A long time ago, Rabbit used to be a household animal like Dog and Cat. In those days, Rabbit enjoyed every privilege as a member of the human home.

One day, Rabbit decided to take a trip alone into the wilds. He had been to the bush with his human father, but never by himself. He was curious, longing to know what was going on on the other side.

Rabbit walked quietly through the tall bushes, greeting every animal, big or small, that he met on the way. By and by he came upon Leopard, the King of the Wilds. Leopard was eating his food and was not willing to be disturbed. Rabbit's mouth began to water.

“Hello King Leopard,” spoke the cunning Rabbit.

“How are you little Rabbit?” Leopard roared back.

“I am fine, but not as fine as you are, O King,” Rabbit flapped his long ears after he had spoken. “I have come to seek words of wisdom from you on how I can best serve my master. He is a very cruel man wanting everything for himself, his kin, and his kith. He reaps where he does not sow, allotting only wild grass for me to feed on. My very best efforts are not seen as enough, while my minor mistakes are never overlooked.”

Leopard smiled from one corner of his mouth and then said, “That is a simple matter. I shall put my food aside to give you some words of wisdom.” Leopard was afraid that if he continued to eat in Rabbit’s presence, he would be compelled by tradition to invite his guest to eat. He put his food away quickly and cleared his throat to begin advising Rabbit.

Rabbit knew what Leopard was thinking. He said, “O King, our old folks often told us that words of wisdom must be given in a quiet place. With the scent of palmbutter with dry meat, fresh fish and spices distracting me here, I am of the opinion that we need to find a more comfortable place to sit while you carry out this important task.”

This sounded good to the advisor. He fixed a cloth hat on his head and joined Rabbit for a short walk. Leopard felt very proud because of the respect given him by Rabbit, who had left town to seek his advice. They walked side by side, talking and laughing their hearts out. Little did Leopard know that ahead was a trap set by Rabbit’s master into which the King of the Wilds was being lured. It did not take long until they arrived where the trap was.

Rabbit grinned while pointing to the trap, “This is a quiet place O King. We can sit here and talk. Here is a seat which looks like the stool of a King.’

“Thank you little Rabbit,” Leopard said, and moved a few paces to rest his back against the trap that he mistook for a royal seat. The trap kicked off and Leopard was grabbed!

Rabbit laughed and laughed as Leopard struggled in vain, “Ha ha ha ha aha ha ha ha ha ha! Now you are trapped! I shall not harm you for now but will return to your cave to eat what you saved for me. Ha ha ha ha! You are a big fool!” He hurried back to Leopard’s table and was very kind to the food. He ate every grain of rice and drank the water and palm wine that were at the table. He also ate the fried ripe plantain that he found sitting on a ledge.

Leopard struggled and struggled with all the energy within him. He fought very hard to save himself. He was boiling with anger. He fought and fought until he broke the trap. It was not a trap intended for strong animals so he succeeded in breaking it into pieces. He ran back to his cave where empty calabash bowls quietly watched him as he puffed out fury. His food was finished! He was angrier than he had ever been. By then, Rabbit was far away from the place where he had eaten Leopard’s food and was finding his way back home.

Leopard leapt and hopped. He sped in the direction Rabbit had taken. Moments later, Rabbit was in Leopard’s eyeshot. A little distance ahead was a village which had only one hut. An old woman in the yard was fanning rice.

“You are dead!’ Leopard shouted. This scared Rabbit so much. He began shouting and screaming, “Mother, mother, help me! Leopard is about to kill me!” Rabbit’s breath cut short with fear as he arrived at the small village. The old woman, the only occupant of the hut, was sorry for him. She quickly hid Rabbit in the attic and covered him with bundles of rice. Rabbit was still panting with great fear.

It did not take long before Leopard arrived. He was wounded and breathing anger. His claws were set to tear Rabbit apart.

The old woman walked to him quietly. She looked surprised. Leopard spoke to her and said, “Mother, I am looking for my little Rabbit. Have you seen him?” The old woman noticed that Leopard was angry even though he wanted to appear friendly, so she spoke calmly, “No King, maybe he is on his way here. Please sit and have a rest. Have some palm wine to cool your thirst.”

“Thank you,” Leopard growled, “but I am in serious haste. I must find my missing little Rabbit.”

The old woman spoke calmly again, “That’s true O King, but you know that our forefathers told us never to refuse the kindness of the elderly.”

Leopard agreed to rest. He accepted the jug of stale palm wine that the old woman offered him and sat to wait for Rabbit. With both hands, he raised the jug above his shoulders and gulped the wine down his throat. He felt fine for a short time, then suddenly dozed into a deep sleep.

While Leopard was snoring heavily, Rabbit crept down from the attic and whispered something into the woman’s right ear. When the woman heard what Rabbit said, she quickly set a pot full of red palm oil on the fire. It boiled with wrath and became intensely smoky. When the oil was very, very hot, Rabbit and the old woman quietly emptied it into the mouth of Leopard, who was sleeping with his mouth wide open. Some of the boiling oil went into his nose, ears, and eyes. They were happy that the fierce King was fried. He would not wake up again.

Rabbit was happy. He butchered Leopard and began packing the meat into a kinja that he had quickly made. The old woman went close to Rabbit and said, “Thank you, O son, that you have killed our common enemy. I will only take one of the limbs.”

“No Mama,” Rabbit replied, “in our tradition the limbs belong to the quarter men.”

“Then I’ll take the backbone,” the old woman said.

“Don’t be funny Mama,” Rabbit snapped, “the backbone belongs to the hunter.”

“Ha ha ha ha!” Rabbit laughed. “Where are the children you’ve got here to eat them? Only children love the internal organs!”

The old woman did not give up. She asked for the head, but Rabbit said that was the town crier’s portion. When she asked for the rectum, Rabbit responded that it was for the drummers of the land.

“Rabbit,” the old woman said finally, “I know you are not going to refuse this time. Just give me the excrement.”

Rabbit was choking with laughter. “Look, old woman, that is what my wife is going to use to plaster our floor and walls.”

The old woman made no more requests, neither did she complain. She helped Rabbit to place the load on his back, but while doing so she sprinkled a magic charm over the meat and across the kinja. The charm had the power to make the leopard live again.

The old woman said, “Now you can go in peace, little Rabbit. Good bye.”

“Thank you, Mama, for being so kind,” Rabbit replied happily, and headed for home.

Rabbit walked and walked. The parts of the dead leopard began to slowly mend. The head connected to the neck, then the neck connected to the backbone, and the backbone to the ribs. This went on and on until a live leopard sprang from Rabbit’s back. Leopard moaned and groaned. Rabbit was paralyzed.

“Now you can no longer escape!” Leopard roared. “Your end has come!”

“True O King!” Rabbit cried out, “I know that only you are the King of the Wild. This is why I have carried you my back, but now I am here to report myself.”

Leopard did not care to wait to hear any of Rabbit’s pleas. He roared louder. His claws were set.

“Wait!” Rabbit cried. “It is unlawful for a King to eat a tiny animal like me when I have not put out the feces that fills my bowels. Let me ease myself first then you can eat me clean.”

Leopard still roared with rage but he waited when Rabbit sprang on a log and began to free his bowels. Leopard could not watch the scene. He was a respectable king. He turned his face from Rabbit and waited impatiently. This was the moment that Rabbit was waiting for. He crept away and then ran as fast as he could. Leopard raced after him but Rabbit flew into a hole that Leopard could not get in. Rabbit moved at high speed through the hole then finally found himself near the sea. He was completely lost from Leopard’s sight.

Rabbit felt relieved that he was completely away from the wrath of Leopard. He flapped his long ears then looked across the sea. In the center of the waves, there stood a piassava tree, ready to be tapped. Its branches were large and fresh. As the wind blew against them, they tossed happily as if dancing to the songs of the air. Rabbit stared eagerly at the blossoming palm wine tree. His throat began to make swallowing sounds. It was telling him that the wine was good for the throat.

Not too far from the piassava tree was a huge cotton tree. On its branches were seven beautiful laughing virgins. They were the most beautiful girls Rabbit had ever seen.

“Hello pretty girls,” Rabbit spoke in a soft tone. The girls greeted Rabbit in unison.

“How can I tap that palm wine?” Rabbit questioned the girls.

“We can sing and clap our hands asking the sea to dry out and it will obey. But after you shall have tapped the wine, make sure that we have our share.”

Rabbit agreed. The girls began singing. Their song was like that of the angels of the heavens. Rabbit was smiling, dancing, and nodding. Right away the wind stood still. The sea dried out leaving a patch of sand for Rabbit to walk on. Quickly, he crossed and tapped the piassava tree. The palm wine began pouring out at once. His gains were unexpected. He found five gourds that he filled at once. He was very happy.

While Rabbit was tapping the palm wine, the parted sea came together and the wind resumed. He began singing:

Girls of the cotton tree
Give me a song, I plead
Let the wind die
Let the sea dry

Early the next morning, Rabbit went back to his new palm wine tree. He took along two huge gallons. When he arrived, he could see the wine foaming from a distance, but he had no power to venture into the rolling sea. He opened his mouth and pleaded:

Girls of the cotton tree
Sing a song, I plead
Let the wind die
Let the sea dry

The girls accepted Rabbit’s excuse. They did not complain or hold resentment in their hearts against Rabbit. Their faces did not show any sign of frustration.

Day after day, Rabbit gave excuses. At times when the girls requested their share as he had promised, he told them that he either had fines to pay or he had to dowry for a new wife. This continued for several weeks. He did not give the girls any wine, not even the dregs. But Rabbit was always drunk on his way home.

Finally the girls had had enough of Rabbit’s tricks. They found out that he was cunning and was not the kind of friend that could be trusted. They came to believe that he would never give them any wine, instead he would give empty gourds filled with excuses. The girls did not express this to him. Not a sorrow or a sigh they carried.

One day when Rabbit had departed, the girls said one to another, “Rabbit is very cunning and ungrateful.”

“Tomorrow, we shall drown him.”

“Let him pay for his ugly acts.”

“Yes we must pay him in his own coin.”

They all agreed and were happy with their decision. Then the beautiful girls of the tree said in unison, “Yes, yes, he will pay for his deeds this time around.”

The following morning was a very warm one. The sun came out early. It was the kind of warmness that deserves a drink of cold palm wine. Rabbit gathered his tools then stepped out to visit his palm wine tree. The wine had been pouring so heavily that he had brought a barrel. Rabbit looked at the girls and flirted a smile.

“Hello beautiful girls,” he spoke heartily. The girls answered back. They did not carry grief on their faces or in their reply.

Girls of the cotton tree
Give a song, I plead
Let the wind die
Let the sea dry

As usual, the girls did not hold back. Their singing was the finest Rabbit had ever heard. The hand claps that went along with the song were amusing. Rabbit was so happy.

“I have more and more found favor with the girls,” he said to himself and laughed softly. He quickly fastened the barrel to a long and thick rope extending from the top of the tree to the dry sandy ground. He soon filled the huge barrel to the brim and drank the remnants greedily. The wine was foaming as if it were boiling with anger. He drank a little more and confessed to the girls that it was the best he has ever had.

Slowly, Rabbit let down the barrel with the strong rope he had attached. He followed, stepping artfully on the steps of the ladders.

“Today you have a barrelful,” the girls said to Rabbit as he got ready to leave. “At least you can give us just a gallon that we may drink and be merry.”

“Oh pretty girls, I am sorry. I have taken a new wife, and at the same time the head of my wives has given birth. There are a lot of people at my place today. I must take home all of the palm wine for my many guests. Believe me, tomorrow you shall have enough to drink and forget about all of life’s troubles. Please understand good friends.”

The sea that had come back together while Rabbit was in the tree was rolling. Its billows were tossing high. But it did not scare the cunning Rabbit at all. He trusted that the girls would sing and very soon all would be well. He winked his eyes at the girls, smiled from the corner of his mouth and cried out:

Girls of the cotton tree
Give a song, I plead
Let the wind die
Let the sea dry

Pretty girls of our fathers’ tree
Hear my cry
Sing to the sea I pray

The water climbed to Rabbit’s knees. His cries grew more loud. They mingled with the noise the rough sea made and filled the air. The sea rolled and rolled and Rabbit trembled with fear. He promised again to give the girls the whole barrel of wine, but the seven virgins paid no heed to Rabbit’s repeated pleas and promises.

Rough and wild the sea became.The wind blew with rage. Rabbit groaned, but fortune was far from him. The mighty waves swept him away and the girls saw him no more. His barrel, emptied of the palm wine, began to spin in the center of the whirlpool. After a while, the barrel sped in the direction the waves had taken the greedy Rabbit. Rabbit and his empty barrel were never seen again.