Once upon a time, The pregnant woman and the margouillat in a land of legend , a pregnant woman had gone to look for dead wood. When she had gathered the right amount, she had no one to help her put the load on her head. This is how the ridiculous margouillat offered to help him…
Part one The pregnant woman and the margouillat
So she called out: PREGNANT WOMAN AND THE MARGOUILLAT
- What forest creature could help me put this load on my head?
The margouillat introduced himself. The woman said to him:
- Get out of there, you can’t!
- What forest creature could help me put this load on my head? she repeated.
The lizard came. She tells him :
- Get out of there, you can’t!
- What forest creature could help me put this load on my head? she said again.
The lion came. She tells him :
- You are capable of it.
- If I help you, what will you give me in return? asked the lion.
- What I carry in my stomach, she replied.
Part two The pregnant woman and the margouillat
Njogoy the lion helped him; the woman returned to the village where she gave birth to a boy named Samba.
The lion waited impatiently for a few years, then one day he walked towards the village
and asked Samba:
- Can we eat you or do we still have to wait?
- Wait a little longer, the time has not come.
The lion turned back, waited a while, then came back to the village and said:
- Can we eat you or do we still have to wait?
- There’s still a month left, the mother replied.
Samba decided one morning:
- It is I who will graze the flock.
And he left. The lion came in his absence.
- Can we eat it or do we still have to wait?
- Here he has just gone to the flock, replied the mother.
The lion waited, waited, then he went to find the boy in the enclosure:
- Is this Samba?
- Yes it’s me.
- Can we eat you or do we still have to wait?
- You can eat me, says Samba!
Part three The pregnant woman and the margouillat
They rushed at each other and began to fight, to fight!
Samba killed the lion,
cut off a claw and returned to the village.
When he arrived, his mother served him supper. He ate a little, then buried the claw
in the rest of the couscous.
He says :
- Mother, come and take the dish.
The mother took the dish and immediately began to eat.
No sooner had she swallowed a mouthful
than the claw stuck in her throat. She faints. While everyone was busy,
Samba said nothing. When he felt her on the verge of death, Samba gave her a big pat
on the back and the claw fell to the ground. He tells him :
- Here is the lion to whom you gave me as a pledge!
And the mother was covered with shame.
All the villagers applauded the bravery of young Samba.
Tale from Senegal: The pregnant woman and the margouillat
