The Tortoise and the Snake

Once upon a time anyeje, the tortoise went on a long walk. He walked very far and got very tired. Anyeje was very hungry too.

Anyeje came to the village where Ejo, the boa snake, lived. Anyeje thought, "I am so hungry, I will stop here. Ejo will surely give me food to eat."

Anyeje went to Ejo's house and Ejo welcomed him. They sat in the cool house and talked. Anyeje smelled food cooking in the other part of the house. Ejo said, "Come, let us get ready to eat together."

Anyeje went outside to prepare for the meal. When he came back, the food was placed in the center of the house and Anyeje smelled the aroma. But the tortoise could not reach the food. The snake was coiled all around it. Anyeje got more and more hungry.

Ejo the snake said, "Come sit with me and eat."

Anyeje said, "I would be very happy to sit and eat. But Ejo, why are you surrounding the meal?"

Ejo replied, "This is the way of the snakes. When we eat, we sit around the food like this." Ejo ate and ate of the food, but Anyeje could not get it at all. Ejo finished eating at last. He said to Anyeje, "How good it is to eat with a friend."

Anyeje was even hungrier after the meal than when he came to Ejo's house. He felt much in his heart about what happened.

Anyeje decided to invite Ejo to his house for a meal on a feast day. Anyeje's wife prepared all the foods and Anyeje went out to weave a long tail for himself out of grass. He stuck it on with tree gum.

Ejo arrived to share the feast. The tortoise welcomed him and said, "You have come a long way and you are hungry." Ejo went to wash at a spring and when he returned to Anyeje's house, he saw Anyeje was already eating. Anyeje had coiled his long grass tail all around the food. Ejo could not get near enough to eat. Anyeje heartily ate the food.

Around and around Ejo went. He could not get to the food. "Anyeje," the snake said, "how is it that you used to be so short and now you are so very long?"

"One person learns from another," Anyeje said.

Alo mi le gba gba gba, I wa noji Anyeje kpayi ejo.

Ojo n’ka domo, Anwuje let’ule onajiji. I lule hika hika tak’ola wu kwo kpa. Ebi tomo a kpo ge.

Anwuje le w’ewo n’ka ugbo k’Ejo de le. Anyje kp’ibe, ‘’ Ebi akpa mi, na dago emi ta. Ejo ad’ujewu nw’mi je tila’’.

Anyeja kwo lo t’unyi eje  owu ejo mudu kpa wu nyi wun. Ma kwo j’ane ef’unyi eb le a ch’oluka.

Anwuje gb’ukpo ujewu ku ma todo ahi owo ekeji unyi le. Ejo ka wu kakini, ‘’na wa ka mola ka j’ujewu dama.’’

Anwuje let’eju igboda ki nya mola ujewu le. Adiko ki we’ju efu le, ujewu gwu’ogegede enyi le own Anwuje la domo na kpu’kpo wu. Ama’a Anwuje imuda neke tem’ujewu le’n. Ejo che’che leda wu. Ebi domo na kp.enyeje to’kpa.

Ejo ka nw’Anwuje, ‘’na’wa gwa’ne ke j’ujewu dama kpo mi.’’

Anye ka wu kakini, ‘’ima ch’edo ebo mi nana ku’n gwane ku’n ch’ujewu kide, ama ejo, ewu chi ke che ledaka ujewu i’ita ?’’

Ejo dohi, ‘ona eyi ejo de, ekodu ka jewu, alu ka gwa’ne ide.’’ Ejo domo na j’ujewu,  Anwuje i muda neke te mo’n. Ejo n’ke tete mu’jewu I du je kpa. Ika nya’nyeje kakini, ‘’abi nyo ka de yi ko ne ki jju’jewu dama kpa yi onukwu wu.’’

Ebi Anwuje domo na gbo’gba nyo’gba, i kwo nana talu ki de taki wo j’ejo i le. Ewu ke’jo che le che gbiti nyu ololo.

Anye fibe wun kpe ki de’jo wu nyi wu k iwa j’ujewu ojo ucholo n’ka. I je nwo’ya f’ujewu hi nana. Anyeja le nya fo’tili ki jiji che nwo’la wun kwe fu ogigo. I na ma ne fu u ma nyo mune.

Ejo lewa ki’wa ju’jewu ucholo le kpayi Anwuje. Anwuje fu gwa owu i kaka, ‘’ule onanjiji echo wa i, u che ma kaki ebi domo akpe nyonyo.’’ Ejo leta’ji ki nya gw’ola wu. Ekoki wa i, i li kaki Anwuje tomo aju’jewun me. Anweje mo tili  aogigo wu du che le kaka ujauwun ki domo aje le. Ejo i neke te mu’jewu le ki aje n. Anweje domo na ju’jewu. Ejo na ledaka, I muda neke je’n. Ejo kika, ‘’anwuje, iile ku’we ke ma nana kwu’bi ni kwo nana enwi ita ?’’

Anweja kaki. ‘’Ene’unk akoche kwugbo ekeji wu.’’ 

Sourc: http://www.beliefnet.com/Love-Family/2000/10/Teaching-Tales-The-Tortoise-And-The-Snake.aspx