When they must bathe, let them bathe in the dust, and when they would drink let them quench their thirst in the evening dew!"
That is why the Guinea-fowl never goes into the water; and that is why the Guinea-hen and the Crocodile are no longer friends.
(Madagascar Fable. From Collection de Contes et de Chansons Populaires, Vol. 38.)
THE GUINEA-FOWL AND THE HEN
ONE day when there was no rice left in the rice-fields, the Guinea-Fowl and the Hen stole potatoes to satisfy their hunger. They lighted a fire, and when the potatoes were roasted, the Hen said:
"I am going to carry the largest potatoes home with me, and eat only the little ones here in the field."
"And I," said the Guinea-Fowl, "shall be wiser than you. For I shall begin by eating all my biggest potatoes. So if the owner of the field finds us here, I can leave the small ones and fly away."
"The owner? The owner?" said the Hen, "I am not afraid of him! If the owner comes, I shall fly off too, and take my big potatoes with me!"
Thereupon the two friends settled down to their feast of potatoes. The Hen, according to her plan, picked out only the little ones, while the Guinea-Fowl chose only the largest. Presently the owner of the field passed that way and, discovering the two thieves, gave chase to them. The Guinea-Fowl at once took to flight, deserting her friend, the Hen. The latter, loaded down with her big potatoes, fell an easy prey to the farmer, who caught and took her home with him. That is how the Hen was domesticated by Man, while the Guinea-Fowl still runs wild.
(Madagascar Fable. From Collection de Contes et de Chansons Populaires, Vol. 38.)
