instructions.
Q3: Which animals were killed by the Tortoise before the Gazelle appeared?
A3: The Jackal, Civet-cat, Fox, Rock Rabbit, and Palm-rat.
Q4: How did the Gazelle avoid being caught in the Tortoise’s trap?
A4: Instead of using his head, he used a stick to trigger the trap safely.
Q5: What lesson does the story teach about deceit?
A5: Deceit and selfishness eventually backfire, bringing ruin to the deceiver.
Q6: What is the cultural origin of this folktale?
A6: It is a Bakongo folktale from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Source: A Bakongo folktale from the Democratic Republic of Congo, collected in John H. Weeks’ Congo Life and Folklore (1911).
