The Story of the Four Wonders

“The Story of the Four Wonders.”

"A woman gave birth to a child, who on the day it was born went by itself down to the river to bathe. While there a hunter arrived, who fired his gun.

"‘What are you firing at?’ asked the baby. ‘I am shooting the mosquitoes that are eating my wife’s cassava,’[37] replied the hunter.

"‘Whoever heard of such a thing before?’ said the baby. ‘By shooting mosquitoes you are injuring the country.’

"The hunter denied this grave charge, and accused the baby of upsetting the proper order of things by bathing himself on the very day he was born.

"After much discussion they submitted the case to a chief of a neighbouring town. When he had listened to their wrangling, he said: ‘My mouth is locked up in that room, and my wives have taken the key with them to the farms.’

"‘Oh,’ they rejoined, ‘you, by talking when your mouth is fastened up in another room, have destroyed our country, for whoever heard of such a wonder before?’

"After much debate away they went to find some one to settle the matter for them, and by and by they met a man who climbed palm-trees to tap them for palm-wine, and they put the case to him, each accusing the other of disarranging the proper order of earthly ways.

"When they had finished the palm climber said: ‘I fell one day from the top of a palm-tree and broke to pieces, and then I went into the town to procure men to carry all my pieces back to my house.’ They thereupon fell on him, accusing him of spoiling the country by his wonderful feat. They are still arguing out the matter and cannot agree as to which is worthy of the greatest blame."

Footnote 37:

Equal to saying: “I am shooting at the gnats that are eating up the turnips.”