The Disobedient Son

South American Folktale

There was once a boy who was rude and wouldn't obey his mother. He would go out for a walk, without
having eaten. He wouldn't come back until late, about ten or eleven o'clock at night. At ten o'clock his
mother was still waiting up and worrying about him.

"What have you been doing, son?" his mother asked him. "I'm going to bed because it's late and I have
just been waiting for you. You don't pay any attention to anything I tell you. I'm going to send you to
your godfather. You don't pay any attention to what I tell you. The boy's mother went to see her
compadre* the priest

"Compadre, what can be done about your godson? He is quite a scoundrel and doesn't obey me. You're
a priest, and you can counsel and discipline this godson of yours; I can't do anything with him. This
godson of yours is a rascal, compadre. Let him come to stay here with you to see if he will learn to
behave."

"All right, comadre, have him come here. Why shouldn't he do what I tell him? I'm indeed a priest. I'll
teach my godson to work. Don't worry, comadre, my godson is going to obey me." The woman said to
her son:

"Go with your godfather, my son. He'll teach you. Since you won't obey me, go and work there."

"All right, mother, I'll go to my godfather's. Since I'm not of any use to you, I'll go and work with my
godfather."

"I have come, godfather. What can I do for you? 'Go stay with your godfather', my mother said. That's
why I came here to you. My mother is the one who sent me. 'Go to your godfather, you're no longer of
any use to me,' my mother said."

"All right, godson," the priest said to him, "You're going to work for me."

"All right, godfather, I'm going to work. I'm going to do whatever you tell me to do; everything you tell
me, I will do, godfather."

"All right. Now I'm going to tell you something," said the priest. "Godson, tomorrow morning early
you're going to sweep; at three o'clock in the morning. I'm not going to awaken you, I'm just telling you
now."

"All right," said the boy. At dawn he went and swept. When he was finished sweeping he went to tell his
godfather the priest.

"Godfather, I've finished sweeping all of the church. So I've come to tell you."

"All right, godson, I'm glad you've finished. Now rest." Another day passed and the godfather gave him
his next task:
"Now godson, I'm going to tell you what you have to do tomorrow morning. You're going to ring the bell
at six o'clock. I want you to ring three times and when you're finished, come and tell me and I'll go to say
Mass."

"All right," said the boy. When the next day was over the boy went to ring the bell. He went to tell his
godfather:

"Godfather, I rang the bell three times. It's time to get up and go and say Mass," he told his godfather.

"All right," said the godfather. Another day was over and the priest spoke once more to the godson:

"Now I'm going to tell you once more what you have to do tomorrow."

"All right," said the boy.

"Ring the bell again early at three o'clock in the morning."

"All right," said the boy. The boy got up and remembered to ring the bell. He went to ring the bell in the
belfry, but the priest, his godfather, had given the boy a test. He had left a skeleton in the belfry. The
boy got there at three o'clock in the morning and found a skeleton standing in his way. He said to the
skeleton:

"Get out of my way! I'm coming to ring the bell. Don't get in my way. Get out of my way, for my
godfather sent me to ring the bell. Get out of my way or I'll kill you!" He didn't get out of the way, he
didn't move and he didn't answer. "Answer, or do you want me to kill you?" the boy asked the skeleton.
"If for the third time you don't answer me, I'm going to smash you to pieces. That's what you want.
That's why you got in my way, so now you're going to die. I'm going to throw you all the way down from
here." And he pushed the skeleton out of the belfry. When he had smashed the skeleton he rang the
bell and came down from the belfry. He went to his godfather's bedroom and knocked on the door to
awaken him. The godfather woke up and answered the door:

"What is it?" the priest asked the boy.

"Get up, I've already rung the bell," the boy told the priest. The priest heard this and was surprised.

"Oh, did you ring the bell?" asked the priest.

"Yes, I rang the bell, godfather," the boy said.

"Didn't you see anything in the belfry?" asked the priest.

"Yes, godfather," the boy answered, "I saw something."

"What did you see?" the priest asked the boy.

"I saw someone who was standing in my way who wouldn't let me get by to ring the bell," the boy
answered.
"Oh, so what did you do?" asked the priest. "Weren't you afraid of him?

"No, godfather."

"So what did you do?"

"I pushed him and he fell and broke into pieces on the floor."

How the Tiger Got His Stripes

Brazilian folktale

Once upon a time, ages and ages ago, so long ago that the tiger had no stripes upon his back and the
rabbit still had his tail, there was a tiger who had a farm. The farm was very much overgrown with
underbrush and the owner sought a workman to clear the ground for him to plant.

The tiger called all the beasts together and said to them when they had assembled, "I need a good
workman at once to clear my farm of the underbrush. To the one of you who will do this work I offer an
ox in payment."

The monkey was the first one to step forward and apply for the position. The tiger tried him for a little
while but he was not a good workman at all. He did not work steadily enough to accomplish anything.
The tiger discharged him very soon and he did not pay him.

Then the tiger hired the goat to do the work. The goat worked faithfully enough but he did not have the
brains to do the work well. He would clear a little of the farm in one place and then he would go away
and work on another part of it. He never finished anything neatly. The tiger discharged him very soon
without paying him.

Next the tiger tried the armadillo. The armadillo was very strong and he did the work well. The trouble
with him was that he had such an appetite. There were a great many ants about the place and the
armadillo could never pass by a sweet tender juicy ant without stopping to eat it. It was lunch time all
day long with him. The tiger discharged him and sent him away without paying him anything.

At last the rabbit applied for the position. The tiger laughed at him and said, "Why, little rabbit, you are
too small to do the work. The monkey, the goat, and the armadillo have all failed to give satisfaction. Of
course a little beast like you will fail too."

However, there were no other beasts who applied for the position so the tiger sent for the rabbit and
told him that he would try him for a little while.

The rabbit worked faithfully and well, and soon he had cleared a large portion of the ground. The next
day he worked just as well. The tiger thought that he had been very lucky to hire the rabbit. He got tired
staying around to watch the rabbit work. The rabbit seemed to know just how to do the work anyway,
without orders, so the tiger decided to go away on a hunting trip. He left his son to watch the rabbit.

After the tiger had gone away the rabbit said to the tiger's son, "The ox which your father is going to give
me is marked with a white spot on his left ear and another on his right side, isn't he?"

"O, no," replied the tiger's son. "He is red all over with just a tiny white spot on his right ear."

The rabbit worked for a while longer and then he said, "The ox which your father is going to give me is
kept by the river, isn't he?"

"Yes," replied the tiger's son.

The rabbit had made a plan to go and get the ox without waiting to finish his work. Just as he started off
he saw the tiger returning. The tiger noticed that the rabbit had not worked so well when he was away.
After that he stayed and watched the rabbit until the whole farm was cleared. Then the tiger gave the
rabbit the ox as he had promised.

"You must kill this ox," he said to the rabbit, "in a place where there are neither flies nor mosquitoes."

The rabbit went away with the ox. After he had gone for some distance he thought he would kill him. He
heard a cock, however, crowing in the distance and he knew that there must be a farm yard near. There
would be flies of course. He went on farther and again he thought that he would kill the ox. The ground
looked moist and damp and so did the leaves on the bushes. Since the rabbit thought there would be
mosquitoes there he decided not to kill the ox. He went on and on and finally he came to a high place
where there was a strong breeze blowing. "There are no mosquitoes here," he said to himself. "The
place is so far removed from any habitation that there are no flies, either." He decided to kill the ox.

Just as he was ready to eat the ox, along came the tiger. "O, rabbit, you have been such a good friend of
mine," said the tiger, "and now I am so very, very hungry that all my ribs show, as you yourself can see.
Will you not be a good kind rabbit and give me a piece of your ox?"

The rabbit gave the tiger a piece of the ox. The tiger devoured it in the twinkling of an eye. Then he
leaned back and said, "Is that all you are going to give me to eat?"

The tiger looked so big and savage that the rabbit did not dare refuse to give him any more of the ox.
The tiger ate and ate and ate until he had devoured that entire ox. The rabbit had been able to get only
a tiny morsel of it. He was very, very angry at the tiger.

One day not long after the rabbit went to a place not far from the tiger's house and began cutting down
big staves of wood. The tiger soon happened along and asked him what he was doing.

"I'm getting ready to build a stockade around myself," replied the rabbit. "Haven't you heard the
orders?" The tiger said that he hadn't heard any orders.
"That is very strange," said the rabbit. "The order has gone forth that every beast shall fortify himself by
building a stockade around himself. All the beasts are doing it."

The tiger became very much alarmed. "O, dear! O, dear! What shall I do," he cried. "I don't know how to
build a stockade. I never could do it in the world. O, good rabbit! O, kind rabbit! You are such, a very
good friend of mine. Couldn't you, as a great favour, because of our long friendship, build a stockade
about me before you build one around yourself?"

The rabbit replied that he could not think of risking his own life by building the tiger's fortifications first.
Finally, however, he consented to do it.

The rabbit cut down great quantities of long sharp sticks. He set them firmly in the ground about the
tiger. He fastened others securely over the top until the tiger was completely shut in by strong bars.
Then he went away and left the tiger.

The tiger waited and waited for something to happen to show him the need of the fortifications.
Nothing at all happened.

He got very hungry and thirsty. After a while the monkey passed that way.

The tiger called out, "O, monkey, has the danger passed?"

The monkey did not know what danger the tiger meant, but he replied, "Yes."

Then the tiger said, "O, monkey, O, good, kind monkey, will you not please be so kind as to help me out
of my stockade?"

"Let the one who got you in there help you out," replied the monkey and he went on his way.

Along came the goat and the tiger called out, "O, goat, has the danger passed?"

The goat did not know anything about any danger, but he replied, "Yes."

Then the tiger said, "O, goat, O, good kind goat, please be so kind as to help me out of my stockade."

"Let the one who got you in there help you out," replied the goat as he went on his way.

Along came the armadillo and the tiger called out, "O, armadillo, has the danger passed?"

The armadillo had not heard of any danger, but he replied that it had passed.

Then the tiger said, "O, armadillo, O, good, kind armadillo, you have always been such a good friend and
neighbour. Please help me now to get out of my stockade."

"Let the one who got you in there help you out," replied the armadillo as he went on his way.

The tiger jumped and jumped with all his force at the top of the stockade, but he could not break
through. He jumped and jumped with all his might at the front side of the stockade, but he could not
break through. He thought that never in the world would he be able to break out. He rested for a little
while and as he rested he thought. He thought how bright the sun was shining outside. He thought what
good hunting there was in the jungle. He thought how cool the water was at the spring. Once more he
jumped and jumped with all his might at the back side of the stockade. At last he broke through. He did
not get through, however, without getting bad cuts on both his sides from the sharp edges of the staves.
Until this day the tiger has stripes on both his sides.

The monk and the student

Chinese Folktale

In one school the teacher was a monk. Most of all he loved to have a snack and a nap afterwards. Every
time before the lessons he ate so much that he could barely move.

Soon after the beginning of the lessons he always took a nap and slept until the bell for the end of the
lessons sounded.

The son of a poor villager was a student in the same school. His name was Lee. One time Lee asked the
monk:

- Teacher, may I ask you why do you sleep in all our lessons?

- My friend – replied the monk without any embarrassment. - It just seems that way. During these
minutes I meet with Buddha and listen to His wise words. That's why I try to sleep as much as I can.

One time Lee took care of his sick father during the night and fell asleep at school in the morning. He
slept so deeply that he didn't hear the bell, which woke the monk.

When the monk saw the sleeping boy, he got very angry, took Lee by the ear and started screaming:

- Ah, you, little weasel! How dare you fall asleep in my class?

- Teacher – said Lee – It just seemed that I slept. I was with Buddha and listened to His wise words.

- And what did the all-powerful Buddha say to you?

- The all-powerful Buddha told me:” Never in my life have I seen your teacher”.
The origin of fire

Native American Folktale

Long, long ago, animals and trees talked with each other, but there was no fire at that time. Fox was
most clever and he tried to think of a way to create fire for the world.

One day, he decided to visit the Geese, te-tl, whose cry he wished to learn how to imitate. They
promised to teach him if he would fly with them. So they contrived a way to attach wings to Fox, but
cautioned him never to open his eyes while flying.

Whenever the Geese arose in flight, Fox also flew along with them to practice their cry. On one such
adventure, darkness descended suddenly as they flew over the village of the fireflies, ko-na- tcic-a. In
mid-flight, the glare from the flickering fireflies caused Fox to forget and he opened his eyes--instantly
his wings collapsed! His fall was uncontrollable. He landed within the walled area of the firefly village,
where a fire constantly burned in the center.

Two kind fireflies came to see fallen Fox, who gave each one a necklace of juniper berries, katl-te-i-tse.

Fox hoped to persuade the two fireflies to tell him where he could find a way over the wall to the
outside. They led him to a cedar tree, which they explained would bend down upon command and
catapult him over the wall if he so desired.

That evening, Fox found the spring where fireflies obtained their water. There also, he discovered
colored Earth, which when mixed with water made paint. He decided to give himself a coat of white.
Upon returning to the village, Fox suggested to the fireflies, "Let's have a festival where we can dance
and I will produce the music."

They all agreed that would be fun and helped to gather wood to build up a greater fire. Secretly, Fox tied
a piece of cedar bark to his tail. Then he made a drum, probably the first one ever constructed, and beat
it vigorously with a stick for the dancing fireflies. Gradually, he moved closer and closer to the fire.

Fox pretended to tire from beating the drum. He gave it to some fireflies who wanted to help make the
music. Fox quickly thrust his tail into the fire, lighting the bark, and exclaimed, "It is too warm here for
me, I must find a cooler place."

Straight to the cedar tree Fox ran, calling, "Bend down to me, my cedar tree, bend down!"

Down bent the cedar tree for Fox to catch hold, then up it carried him far over the wall. On and on he
ran, with the fireflies in pursuit.

As Fox ran along, brush and wood on either side of his path were ignited from the sparks dropping from
the burning bark tied to his tail.
Fox finally tired and gave the burning bark to Hawk, i-tsarl-tsu- i, who carried it to brown Crane, tsi-nes-
tso-l. He flew far southward, scattering fire sparks everywhere. This is how fire first spread over the
Earth.

Fireflies continued chasing Fox all the way to his burrow and declared, "Forever after, Wily Fox, your
punishment for stealing our fire will be that you can never make use of it for yourself."

The grasshopper and the toad

African Folktale

Grasshopper and Toad appeared to be good friends. People always saw them together. Yet they had
never dined at each other's houses. One day Toad said to Grasshopper, "Dear friend, tomorrow come
and dine at my house. My wife and I will prepare a special meal. We will eat it together."

The next day Grasshopper arrived at Toad's house. Before sitting down to eat, Toad washed his forelegs,
and invited Grasshopper to do the same. Grasshopper did so, and it made a loud noise.

"Friend Grasshopper, can't you leave your chirping behind. I cannot eat with such a noise," said Toad.

Grasshopper tried to eat without rubbing his forelegs together, but it was impossible. Each time he gave
a chirp, Toad complained and asked him to be quiet. Grasshopper was angry and could not eat. Finally,
he said to Toad: "I invite you to my house for dinner, tomorrow."

The next day, Toad arrived at Grasshopper's home. As soon as the meal was ready, Grasshopper washed
his forelegs, and invited Toad to do the same. Toad did so, and then hopped toward the food.

"You had better go back and wash again," said Grasshopper. "All that hopping in the dirt has made your
forelegs dirty again."

Toad hopped back to the water jar, washed again, then hopped back to the table, and was ready to
reach out for some food from one of the platters when Grasshopper stopped him: "Please dorit put your
dirty paws into the food. Go and wash them again."

Toad was furious. "You just don't want me to eat with you!" he cried. "You know very well that I must
use my paws and forelegs in hopping about. I cannot help it if they get a bit dirty between the water jar
and the table."

Grasshopper responded, "You are the one who started it yesterday. You know I cannot rub my forelegs
together without making a noise."
From then on, they were no longer friends.

Moral: If you wish to have true friendship with someone, learn to accept each other's faults, as well as
each other's good qualities

Clever Jackal gets away

African Folktale

"Hawu, hawu, hawu, my children," Gogo began one evening. "You know, cleverness is a very important
thing to own! Why, cleverness has helped Nogwaja out of the cooking pot more than once!"

"The Jackal is also a clever animal, isn't he, Gogo?" asked little Sipho (see' poh), who was quite proud
that his nickname was Mpungushe (mpoo-ngoo'-shay = "jackal"). Gogo, in fact, had given him that name
because of the loud howl he had made as a baby. Sipho liked to think it was because he was quick and
agile as the Jackal.

Gogo laughed and looked at the child at her feet. "Yes, my boy! You are right! Jackal is a very clever
animal. Sometimes too clever for his own good!"

"I remember how he helped Jabu the herdboy by tricking Bhubesi back into the snare. Tell us another
tale about Jackal, Gogo!" begged Sipho.

"Yes, Gogo," her other grandchildren chorused. "Please tell us...."

"Alright, my children. But listen and learn!" Gogo settled her round self down more comfortably upon
the tree stump. "Kwasuka sukela . . ."

One day long ago, Jackal was trotting through a narrow, rocky pass. As he often did, he kept his nose to
the ground as he ambled along, to catch the odd scent. "Never know when I'll happen upon my next
meal, " he thought to himself, although it was highly unlikely that he would find a rat out in the midday
heat. But perhaps he could catch a lizard or two.

Suddenly he was aware of a movement ahead of him in the pass. "Oh, no!" Jackal moaned and stopped
dead-still in his tracks. Lion was coming toward him. Realising that he was too near to escape, Jackal was
filled with fear. He had played so many tricks on the great Bhubesi in the past, he was sure that lion
would take this opportunity to get his revenge. In a flash Jackal thought of a plan.

"Help! Help!" cried Jackal. He cowered down on the cliff path, looking above at the rocks.

Lion stopped short in surprise.

"Help!" Jackal howled, using the fear he felt in the middle of his chest to accentuate his cry. Jackal
glanced up at Bhubesi. "Oh, great Nkosi! Help! There is no time to lose! See those great rocks above us?
They are about to fall! We shall both be crushed to death!!!! Oh, mighty Lion, do something! Save us!"
And Jackal cowered even lower, his paws covering his head.

Lion looked up, most alarmed. Before he even had a chance to think, Jackal was begging him to use his
strength to hold up the overhanging rock. So Lion put his brawny shoulder to the rock and heaved.

"Oh, thank you, great King!" yelped Jackal. "I will quickly fetch that log over there to prop under the
rock, and we will both be saved!" With that Jackal bounded out of sight.

Lion was left all alone to struggle under the weight of the unmoving rock. How long he remained there
before he realised that it was another trick, we will never know. But this much we do know: Jackal
continued to live by his wits!

Author: James Honey/

stained

African Folktale

"Kwasuka sukela...."

Long ago a wicked and lazy hunter was sitting under a tree. He was thinking that it was too hot to be
bothered with the arduous task of stalking prey through the bushes. Below him in the clearing on the
grassy veld there were fat springbok grazing. But this hunter couldn't be bothered, so lazy was he! He
gazed at the herd, wishing that he could have the meat without the work, when suddenly he noticed a
movement off to the left of the buck. It was a female cheetah seeking food. Keeping downwind of the
herd, she moved closer and closer to them. She singled out a springbok who had foolishly wandered
away from the rest. Suddenly she gathered her long legs under her and sprang forward. With great
speed she came upon the springbok and brought it down. Startled, the rest of the herd raced away as
the cheetah quickly killed her prey.

The hunter watched as the cheetah dragged her prize to some shade on the edge of the clearing. There
three beautiful cheetah cubs were waiting there for her. The lazy hunter was filled with envy for the
cubs and wished that he could have such a good hunter provide for him. Imagine dining on delicious
meat every day without having to do the actual hunting! Then he had a wicked idea. He decided that he
would steal one of the cheetah cubs and train it to hunt for him. He decided to wait until the mother
cheetah went to the waterhole late in the afternoon to make his move. He smiled to himself.
When the sun began to set, the cheetah left her cubs concealed in a bush and set off to the waterhole.
Quickly the hunter grabbed his spear and trotted down to the bushes where the cubs were hidden.
There he found the three cubs, still to young to be frightened of him or to run away. He first chose one,
then decided upon another, and then changed his mind again. Finally he stole them all, thinking to
himself that three cheetahs would undoubtedly be better than one.

When their mother returned half-an-hour later and found her babies gone, she was broken-hearted. The
poor mother cheetah cried and cried until her tears made dark stains down her cheeks. She wept all
night and into the next day. She cried so loudly that she was heard by an old man who came to see what
the noise was all about.

Now this old man was wise and knew the ways of the animals. When he discovered what the wicked
hunter had done, he became very angry. The lazy hunter was not only a thief, he had broken the
traditions of the tribe. Everyone knew that a hunter must use only his own strength and skill. Any other
way of hunting was surely a dishonour.

The old man returned to the village and told the elders what has happened. The villagers became angry.
They found the lazy hunter and drove him away from the village. The old man took the three cheetah
cubs back to their grateful mother. But the long weeping of the mother cheetah stained her face
forever. Today the cheetah wears the tearstains on its face as a reminder to the hunters that it is not
honourable to hunt in any other way than that which is traditional.
live in the sky

African Folktale

Many years ago, the sun and water were great friends, and they both lived on the earth togther. The sun
very often used to visit the water, but the water never returned the visits.

At last the sun asked the water why he never visited. The water replied that the sun's house was not big
enough, and that if he came with all his people, he would drive the sun out of his home.

The water then said, "If you want me to visit you, you will have to build a very large house. But I warn
you that it will have to be very large, as my people are numerous and take up a lot of room".

The sun promised to build a very large house, and soon afterwards, he returned home to his wife, the
moon, who greeted him with a broad smile.

The sun told the moon what he had promised the water, and the next day, they began building a large
house to entertain the water and all his people.

When it was completed, the sun asked the water to come and visit him.

When the water arrived, one of his people called out to the sun, and asked him whether it would be safe
for the water to enter, and the sun answered, "Yes, tell my friend to come in."

The water began to flow in, followed by the fish and all the other water animals.

Very soon, the water was knee-deep in the house, so he asked the sun if it was still safe, and the sun
again said, "Yes," so more of them came in.

When the water was at the level of a man's head, the water said to the sun, "Do you want more of my
people to come?"

Not knowing any better, the sun and the moon both said, "Yes,". More and more of the water's people
came in, until the sun and the moon had to sit on top of the roof.

The water once again asked the sun if it was still okay to keep coming in. The sun and moon answered
yes, so more and more of the water's people came in.

The water soon overflowed the top of the roof, and the sun and the moon were forced to go up into the
sky.

...and they have been there ever since.

The four dragons

Asian Folktale

Once upon a time, there were no rivers and lakes on earth, but only the Eastern Sea, in which lived four
dragons: the Long Dragon, the Yellow Dragon, the Black Dragon and the Pearl Dragon. One day the four
dragons flew from the sea into the sky. They soared and dived, playing at hide-and-seek in the clouds.

"Come over here quickly!" the Pearl Dragon cried out suddenly.

"What's up?" asked the other three, looking down in the direction where the Pearl Dragon pointed.

On the earth they saw many people putting out fruits and cakes, and burning incense sticks. They were
praying! A white-haired woman, kneeling on the ground with a thin boy on her back, murmured,

"Please send rain quickly, God of Heaven, to give our children rice to eat."

For there had been no rain for a long time. The crops withered, the grass turned yellow and fields
cracked under the scorching sun.

"How poor the people are!" said the Yellow Dragon. "And they will die if it doesn't rain soon."

The Long Dragon nodded. Then he suggested, "Let's go and beg the Jade Emperor for rain."

So saying, he leapt into the clouds. The others followed closely and flew towards the Heavenly Palace.
Being in charge of all the affairs in heaven on earth and in the sea, the Jade Emperor was very powerful.
He was not pleased to see the dragons rushing in.

"Why do you come here instead of staying in the sea and behaving yourselves?"

The Long Dragon stepped forward and said, "The crops on earth are withering and dying, Your Majesty. I
beg you to send rain down quickly!"

"All right. You go back first, I'll send some rain down tomorrow." The Jade Emperor pretended to agree
while listening to the songs of the fairies.

The four dragons responded, "Thanks, Your Majesty!"

The four dragons went happily back. But ten days passed, and not a drop of rain came down. The people
suffered more, some eating bark, some grass roots, some forced to eat white clay when they ran out of
bark and grass roots. Seeing all this, the four dragons felt very sorry, for they knew the Jade Emperor
only cared about pleasure, and never took the people to heart. They could only rely on themselves to
relieve the people of their miseries. But how to do it? Seeing the vast sea, the Long Dragon said that he
had an idea.

"What is it? Out with it, quickly!" the other three demanded.
"Look, is there not plenty of water in the sea where we live? We should scoop it up and spray it towards
the sky. The water will be like rain drops and come down to save the people and their crops," said Long
Dragon.

"Good idea!" said the others as they clapped their hands.

"But," said the Long Dragon after thinking a bit, "we will be blamed if the Jade Emperor learns of this."

"I will do anything to save the people," the Yellow Dragon said resolutely.

"Then let's begin. We will never regret it," said Long Dragon.

The Black Dragon and the Pearl Dragon were not to be outdone. They flew to the sea, scooped up water
in their mouths, and then flew back into the sky, where they sprayed the water out over the earth. The
four dragons flew back and forth, making the sky dark all around. Before long the sea water became rain
pouring down from the sky.

"It's raining! It's raining! The crops will be saved!" the people cried and leaped with joy.

On the ground the wheat stalks raised their heads and the sorghum stalks straightened up. The god of
the sea discovered these events and reported to the Jade Emperor.

"How dare the four dragons bring rain without my permission!" said the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor was enraged, and ordered the heavenly generals and their troops to arrest the four
dragons. Being far outnumbered, the four dragons could not defend themselves, and they were soon
arrested and brought back to the heavenly palace.

"Go and get four mountains to lay upon them so that they can never escape!" The Jade Emperor
ordered the Mountain God.

The Mountain God used his magic power to make four mountains fly there, whistling in the wind from
afar, and pressed them down upon the four dragons. Imprisoned as they were, they never regretted
their actions. Determined to do good for the people forever, they turned themselves into four rivers,
which flowed past high mountains and deep valleys, crossing the land from the west to the east and
finally emptying into the sea. And so China's four great rivers were formed -- the Heilongjian (Black
Dragon) in the far north, the Huanghe (Yellow River) in central China, the Changjiang (Yangtze, or Long
River) farther south, and the Zhujiang (Pearl) in the very far south.
The man who never lied

An African folktale

The man who never lied

Once upon a time there lived a wise man by the name of Mamad. He never lied. All the people in the
land, even the ones who lived twenty days away, knew about him.

The king heard about Mamad and ordered his subjects to bring him to the palace. He looked at the wise
man and asked:

" Mamad, is it true, that you have never lied?"

" It's true."

"And you will never lie in your life?"

" I'm sure in that."

"Okay, tell the truth, but be careful! The lie is cunning and it gets on your tongue easily."

Several days passed and the king called Mamad once again. There was a big crowd: the king was about
to go hunting. The king held his horse by the mane, his left foot was already on the stirrup. He ordered
Mamad:

"Go to my summer palace and tell the queen I will be with her for lunch. Tell her to prepare a big feast.
You will have lunch with me then."

Mamad bowed down and went to the queen. Then the king laughed and said:

"We won't go hunting and now Mamad will lie to the queen. Tomorrow we will laugh on his behalf."

But the wise Mamad went to the palace and said:

"Maybe you should prepare a big feast for lunch tomorrow, and maybe you shouldn't. Maybe the king
will come by noon, and maybe he won't."

"Tell me will he come, or won't he?" - asked the queen.

"I don't know weather he put his right foot on the stirrup, or he put his left foot on the ground after I
left."

Everybody waited for the king. He came the next day and said to the queen:

"The wise Mamad, who never lies, lied to you yesterday."

But the queen told him about the words of Mamad. And the king realized, that the wise man never lies,
and says only that, which he saw with his own eyes.