Why the Bush Cow and the Elephant are bad Friends

The bush cow and the elephant were always bad friends, and as they could not settle their disputes between themselves, they agreed to let the head chief decide.

アフリカ水牛と象はいつも仲が悪く、自分たちのあいだで争いを収められなかったので、大首長に裁いてもらうことにした。

The cause of their unfriendliness was that the elephant was always boasting about his strength to all his friends, which made the bush cow ashamed of himself, as he was always a good fighter and feared no man or animal. When the matter was referred to the head chief, he decided that the best way to settle the dispute was for the elephant and bush cow to meet and fight one another in a large open space. He decided that the fight should take place in the market-place on the next market-day, when all the country people could witness the battle.

仲が悪いわけは、象がいつも友だちみなに自分の力を自慢するので、アフリカ水牛が恥ずかしい思いをしていたことだった。アフリカ水牛はいつでもよい戦い手で、人も獣も恐れなかったからである。この件が大首長のもとへ持ち込まれると、大首長は、争いを収めるいちばんよい方法は、象とアフリカ水牛が広い開けた場所で出会って戦うことだと決めた。大首長は、次の市の日に市場の広場で戦うことにした。そうすれば国じゅうの人々が戦いを見物できるからである。

When the market-day arrived, the bush cow went out in the early morning and took up his position some distance from the town on the main road to the market, and started bellowing and tearing up the ground. As the people passed he asked them whether they had seen anything of the "Big, Big one," which was the name of the elephant.

市の日が来ると、アフリカ水牛は朝早く出かけていって、市場へ通じる本道の、町から少し離れたところに陣取り、ほえて地面を掘り返しはじめた。そして人々が通りかかると、「大きな大きなお方」——それが象の呼び名だった——のことを何か見なかったかと尋ねた。

A bush buck, who happened to be passing, replied, "I am only a small antelope, and am on my way to the market. How should I know anything of the movements of the 'Big, Big one?'" The bush cow then allowed him to pass.

たまたま通りかかったブッシュバックが答えた。「わたしは小さな羚羊にすぎず、市場へ行く途中です。『大きな大きなお方』の動きなど、どうしてわたしが知っていましょう」そこでアフリカ水牛はブッシュバックを通してやった。

After a little time the bush cow heard the elephant trumpeting, and could hear him as he came nearer breaking down trees and trampling down the small bush.

しばらくすると、アフリカ水牛は象がほえるのを聞き、近づいてくるにつれて木を折り、低い茂みを踏み倒す音が聞こえた。

When the elephant came near the bush cow, they both charged one another, and a tremendous fight commenced, in which a lot of damage was done to the surrounding farms, and many of the people were frightened to go to the market, and returned to their houses.

象がアフリカ水牛の近くまで来ると、二頭は互いに突進して、すさまじい戦いが始まった。まわりの畑はさんざん荒らされ、多くの人々が怖がって市場へ行かずに家へ引き返した。

At last the monkey, who had been watching the fight from a distance whilst he was jumping from branch to branch high up in the trees, thought he would report what he had seen to the head chief. Although he forgot several times what it was he wanted to do, which is a little way monkeys have, he eventually reached the chief's house, and jumped upon the roof, where he caught and ate a spider. He then climbed to the ground again, and commenced playing with a small stick. But he very soon got tired of this, and then, picking up a stone, he rubbed it backwards and forwards on the ground in an aimless sort of way, whilst looking in the opposite direction. This did not last long, and very soon he was busily engaged in a minute personal inspection.

とうとう猿が、木の高いところで枝から枝へ跳びながら遠くから戦いを見ていたのだが、見たことを大首長に知らせようと思った。猿は何度も、自分が何をしようとしていたのかを忘れてしまったが——これは猿によくあることである——とうとう首長の家にたどり着いて、屋根に跳び乗り、そこでクモをつかまえて食べた。それからまた地面に降りて、小さな棒で遊びはじめた。けれどもじきにそれに飽きて、今度は石を拾って、あらぬほうを見ながら、あてもなく地面に前後にこすりつけた。これも長くは続かず、まもなく猿は自分の体を細かく調べるのに夢中になった。

His attention was then attracted by a large praying mantis, which had fluttered into the house, making much clatter with its wings. When it settled, it immediately assumed its usual prayerful attitude.

それから猿の気を引いたのは、大きなカマキリだった。カマキリは羽をがさがさ鳴らしながら家に舞い込んできた。そしてとまると、たちまちいつもの祈るような格好になった。

The monkey, after a careful stalk, seized the mantis, and having deliberately pulled the legs off one after the other, he ate the body, and sat down with his head on one side, looking very wise, but in reality thinking of nothing.

猿は念入りに忍び寄ってカマキリをつかまえ、脚を一本ずつゆっくり引き抜いてから胴を食べ、頭を片側に傾けて、たいそう賢そうな顔で座っていた。けれども実のところ、何も考えてはいなかった。

Just then the chief caught sight of him while he was scratching himself, and shouted out in a loud voice, "Ha, monkey, is that you? What do you want here?"

ちょうどそのとき、首長が、猿が体をかいているのを目にして、大声で叫んだ。「おい、猿、お前か。ここで何の用だ」

At the chief's voice the monkey gave a jump, and started chattering like anything. After a time he replied very nervously: "Oh yes, of course! Yes, I came to see you." Then he said to himself, "I wonder what on earth it was I came to tell the chief?" but it was no use, everything had gone out of his head.

首長の声に猿は跳び上がって、やたらにきゃっきゃっと騒ぎ立てた。しばらくして、猿はたいそうおどおどして答えた。「ああ、そうそう! ええ、あなたに会いに来たんです」それから独りごとを言った。「はて、首長に何を伝えに来たんだったかな」けれども無駄だった。何もかも頭から抜けてしまっていた。

Then the chief told the monkey he might take one of the ripe plantains hanging up in the verandah. The monkey did not want telling twice, as he was very fond of plantains. He soon tore off the skin, and holding the plantain in both hands, took bite after bite from the end of it, looking at it carefully after each bite.

それから首長は猿に、ベランダに吊るしてある熟したプランテンを一つ取ってよいと言った。猿はプランテンが大好きだったので、二度言われるまでもなかった。猿はすぐに皮をむいて、両手でプランテンを持ち、端から一口ずつかじり、ひと口ごとに念入りにそれを眺めた。

Then the chief remarked that the elephant and the bush cow ought to have arrived by that time, as they were going to have a great fight. Directly the monkey heard this he remembered what it was he wanted to tell the chief; so, having swallowed the piece of plantain he had placed in the side of his cheek, he said: "Ah! that reminds me," and then, after much chattering and making all sorts of funny grimaces, finally made the chief understand that the elephant and bush cow, instead of fighting where they had been told, were having it out in the bush on the main road leading to the market, and had thus stopped most of the people coming in.

それから首長は、象とアフリカ水牛はもう着いているはずだ、大きな戦いをすることになっているのだから、と言った。猿はこれを聞いたとたん、自分が何を伝えに来たのかを思い出した。そこで頬に入れておいたプランテンのかけらを飲み込んで言った。「ああ! それで思い出しました」それから、さんざんきゃっきゃっと騒いであらゆる種類のおかしな顔をしたあげく、とうとう首長にわからせた。象とアフリカ水牛は、言いつけられた場所ではなく、市場へ通じる本道の茂みで決着をつけようとしていて、そのために人々の大半が来られなくなっているのだ、と。

When the chief heard this he was much incensed, and called for his bow and poisoned arrows, and went to the scene of the combat. He then shot both the elephant and the bush cow, and throwing his bow and arrows away, ran and hid himself in the bush. About six hours afterwards both the elephant and bush cow died in great pain.

首長はこれを聞くとたいそう憤慨して、弓と毒矢を持ってこさせ、戦いの場へ行った。それから象とアフリカ水牛の両方を射て、弓矢を投げ捨てると、走って藪のなかに身を隠した。それから六時間ほどして、象もアフリカ水牛もひどく苦しんで死んだ。

Ever since, when wild animals want to fight between themselves, they always fight in the big bush and not on the public roads; but as the fight was never definitely decided between the elephant and the bush cow, whenever they meet one another in the forest, even to the present time, they always fight.

それ以来、野の獣たちは自分たちのあいだで戦いたいときには、いつも公の道ではなく大きな藪のなかで戦う。けれども象とアフリカ水牛のあいだの勝負は決してはっきり決着がつかなかったので、今日でも、森で互いに出会うと、二頭はいつも戦うのである。