Why the Bat is Ashamed to be seen in the Daytime

There was once an old mother sheep who had seven lambs, and one day the bat, who was about to make a visit to his father-in-law who lived a long day's march away, went to the old sheep and asked her to lend him one of her young lambs to carry his load for him. At first the mother sheep refused, but as the young lamb was anxious to travel and see something of the world, and begged to be allowed to go, at last she reluctantly consented. So in the morning at daylight the bat and the lamb set off together, the lamb carrying the bat's drinking-horn. When they reached half-way, the bat told the lamb to leave the horn underneath a bamboo tree. Directly he arrived at the house, he sent the lamb back to get the horn. When the lamb had gone the bat's father-in-law brought him food, and the bat ate it all, leaving nothing for the lamb. When the lamb returned, the bat said to him, "Hullo! you have arrived at last I see, but you are too late for food; it is all finished." He then sent the lamb back to the tree with the horn, and when the lamb returned again it was late, and he went supperless to bed. The next day, just before it was time for food, the bat sent the lamb off again for the drinking-horn, and when the food arrived the bat, who was very greedy, ate it all up a second time. This mean behaviour on the part of the bat went on for four days, until at last the lamb became quite thin and weak. The bat decided to return home the next day, and it was all the lamb could do to carry his load. When he got home to his mother the lamb complained bitterly of the treatment he had received from the bat, and was baa-ing all night, complaining of pains in his inside. The old mother sheep, who was very fond of her children, determined to be revenged on the bat for the cruel way he had starved her lamb; she therefore decided to consult the tortoise, who, although very poor, was considered by all people to be the wisest of all animals. When the old sheep had told the whole story to the tortoise, he considered for some time, and then told the sheep that she might leave the matter entirely to him, and he would take ample revenge on the bat for his cruel treatment of her son.

むかし、七頭の子羊を持つ年老いた母羊がいた。ある日、丸一日の道のりの遠くに住む義父を訪ねようとしていたこうもりが、年老いた羊のところへ行って、荷物を運ばせるために子羊を一頭貸してくれと頼んだ。初め母羊は断ったが、若い子羊が旅をして世の中を見たがって、行かせてくれと頼んだので、とうとう母羊はしぶしぶ承知した。そこで朝、夜が明けるとこうもりと子羊は一緒に出発し、子羊はこうもりの飲み角を運んだ。半分ほど来たところで、こうもりは子羊に、飲み角を竹の木の下に置いてくるよう言いつけた。義父の家に着くやいなや、こうもりは子羊を飲み角を取りに戻らせた。子羊が行ってしまうと、こうもりの義父が食べ物を持ってきて、こうもりはそれをすっかり食べてしまい、子羊には何も残さなかった。子羊が戻ってくると、こうもりは言った。「やあ! やっと着いたようだな。だが食事には遅すぎたよ。みんななくなってしまった」それからこうもりは子羊に飲み角をまた木のところへ持っていかせ、子羊が戻ってきたときにはもう遅かったので、子羊は夕食抜きで寝た。次の日も、ちょうど食事の時分になると、こうもりはまた子羊を飲み角を取りに行かせ、食べ物が来ると、たいそう欲深いこうもりは二度目もそれをすっかり食べてしまった。こうもりのこの卑しいふるまいは四日続き、とうとう子羊はすっかり痩せて弱ってしまった。こうもりは翌日帰ることにしたが、子羊は荷物を運ぶのがやっとだった。母親のもとへ帰り着くと、子羊はこうもりに受けた扱いをさんざん訴え、腹が痛いとこぼしてひと晩じゅうメエメエ鳴いていた。子どもをたいそうかわいがっていた年老いた母羊は、子羊をむごく飢えさせたこうもりに仕返しをしようと決めた。そこで、たいそう貧しいけれどあらゆる獣のなかでいちばん賢いと誰からも思われている亀に相談することにした。年老いた羊が話をすっかり亀に語ると、亀はしばらく考えてから、この件はすっかり自分に任せてくれ、息子をむごく扱ったこうもりにたっぷり仕返ししてやろうと羊に言った。

Very soon after this the bat thought he would again go and see his father-in-law, so he went to the mother sheep again and asked her for one of her sons to carry his load as before. The tortoise, who happened to be present, told the bat that he was going in that direction, and would cheerfully carry his load for him. They set out on their journey the following day, and when they arrived at the half-way halting-place the bat pursued the same tactics that he had on the previous occasion. He told the tortoise to hide his drinking-horn under the same tree as the lamb had hidden it before; this the tortoise did, but when the bat was not looking he picked up the drinking-horn again and hid it in his bag. When they arrived at the house the tortoise hung the horn up out of sight in the back yard, and then sat down in the house. Just before it was time for food the bat sent the tortoise to get the drinking-horn, and the tortoise went outside into the yard, and waited until he heard that the beating of the boiled yams into foo-foo had finished; he then went into the house and gave the drinking-horn to the bat, who was so surprised and angry, that when the food was passed he refused to eat any of it, so the tortoise ate it all; this went on for four days, until at last the bat became as thin as the poor little lamb had been on the previous occasion. At last the bat could stand the pains of his inside no longer, and secretly told his mother-in-law to bring him food when the tortoise was not looking. He said, "I am now going to sleep for a little, but you can wake me up when the food is ready." The tortoise, who had been listening all the time, being hidden in a corner out of sight, waited until the bat was fast asleep, and then carried him very gently into the next room and placed him on his own bed; he then very softly and quietly took off the bat's cloth and covered himself in it, and lay down where the bat had been; very soon the bat's mother-in-law brought the food and placed it next to where the bat was supposed to be sleeping, and having pulled his cloth to wake him, went away. The tortoise then got up and ate all the food; when he had finished he carried the bat back again, and took some of the palm-oil and foo-foo and placed it inside the bat's lips while he was asleep; then the tortoise went to sleep himself. In the morning when he woke up the bat was more hungry than ever, and in a very bad temper, so he sought out his mother-in-law and started scolding her, and asked her why she had not brought his food as he had told her to do. She replied she had brought his food, and that he had eaten it; but this the bat denied, and accused the tortoise of having eaten the food. The woman then said she would call the people in and they should decide the matter; but the tortoise slipped out first and told the people that the best way to find out who had eaten the food was to make both the bat and himself rinse their mouths out with clean water into a basin. This they decided to do, so the tortoise got his tooth-stick which he always used, and having cleaned his teeth properly, washed his mouth out, and returned to the house.

それからまもなく、こうもりはまた義父に会いに行こうと考えた。そこでまた母羊のところへ行って、前と同じように荷物を運ばせるために息子を一頭貸してくれと頼んだ。たまたまその場にいた亀が、こうもりに、自分もそちらへ行くところだから、喜んで荷物を運んでやろうと言った。二匹は翌日旅に出て、中ほどの休み場所に着くと、こうもりは前のときと同じ手を使った。こうもりは亀に、前に子羊が隠したのと同じ木の下に飲み角を隠してこいと言った。亀はそうしたが、こうもりが見ていないすきにまた飲み角を拾い上げて、自分の袋に隠した。義父の家に着くと、亀は飲み角を裏庭の見えないところに吊るしておいて、それから家のなかに座った。食事の時分になると、こうもりは亀を飲み角を取りに行かせた。亀は庭に出て、煮たヤムイモをついてフーフーにする音が終わるまで待った。それから家に入ってこうもりに飲み角を渡した。こうもりはたいそう驚いて腹を立て、食べ物が回ってきても何も食べようとしなかったので、亀がすっかり食べてしまった。これが四日続き、とうとうこうもりは、前のときのかわいそうな子羊と同じくらい痩せてしまった。とうとうこうもりは腹の痛みに耐えられなくなって、こっそり義母に、亀が見ていないときに食べ物を持ってきてくれと頼んだ。こうもりは言った。「わたしはこれから少し眠りますが、食べ物ができたら起こしてください」隅の見えないところに隠れて、そのあいだじゅう聞いていた亀は、こうもりがぐっすり眠るまで待ってから、たいそうそっとこうもりを隣の部屋へ運んで自分の寝床に寝かせた。それからたいそうそっと静かにこうもりの布を脱がせて自分がそれをかぶり、こうもりが寝ていたところに横になった。まもなくこうもりの義母が食べ物を持ってきて、こうもりが眠っていると思っている場所のそばに置き、布を引いて起こしてから去っていった。それから亀は起き上がって食べ物をすっかり食べた。食べ終わると、亀はこうもりをまた運び戻し、椰子油とフーフーを少し取って、眠っているこうもりの唇の内側に塗りつけた。それから亀は自分も眠った。朝、目を覚ますと、こうもりはいっそう腹をすかせていて、たいそう機嫌が悪かった。そこで義母を探し出して叱りつけ、どうして言いつけたとおり食べ物を持ってこなかったのかと問い詰めた。義母は、食べ物は持っていったし、あなたはそれを食べたと答えた。けれどもこうもりはそれを否定して、亀が食べ物を食べたと責め立てた。すると義母は、人々を呼んで決めてもらおうと言った。けれども亀が先に抜け出して人々に、誰が食べ物を食べたか突き止めるいちばんよい方法は、こうもりと自分の二人が、きれいな水で口をすすいで鉢に吐き出すことだと告げた。人々はそうすることに決め、亀はいつも使っている歯みがき棒を取ってきて、歯をきちんと磨き、口をすすいでから家に戻った。

When all the people had arrived the woman told them how the bat had abused her, and as he still maintained stoutly that he had had no food for five days, the people said that both he and the tortoise should wash their mouths out with clean water into two clean calabashes; this was done, and at once it could clearly be seen that the bat had been eating, as there were distinct traces of the palm-oil and foo-foo which the tortoise had put inside his lips floating on the water. When the people saw this they decided against the bat, and he was so ashamed that he ran away then and there, and has ever since always hidden himself in the bush during the daytime, so that no one could see him, and only comes out at night to get his food.

人々がみな集まると、義母はこうもりに罵られたことを話した。こうもりはなおも五日間何も食べていないと言い張ったので、人々は、こうもりと亀の二人がきれいな水で口をすすいで、二つのきれいなひょうたんの器に吐き出すよう言った。そのとおりにされると、こうもりが食べていたことがたちまちはっきりわかった。亀がこうもりの唇の内側に塗りつけた椰子油とフーフーの跡が、水の上にはっきり浮かんでいたからである。人々はこれを見てこうもりに不利な裁きを下し、こうもりはあまりに恥ずかしくて、その場から逃げ出した。そして、それ以来いつも昼のあいだは藪に身を隠して誰にも見られないようにし、夜だけ食べ物を取りに出てくるのである。

The next day the tortoise returned to the mother sheep and told her what he had done, and that the bat was for ever disgraced. The old sheep praised him very much, and told all her friends, in consequence of which the reputation of the tortoise for wisdom was greatly increased throughout the whole country.

次の日、亀は母羊のもとへ戻って、自分のしたことと、こうもりが永久に面目を失ったことを話した。年老いた羊は亀をたいそうほめたたえ、友だちみなに話したので、亀の賢さの評判は国じゅうで大いに高まったのである。