Story, story! Let it go, let it come!
This is a tale about a jealous man and what befell him.
In the days of old, there was a certain man who lived in a town. But his heart was filled with jealousy, and he feared that other men would desire his wives. So he rose up and went deep into the bush, taking his wives with him, hiding them away from the eyes of men.
He lived there in isolation until one day the chief of the town heard about him. The chief made a proclamation throughout the land:
"He who goes and seduces the wife of this jealous man before his very eyes if he comes to me and proves it, I will give him a horse, a fine cloak, and one hundred thousand cowries!"
Now, a certain man heard this proclamation, and he said, "I will be the one to lie with his wife before his eyes."
So he went off and sought some baobab seeds. He opened them carefully and cleaned out the inside well. Then he sought very small pieces of money and poured them inside each seed. He went to the place where the jealous man lived and gave him these seeds as a present.
When the jealous man broke one open, he saw the small money inside. He broke another, and found money there too. He broke another, and the same. His eyes grew wide with wonder.
"My friend," he said, "will you not show me where this baobab tree is?"
The seducer replied, "The place where this baobab tree grows is far away."
"Take me to it," begged the jealous man.
"It cannot be climbed except by a ladder," said the seducer, "and no one knows where it is save me."
The jealous man continued to entreat him, his heart consumed with greed. At last, the seducer said, "Let us go. I will take you there. But if it were not for you, I would not show the place to anyone."
So they set out, and the jealous man brought his wife with him.
When they came to the baobab tree, the seducer lifted the ladder and placed it against the trunk. He told the woman's husband to climb up.
So up he climbed, higher and higher, dreaming of the treasure that awaited him.
When he had finished climbing, the seducer lifted away the ladder and carried it somewhere else, setting it down far from the tree. Then he came back.
He seized the wife and threw her down. He did what he intended to do, while the woman's husband looked on from above, unable to descend. The jealous man could only shout down at them:
"I shall spit on you! I shall spit on you!"
But his words were empty, and his pride was broken, until they had finished what they were doing.
Then the seducer went his way. He came to the chief and told him what they had done. The chief gave him his reward a horse, a cloak, and one hundred thousand cowries and added to his gifts.
"That," said the chief, "is the medicine he required."
As for the jealous man, his wife, with great difficulty, lifted the ladder and brought it to him. Only then could he descend from the tree.
On his return home, he collected all his goods and returned to live in the town. He said:
"My jealousy dragged me into this. If I remain here in the bush, people will destroy me. Better to live among men than to be ruled by suspicion."
And that is the story of the jealous man who learned that pride comes before a fall, and that distrust invites the very betrayal it fears.
That is all.
Off with the rat's head.