The Tortoise and the Elephant.

 

This is a traditional African story about strength. If you had to decide who you thought was stronger, an Elephant or a Tortoise which one would you choose?  The answer may surprise you, then again maybe not.

Many African stories are told in the voice of a bird or animal, can you guess which bird is telling this story?  The story not surprisingly is called:

The Tortoise and the Elephant.

I consider myself as the smartest bird alive, I am also the most modest as you can probably tell. I never get my wings dirty with work which I look upon as a nasty habit better left to others and I stay well away from danger. I just sit on the branch of my favourite tree and occasionally flap my beautiful wings so I may fly over the African plains looking for a bite to eat.

Sometimes I will see a lion eating its kill and I will wait for it to finish then I will fly down and pick the bones clean. It’s a lot easier to eat leftovers and they are very tasty. As a Vulture I live an easy life, I let others do all the work and I take life nice and easy, isn’t that the cleverest way to live?

Funny thing is the other day I saw an animal pull of a trick that even impressed me and that’s not an easy thing to do. He wasn’t much to look at, stumpy little legs, dozy eyed, wrinkly and useless looking. Not exactly the sign of a quick thinker. However, don’t let his looks fool you, his slow steps hide a quick mind and his hard shell hides a cunning brain.  He was sleeping in the grass, when an elephant came marching along with his big fat heavy feet. The ground was shaking but it didn’t wake up the tortoise as he lay in his shell.

“Get out of my way or I’ll step on you” cried the elephant.

“That’s a fair warning” I thought. “He’d better get out of the way unless he wants to be squashed” But the tortoise didn’t move, instead he poked his head out of his shell and said.

“Oh do what you like Jumbo, it doesn’t bother me. I’m stronger than you are”

“Rubbish, no one is stronger than me” trumpeted the elephant,

“Well I’m too sleepy to move for you or anyone else and I don’t care if you tread on me so do your worse” replied the tortoise.

“Right then you asked for it” said the elephant.

He stepped onto the tortoise and brought his full weight of six tons down onto the shell of the tortoise. Even I closed one eye and winced. Then I thought “I wonder what squashed tortoise tastes like” I suppose it’s not that tender but I don’t complain when a free meal presents itself. Much to my surprise the tortoise wasn’t squashed, his shell could hold up even an elephant. Well that was some roof to have over you.

“Humph” said the elephant. “You’re not strong you’re just not squishy, that’s different”

“And you’re just a bad loser” said the tortoise and with a big yawn he went back to sleep.

Well as you can imagine this story soon got around and it caused a big stir on the African plain and soon all the animals were talking about how the tortoise got the better of the elephant. Little did they realise there was more to come. One evening just as the sun was preparing to go to bed the tortoise slowly walked down to the river for a drink of water before bedtime. There on the river bank he met a hippopotamus. The hippo smiled when he saw the tortoise and said.

“I heard how you got the better of that stupid, fat old elephant. I must warn you though. Don’t try to make a fool out of me because I’ll turn you over onto your back and squash you. So don’t get ideas above your station”.

“Oh you think so do you, well I bet I’m stronger than you” said the tortoise.

Now I was sat high up on a branch listening in to their conversation and this time I thought that the tortoise was beginning to believe in his own publicity. It seemed that he was full of his own self importance and that his triumph over the elephant had gone to his head. Well he was boasting too much and you know what they say “Pride goes before a fall”. You can’t go round taking on the biggest and heaviest animals and expect to live to tell the tale, or so I thought.  The hippo clearly thought the same thing.

“That’s a bet I’d like to take” said the hippo.

“Well you see that rope left by the boatman after the crocodile invited him for lunch. How about we use it for a tug of war” said the tortoise.

“You’re on” replied the hippo.

“What does he think he’s playing at” I wondered. “How can that geriatric, stumpy legged shell dweller hope to win a trial of strength with Mr Tubby river beast?”

The hippo picked up one end of the rope and the tortoise picked up the other.  There was plenty of slack in it and it only seemed fair that the tortoise should take his end up the river bank and over the other side.

“Don’t start pulling until I shout ready” said the tortoise.

From my seat high up on a branch of a nearby tree I saw what the tortoise was up to. On the other side of the river bank who should he meet but the elephant.

“Hoy Fatty” shouted the tortoise, “I’ll give you one last chance for a rematch. How about a tug of war”.

The elephant, still upset from his earlier embarrassment was only too willing to agree.

The tortoise gave his end of the rope to the elephant and told him that he would go to the other end when he shouted “Ready” the elephant should start to pull. The tortoise ran off (Very slowly) and hid in a hollow near the top of the river bank then called out “Ready”.

Both the big fat and rather stupid animals began to pull on the rope, neither knowing who was on the other end. First the hippo gave way a few steps then he pulled the elephant back then the elephant gave way a few steps and the hippo pulled back. This went on for a while, neither winning until eventually the rope snapped in the middle. The reputation of the tortoise was sealed; all the other animals thought that the little tortoise was invincible. A rumour began to go round that he could do witchcraft. Only I knew the truth for I had seen the whole thing from my branch high up in the tree.

I thought I’d seen it all but I have to say that the tortoise could teach me a thing or two about using the strength of others. He let those two mighty beasts fight each other and drain their force while he sat in his shell. He was the strongest of all animals, but it was his brain, not his muscles that brought him victory.