The King's Magic Drum

Efriam Duke was an ancient king of Calabar. He was a peaceful man, and did not like war. He had a wonderful drum, the property of which, when it was beaten, was always to provide plenty of good food and drink. So whenever any country declared war against him, he used to call all his enemies together and beat his drum; then to the surprise of every one, instead of fighting the people found tables spread with all sorts of dishes, fish, foo-foo, palm-oil chop, soup, cooked yams and ocros, and plenty of palm wine for everybody. In this way he kept all the country quiet, and sent his enemies away with full stomachs, and in a happy and contented frame of mind. There was only one drawback to possessing the drum, and that was, if the owner of the drum walked over any stick on the road or stept over a fallen tree, all the food would immediately go bad, and three hundred Egbo men would appear with sticks and whips and beat the owner of the drum and all the invited guests very severely.

エフリアム・デュークは昔のカラバルの王だった。穏やかな人で、戦いを好まなかった。王は不思議な太鼓を持っていて、それを叩くと、いつもうまい食べ物と飲み物がたっぷり出てくるのだった。そこで、どこかの国が戦を宣してくると、王は敵をみな呼び集めて太鼓を叩いた。すると誰もが驚いたことに、戦う代わりに、人々の前には魚、フーフー、椰子油の煮込み、スープ、煮たヤムイモとオクラなど、あらゆる料理を並べた食卓が現れ、みなに椰子酒がたっぷりふるまわれた。こうして王は国じゅうを静かに保ち、敵たちを満腹にして、幸せで満ち足りた気持ちで帰らせた。この太鼓を持つことには、ただ一つ困ったところがあった。太鼓の持ち主が道で棒をまたいだり、倒れた木をまたいだりすると、食べ物がたちまちみな腐り、三百人のエグボが棒と鞭を持って現れて、太鼓の持ち主と招かれた客をみなたいそうひどく打ちすえるのである。

Efriam Duke was a rich man. He had many farms and hundreds of slaves, a large store of kernels on the beach, and many puncheons of palm-oil. He also had fifty wives and many children. The wives were all fine women and healthy; they were also good mothers, and all of them had plenty of children, which was good for the king's house.

エフリアム・デュークは金持ちだった。畑をたくさん持ち、何百人もの奴隷を持ち、浜には椰子の実の大きな倉があり、椰子油の大樽もたくさんあった。妻も五十人いて、子どももたくさんいた。妻たちはみな見事な女で健やかだった。よい母親でもあって、みなたくさん子どもを産んだ。それは王の家にとってよいことだった。

Every few months the king used to issue invitations to all his subjects to come to a big feast, even the wild animals were invited; the elephants, hippopotami, leopards, bush cows, and antelopes used to come, for in those days there was no trouble, as they were friendly with man, and when they were at the feast they did not kill one another. All the people and the animals as well were envious of the king's drum and wanted to possess it, but the king would not part with it.

数か月ごとに王は臣下みなに招きを出して大宴会を開き、野の獣まで招かれた。象やカバや豹やアフリカ水牛や羚羊がやって来たものだった。そのころは何の面倒もなく、獣たちは人と仲がよかったし、宴にいるあいだは互いに殺し合うこともなかったからである。人々も獣たちも、みな王の太鼓をうらやんで自分のものにしたがったが、王は手放そうとしなかった。

One morning Ikwor Edem, one of the king's wives, took her little daughter down to the spring to wash her, as she was covered with yaws, which are bad sores all over the body. The tortoise happened to be up a palm tree, just over the spring, cutting nuts for his midday meal; and while he was cutting, one of the nuts fell to the ground, just in front of the child. The little girl, seeing the good food, cried for it, and the mother, not knowing any better, picked up the palm nut and gave it to her daughter. Directly the tortoise saw this he climbed down the tree, and asked the woman where his palm nut was. She replied that she had given it to her child to eat. Then the tortoise, who very much wanted the king's drum, thought he would make plenty palaver over this and force the king to give him the drum, so he said to the mother of the child--

ある朝、王の妻の一人であるイクウォル・エデムが、小さな娘を洗いに泉へ連れていった。娘は体じゅうにひどいできものであるヤーズができていたのである。ちょうどそのとき亀が泉の真上の椰子の木に登って、昼の食事のために実を切り落としていた。切っているうちに、実が一つ、ちょうど子どもの前の地面に落ちた。小さな女の子はうまそうな食べ物を見て泣いてねだり、母親は何も知らずに椰子の実を拾って娘に与えた。亀はこれを見るやいなや木を降りてきて、女に自分の椰子の実はどこかと尋ねた。女は子どもに食べさせたと答えた。すると亀は、王の太鼓がどうしても欲しかったので、この件で大騒ぎして王に太鼓を出させようと考えた。そこで亀は子どもの母親に言った——

"I am a poor man, and I climbed the tree to get food for myself and my family. Then you took my palm nut and gave it to your child. I shall tell the whole matter to the king, and see what he has to say when he hears that one of his wives has stolen my food," for this, as every one knows, is a very serious crime according to native custom.

「わしは貧しい者で、自分と家族の食べ物を取ろうと木に登ったのだ。それをお前はわしの椰子の実を取って子どもにやった。この件はすっかり王に申し上げて、妻の一人がわしの食べ物を盗んだと聞いて王が何とおっしゃるか見せてもらおう」誰もが知るとおり、これは土地のしきたりではたいそう重い罪だからである。

Ikwor Edem then said to the tortoise--

するとイクウォル・エデムは亀に言った——

"I saw your palm nut lying on the ground, and thinking it had fallen from the tree, I gave it to my little girl to eat, but I did not steal it. My husband the king is a rich man, and if you have any complaint to make against me or my child, I will take you before him."

「あなたの椰子の実が地面に落ちているのを見て、木から落ちたのだと思って娘に食べさせたのです。盗んだのではありません。夫である王は豊かな方ですから、わたしや子どもに何か言い分があるなら、王の前へお連れしましょう」

So when she had finished washing her daughter at the spring she took the tortoise to her husband, and told him what had taken place. The king then asked the tortoise what he would accept as compensation for the loss of his palm nut, and offered him money, cloth, kernels or palm-oil, all of which things the tortoise refused one after the other.

そこで女は泉で娘を洗い終えると、亀を夫のもとへ連れていき、何が起こったかを話した。それから王は亀に、椰子の実を失った償いに何を受け取るかと尋ね、金や布や椰子の実や椰子油を差し出したが、亀はそのどれも次々に断った。

The king then said to the tortoise, "What will you take? You may have anything you like."

そこで王は亀に言った。「では何が欲しいのだ。好きなものをやろう」

And the tortoise immediately pointed to the king's drum, and said that it was the only thing he wanted.

すると亀はたちまち王の太鼓を指さして、欲しいものはそれだけだと言った。

In order to get rid of the tortoise the king said, "Very well, take the drum," but he never told the tortoise about the bad things that would happen to him if he stept over a fallen tree, or walked over a stick on the road.

亀を追い払うために、王は「よかろう、太鼓を持っていけ」と言ったが、倒れた木をまたいだり道で棒をまたいだりすると悪いことが起こるとは、亀に決して告げなかった。

The tortoise was very glad at this, and carried the drum home in triumph to his wife, and said, "I am now a rich man, and shall do no more work. Whenever I want food, all I have to do is to beat this drum, and food will immediately be brought to me, and plenty to drink."

亀はこれにたいそう喜んで、意気揚々と太鼓を家へ運んで妻に言った。「おれはもう金持ちだ。これからは働かないぞ。食べ物が欲しくなったら、この太鼓を叩きさえすれば、すぐに食べ物が運ばれてきて、飲み物もたっぷり出るのだ」

His wife and children were very pleased when they heard this, and asked the tortoise to get food at once, as they were all hungry. This the tortoise was only too pleased to do, as he wished to show off his newly acquired wealth, and was also rather hungry himself, so he beat the drum in the same way as he had seen the king do when he wanted something to eat, and immediately plenty of food appeared, so they all sat down and made a great feast. The tortoise did this for three days, and everything went well; all his children got fat, and had as much as they could possibly eat. He was therefore very proud of his drum, and in order to display his riches he sent invitations to the king and all the people and animals to come to a feast. When the people received their invitations they laughed, as they knew the tortoise was very poor, so very few attended the feast; but the king, knowing about the drum, came, and when the tortoise beat the drum, the food was brought as usual in great profusion, and all the people sat down and enjoyed their meal very much. They were much astonished that the poor tortoise should be able to entertain so many people, and told all their friends what fine dishes had been placed before them, and that they had never had a better dinner. The people who had not gone were very sorry when they heard this, as a good feast, at somebody else's expense, is not provided every day. After the feast all the people looked upon the tortoise as one of the richest men in the kingdom, and he was very much respected in consequence. No one, except the king, could understand how the poor tortoise could suddenly entertain so lavishly, but they all made up their minds that if the tortoise ever gave another feast, they would not refuse again.

妻と子どもたちはこれを聞いてたいそう喜び、みな腹をすかせていたので、すぐに食べ物を出してくれと亀に頼んだ。亀は新しく手に入れた富を見せびらかしたかったし、自分もかなり腹をすかせていたので、喜んでそうした。そこで亀は、王が何か食べたいときにするのを見たとおりに太鼓を叩くと、たちまち食べ物がたっぷり現れたので、みなで座って大宴会をした。亀は三日のあいだこれをして、何もかもうまくいった。子どもたちはみな太って、食べられるだけ食べた。そこで亀は太鼓をたいそう誇りに思い、富を見せびらかすために、王と人々と獣たちみなに宴の招きを出した。人々は招きを受け取ると笑った。亀がたいそう貧しいことを知っていたからである。そこで宴に来た者はごくわずかだった。けれども太鼓のことを知っている王はやって来た。そして亀が太鼓を叩くと、いつものように食べ物がどっさり運ばれてきて、人々はみな座ってたいそう楽しく食事をした。人々は、貧しい亀がこれほど大勢をもてなせるのにたいそう驚いて、どんなに立派な料理が並べられたか、あんなにうまい食事はしたことがないと、友だちみなに話した。行かなかった人々はこれを聞いてたいそう残念がった。他人の金でうまい宴にありつけることなど、毎日あるわけではないからである。宴のあと、人々はみな亀を王国でいちばんの金持ちの一人とみなし、そのために亀はたいそう敬われた。王のほかは誰も、貧しい亀がどうして急にこれほど気前よくもてなせるのかわからなかったが、みな、もし亀がまた宴を催したら、今度は断るまいと心に決めた。

When the tortoise had been in possession of the drum for a few weeks he became lazy and did no work, but went about the country boasting of his riches, and took to drinking too much. One day after he had been drinking a lot of palm wine at a distant farm, he started home carrying his drum; but having had too much to drink, he did not notice a stick in the path. He walked over the stick, and of course the Ju Ju was broken at once. But he did not know this, as nothing happened at the time, and eventually he arrived at his house very tired, and still not very well from having drunk too much. He threw the drum into a corner and went to sleep. When he woke up in the morning the tortoise began to feel hungry, and as his wife and children were calling out for food, he beat the drum; but instead of food being brought, the house was filled with Egbo men, who beat the tortoise, his wife and children, badly. At this the tortoise was very angry, and said to himself--

亀は太鼓を手に入れて数週間たつと、怠け者になって働かなくなり、国じゅうを歩きまわって自分の富を自慢し、酒を飲みすぎるようになった。ある日、遠くの畑で椰子酒をたくさん飲んだあと、太鼓を抱えて家へ向かった。けれども飲みすぎていたので、道にある棒に気づかなかった。亀は棒をまたいでしまい、もちろんジュジュはたちまち破れた。けれどもそのときは何も起こらなかったので亀はそれに気づかず、とうとうたいそう疲れて、飲みすぎのせいでまだ気分も悪いまま家に着いた。亀は太鼓を隅に放り出して眠った。朝目を覚ますと、亀は腹がすいてきて、妻と子どもたちも食べ物をねだったので、太鼓を叩いた。けれども食べ物が運ばれてくる代わりに、家はエグボたちでいっぱいになり、エグボたちは亀とその妻と子どもたちをひどく打ちすえた。これに亀はたいそう腹を立てて、独りごとを言った——

"I asked every one to a feast, but only a few came, and they had plenty to eat and drink. Now, when I want food for myself and my family, the Egbos come and beat me. Well, I will let the other people share the same fate, as I do not see why I and my family should be beaten when I have given a feast to all people."

「おれはみんなを宴に招いたのに、来たのはわずかで、そいつらはたっぷり食べて飲んだ。それなのに、自分と家族のために食べ物が欲しいと思えば、エグボが来ておれを打つ。よし、ほかの連中にも同じ目にあわせてやる。みんなに宴をふるまってやったのに、どうして自分と家族が打たれなければならないのか、わけがわからん」

He therefore at once sent out invitations to all the men and animals to come to a big dinner the next day at three o'clock in the afternoon.

そこで亀はすぐに、すべての人と獣に、翌日の午後三時から大きな宴を催すという招きを出した。

When the time arrived many people came, as they did not wish to lose the chance of a free meal a second time. Even the sick men, the lame, and the blind got their friends to lead them to the feast. When they had all arrived, with the exception of the king and his wives, who sent excuses, the tortoise beat his drum as usual, and then quickly hid himself under a bench, where he could not be seen. His wife and children he had sent away before the feast, as he knew what would surely happen. Directly he had beaten the drum three hundred Egbo men appeared with whips, and started flogging all the guests, who could not escape, as the doors had been fastened. The beating went on for two hours, and the people were so badly punished, that many of them had to be carried home on the backs of their friends. The leopard was the only one who escaped, as directly he saw the Egbo men arrive he knew that things were likely to be unpleasant, so he gave a big spring and jumped right out of the compound.

その時刻が来ると、大勢の人がやって来た。二度もただ飯の機会を逃したくなかったからである。病人も、足の不自由な者も、目の見えない者までが、友だちに連れられて宴に来た。言い訳をよこした王とその妻たちのほかはみな集まると、亀はいつものように太鼓を叩き、それからさっと長椅子の下に隠れて見えないようにした。妻と子どもたちは、何が起こるか知っていたので宴の前に行かせておいた。太鼓を叩くやいなや、三百人のエグボが鞭を持って現れ、客をみな打ちはじめた。戸は閉ざされていたので、客は逃げられなかった。打擲は二時間続き、人々はあまりにひどく痛めつけられて、多くの者が友だちの背に負われて帰らねばならなかった。ただ一人逃れたのは豹だった。エグボが現れたのを見たとたん、これは面倒なことになりそうだと悟って、大きく跳んで屋敷の外へ跳び出したのである。

When the tortoise was satisfied with the beating the people had received he crept to the door and opened it. The people then ran away, and when the tortoise gave a certain tap on the drum all the Egbo men vanished. The people who had been beaten were so angry, and made so much palaver with the tortoise, that he made up his mind to return the drum to the king the next day. So in the morning the tortoise went to the king and brought the drum with him. He told the king that he was not satisfied with the drum, and wished to exchange it for something else; he did not mind so much what the king gave him so long as he got full value for the drum, and he was quite willing to accept a certain number of slaves, or a few farms, or their equivalent in cloth or rods.

人々が受けた打擲に満足すると、亀は戸口まで這っていって戸を開けた。人々は逃げ出し、亀が太鼓をある叩き方で叩くと、エグボたちはみな消えた。打たれた人々はたいそう怒って、亀とさんざん談判したので、亀は翌日太鼓を王に返そうと心に決めた。そこで朝になると、亀は太鼓を持って王のところへ行った。亀は王に、この太鼓は気に入らないから何かほかのものと換えてほしい、太鼓に見合うだけのものがもらえるなら何でもかまわない、奴隷を何人かでも、畑を少しでも、それに見合う布かロッドでも喜んで受け取る、と言った。

The king, however, refused to do this; but as he was rather sorry for the tortoise, he said he would present him with a magic foo-foo tree, which would provide the tortoise and his family with food, provided he kept a certain condition. This the tortoise gladly consented to do. Now this foo-foo tree only bore fruit once a year, but every day it dropped foo-foo and soup on the ground. And the condition was, that the owner should gather sufficient food for the day, once, and not return again for more. The tortoise, when he had thanked the king for his generosity, went home to his wife and told her to bring her calabashes to the tree. She did so, and they gathered plenty of foo-foo and soup quite sufficient for the whole family for that day, and went back to their house very happy.

けれども王はそうするのを断った。けれども亀がいささか気の毒だったので、魔法のフーフーの木をやろう、それは亀とその家族に食べ物を与えてくれる、ただしある条件を守るなら、と言った。亀は喜んでそうすると承知した。さてこのフーフーの木は年に一度しか実をつけないが、毎日フーフーとスープを地面に落とすのだった。そして条件とは、持ち主はその日の分の食べ物を一度だけ集め、もっと取りに戻ってはならないというものだった。亀は王の気前のよさに礼を言うと、家へ帰って妻にひょうたんの器を持って木のところへ来るよう言った。妻はそうして、二人は家族みなのその日の分に十分なフーフーとスープを集め、たいそう喜んで家へ帰った。

That night they all feasted and enjoyed themselves. But one of the sons, who was very greedy, thought to himself--

その夜、一家はみなで宴を開いて楽しんだ。けれども息子の一人がたいそう欲深くて、心のなかで思った——

"I wonder where my father gets all this good food from? I must ask him."

「父さんはこのうまい食べ物をどこから手に入れるんだろう。聞いてみなくちゃ」

So in the morning he said to his father--

そこで朝になると、息子は父親に言った——

"Tell me where do you get all this foo-foo and soup from?"

「このフーフーとスープをみな、どこから手に入れるのか教えてよ」

But his father refused to tell him, as his wife, who was a cunning woman, said--

けれども父親は教えるのを断った。ずる賢い女である妻がこう言ったからである——

"If we let our children know the secret of the foo-foo tree, some day when they are hungry, after we have got our daily supply, one of them may go to the tree and gather more, which will break the Ju Ju."

「フーフーの木の秘密を子どもたちに知らせたら、いつか腹をすかせたときに、わたしたちがその日の分を取ったあとで、誰かが木のところへ行ってもっと集めて、ジュジュを破ってしまうかもしれません」

But the envious son, being determined to get plenty of food for himself, decided to track his father to the place where he obtained the food. This was rather difficult to do, as the tortoise always went out alone, and took the greatest care to prevent any one following him. The boy, however, soon thought of a plan, and got a calabash with a long neck and a hole in the end. He filled the calabash with wood ashes, which he obtained from the fire, and then got a bag which his father always carried on his back when he went out to get food. In the bottom of the bag the boy then made a small hole, and inserted the calabash with the neck downwards, so that when his father walked to the foo-foo tree he would leave a small trail of wood ashes behind him. Then when his father, having slung his bag over his back as usual, set out to get the daily supply of food, his greedy son followed the trail of the wood ashes, taking great care to hide himself and not to let his father perceive that he was being followed. At last the tortoise arrived at the tree, and placed his calabashes on the ground and collected the food for the day, the boy watching him from a distance. When his father had finished and went home the boy also returned, and having had a good meal, said nothing to his parents, but went to bed. The next morning he got some of his brothers, and after his father had finished getting the daily supply, they went to the tree and collected much foo-foo and soup, and so broke the Ju Ju.

けれども欲深い息子は、自分のために食べ物をたっぷり手に入れようと心に決めて、父親が食べ物を得る場所まであとをつけることにした。これはなかなか難しかった。亀はいつも一人で出かけ、誰にもあとをつけられないよう、このうえなく気をつけていたからである。けれども息子はまもなく一計を案じて、細長い首と先に穴のあいたひょうたんを手に入れた。息子はそのひょうたんに、火から取った木灰を詰め、それから父親が食べ物を取りに行くときいつも背負う袋を手に入れた。それから息子は袋の底に小さな穴をあけ、ひょうたんを首を下にして差し込んだ。そうすれば父親がフーフーの木まで歩いていくあいだ、木灰の細い跡を後ろに残すことになる。それから父親がいつものように袋を背負って、その日の分の食べ物を取りに出かけると、欲深い息子は木灰の跡をたどっていった。身を隠して、あとをつけていると父親に気取られないよう、たいそう気をつけていた。とうとう父親は木に着いて、ひょうたんを地面に置いてその日の食べ物を集めた。息子は遠くからそれを見ていた。父親が集め終えて家へ帰ると、息子も帰り、たっぷり食べてから、両親には何も言わずに寝てしまった。次の朝、息子は兄弟を何人か連れていき、父親がその日の分を取ったあとで木のところへ行って、フーフーとスープをたくさん集め、こうしてジュジュを破ってしまった。

At daylight the tortoise went to the tree as usual, but he could not find it, as during the night the whole bush had grown up, and the foo-foo tree was hidden from sight. There was nothing to be seen but a dense mass of prickly tie-tie palm. Then the tortoise at once knew that some one had broken the Ju Ju, and had gathered foo-foo from the tree twice in the same day; so he returned very sadly to his house, and told his wife. He then called all his family together and told them what had happened, and asked them who had done this evil thing. They all denied having had anything to do with the tree, so the tortoise in despair brought all his family to the place where the foo-foo tree had been, but which was now all prickly tie-tie palm, and said--

夜が明けると、亀はいつものように木のところへ行ったが、木を見つけられなかった。夜のあいだに藪がすっかり生い茂って、フーフーの木が見えなくなっていたのである。見えるものといえば、とげだらけのタイタイ椰子の密生した茂みだけだった。そこで亀はすぐに、誰かがジュジュを破って、同じ日に二度木からフーフーを集めたのだと悟った。そこでたいそう悲しんで家へ帰り、妻に話した。それから亀は家族をみな呼び集めて、何が起こったかを話し、こんな悪いことをしたのは誰かと尋ねた。みな木には何もしていないと否定したので、亀は途方に暮れて、家族をみなフーフーの木のあった場所——今はすっかりとげだらけのタイタイ椰子になっている場所——へ連れていって言った——

"My dear wife and children, I have done all that I can for you, but you have broken my Ju Ju; you must therefore for the future live on the tie-tie palm."

「いとしい妻よ、子どもたちよ、わしはお前たちのためにできるかぎりのことをしたが、お前たちはわしのジュジュを破ってしまった。だからこれから先は、タイタイ椰子の下で暮らすほかない」

So they made their home underneath the prickly tree, and from that day you will always find tortoises living under the prickly tie-tie palm, as they have nowhere else to go to for food.

そこで一家はとげだらけの木の下に住まいをこしらえた。そしてその日から、亀はいつもとげだらけのタイタイ椰子の下に住んでいる。ほかに食べ物を得る場所がないからである。