| The Tortoise and the Jackal All day long, the village had been in a state of excitement over the wrestling match which took place every year. Only the best wrestlers of the neighboring towns could compete. They rubbed their bodies with oils to keep evil spirits away, and they wore gri-gris (protective charms) tied around their arms and legs. The wrestlers began their bouts by kneeling in front of each other. With lightening movements of their hands, they tried to gain advantage by strategic holds on each other. Then they would try to throw each other to the ground. After the bouts ended, there was dancing. But since this was mainly a festive occasion for adults, the children grew bored. They went to see if one of the old grandmothers of the village had something good for them to eat, and of course she did. While they ate, she told them about another kind of contest, a wrestling match of wits that took place a long, long, time ago. There was once a king who had such a beautiful daughter that all of the men wanted to marry her. By night and by day the suitors arrived, some from distant places, all of them bringing expensive gifts for the lovely girl. But the king had already decided that he would give his daughter in marriage to the one who could face the most difficult challenge. It took several months to narrow them down to a pair of final contestants: The Tortoise and the Jackal. The king didn't know what sort of new task to set for them, he had almost run out of ideas. The Tortoise, begging permission, made a suggestion: "To help you choose which one of us is the bravest, let's see who can swallow the most scalding gruel." The king liked the idea. The Jackal was a little hesitant, but he agreed, also. Very early the next day the whole village sat down in a huge circle to watch this last contest. The king, his wife and his daughter, all wearing their most colorful robes, sat in the shade of a majestic tree. eagerly, the people called for the contest to begin and began to bet on the outcome. Some were for the Tortoise, and others were for the Jackal. At last, the great moment arrived. The two contestants advanced to stand before the king. He rose and signaled for silence. "Which of you wants to be first?" he asked. The Tortoise, taking a step forward, answered quickly, "I do, Your Majesty!" The Jackal drew a sigh of relief. He did not want to be first. Next, all of the attention centered on the village cook. Since the night before, he had been tending an enormous pot of boiling corn meal gruel on a big cooking fire. Now he took up a long handled wooden spoon and plunged it into the pot. Hot steam rose from the gruel as he filled a gourd with a dollop of corn meal and handed it to the Tortoise. The Tortoise received it carefully and said to the gathering, "So that no one here will doubt my valor, I will pass this gourd in front of each one of you. This way, you will see that this gruel is truly boiling." He showed the steaming gourd first to the king, to the queen and to her daughter. Then he showed it to every person of the multitude: the men and the women, the girls and the boys. When he had finished, the gruel was only lukewarm. The Tortoise had no trouble gulping it down in a single swallow to the wild applause of the crowd. "Jackal." said the king, "now it is your turn." The brave rival was shaking so much with fear that when he received the scalding gruel, he spilled it on the ground and burned his feet. Howling with pain, he ran away, hopping from foot to foot as he went, followed by the jeering calls of the villagers. And that my friend is how the Tortoise came to marry the king's daughter. | 