THE KHAKHA BIRD

All day long I fish in rain or sunshine but all I ever catch are a few fish, grumbled the old fisherman into his flowing, white beard. He pulled his striped robe tighter around his thin body, aranged his turban and set off home as the sun was setting.
‘So there you are,you good-for-nothing,’ scolded his fat wife, her arms folded. She snatched the basket he was carrying. ‘One miserable fish! Why, that’s not even enough to feed a quqrter of you, old you, old man,’ she screamed. Her black eyes were spiteful with anger.
‘Can I help it if the fish refused to bite?’ he shouted, shuffling wearily into the hut.
‘I’m tired of being poor and not knowing where the next meal is coming from,’ she went on, following him into the room. Grumpily, she banged pots and pans as she prepared their evening meal. They ate in moody silence. Outside, the drakness closed around them like a big, black cloak. Fireflies darted here and there while a lone cricket called out in the stillness of the night as the fisherman and his wife lay down to sleep.
Early next morning, the old man decided to return to the river. The larder was empty, their small store of food long finished. ‘Try and bring back at least two fish this evening,’ his wife called out.
The old fisherman set off, grumbling softly into his beard. ‘If I still had her dowry of jewels, I’d give it back and ask her father to take her home,’ he said to himself. When he arrived at the river, he sat on a log and cast his line. But the bright morning sun peeping through the treetops soon made him feel sleepy. He began to nod drowsily and soon he was fast asleep. The piercing cry of a bird woke him up. ‘Hah! What’s that? Who’s there? Come out, whoever you are,’ cried the old man.
‘Good morning, Friend,’ said a voice cheerfully. It came from the larges bird the old man had ever seen. He got up and tried to run away but he stumbled over a log and fell. ‘Don’t be afraid. I’m going to help you, not harm you,’ said the bird.
‘You wish to help me? But why?’ asked the old man.
‘I’m a Khakha bird and we always help people,’ said the bird pleasantly. The old man was puzzled and scratched his head. ‘Watch this,’ said the bird. The flapped its huge wings, rose into sky and swiftly dived in and out of the river. In its bak were three large fish.
‘You’re going to help me fish? That’s wonderful,’ said the old man, his eyes shining at the sight of the fish. ‘Life has been difficult as I’ve not had much luck fishing ,’ the old man told the bird.
‘I’ll help you fish but you mustn’t tell a soul about me,’ the Khakha bird said. The fisherman solemnly promised not to do so. All morning the great Khakha bird fished and soon the old man’s basket was bursting with silvery fish of all sizes. ‘Wonderful, wonderful,’ cried the old man again and again.
‘You go home now but each day I’ll be here to help you fish,’ promised the Khakha bird.
The old man hurried home. ‘Wife, Wife look at all this fish,’ he said. Quickly he told her what had happened at the river. “Now, not a word of this to anyone, not even a relative,’ warned her husband. They cleaned and cut the fish and cooked the pieces until they were golden brown. Then they rushed to the market square.
‘Fresh fish, cooked for sale,’ called out the fisherman’s wife happily. Soon her basket was filled with coins. ‘Husband, I’m the happiest and luckiest woman in the world to have such a clever husband,’ she told him.
Their neighbours were curious about their sudden good fortune. ‘Come on, old man, tell us. What’s the secret of your good luck?’ they teased. But to no one would they reveal the secret of the Khakha bird.
One afternoon, as they were selling fish in the market, they had to move hurriedly out of the way. ‘Make way for the mesenger of the Great Padishah,’ shouted a soldier, elbowing his way throughthe crowded market. ‘Hear ye! Hear ye! A message from the Great Padishah. He will reward anyone with half his kingdom if the whereabouts of the Khakha bird are made known to him,’ cried the messenger.
When the messenger had left the market, the people cried out to each other in great excitement. ‘Did you hear? The Padishah will reward any one with half his kingdom just to know where the bird is.’
The old fisherman’s wife turned to him and said, ‘Husband, why didn’t you tell the Padishah’s messenger that you alone know where the bird is to be found?’
‘Hust, woman. You know nothingof these matters. It needs much thought,’ said the old man.
‘But Husband.... half his kingdom.... for just a bird too,’ went on his wife.
‘Be quiet, woman. We’ll discuss this at home,’ he warned.
All that night they stayed up and talked about the Padishah’s message. ‘Why, you’ll be the secondmost powerful man in the whole kingdom,’ his wife told him. ‘I’ll have a fine house, jewels...’ she sighed happily.
‘The Padishah wants the bird as a pet for his son perhaps. That must be why he wants it, said the old man.
The next day, the fisherman made his way to the palaceof the Padishah. He hadon a robe of fine silk and a new turban. ‘I’ll come on a matter of great importance. I know where the Khakha bird is to be found,’ he told the guard.
‘Come this way, Sir,’ said the guard and showedhim into the throne-room.
The Padishah sat on a high golden throne studded with precious jewels. He was surrounded by his coutiers. ‘You’ve news of the Khakha bird?’ asked the Padishah.
‘Yes, Your Excellency, but first, may I respectfully enquire as to why you wish to have the bird?’ asked the fisherman bravely.
The Padishah was known for his cruelty. ‘Old man, can’t you see that I’m blind,’ shouted the Padishah. ‘My doctors tell me that the only cure is the blood of the Khakha bird smeared over my sightless eyes,’ the Padishah went on.
‘The bird helps me and...’ stammered the fisherman.
‘I’m not interested in your explanation. Bring me the bird or you’ll pay for your insolence with your life,’ screamed the Padishah.
Four hundred of the finest horsemen in the Padishah’s guards accompanied te old fisherman to the river. They rode coal-black horses from the Padishah’s stables.
The fisherman’s wife was washing clothes by river. When she saw the soldiers, she was greatly alarmed. ‘Hustband, what’s all this about?’ she enquired ferafully.
‘Go with the soldiers and hide in the forest. Don’t come out until I give the signal,’ he told her sternly.
Then the old man took out some sweet-meats and placed them on a stone. He squatted and waited patiently. Presently,he heard the sound of flapping wings. ‘Hullo, Friend. You were not a the river as usual today,’ greeted the Khakha bird.
‘I er... I was busy...’ said the old man. ‘Here, I’ve brought you some sweet-meats as you’ve helped me so often,’ the old man said.
‘Thank you,’ said the bird and began to eat with its back to the forest.
With a heavy heart, the old man raised his hand as a signal to the soldiers. Then the grabbed hold of the Khakha bird’s leg. ‘What are you doing,Friend?’ asked the bird, puzzled. The fisherman’s wife rushed up to him and held on to his hand. The bird began to struggle.
‘Hold on to my waist, Wife, and don’t let go whatever happens,’ the old man cried out.
‘Hold on to me, Captain, and don’t let go whatever happens,’ said the women to the captain of the guard.
The soldiers formed a chain, each holding on tightly to the other. The Khakha bird strunggled more fiercely now and began to rise from the ground, flapping its wings strongly. ‘Hold on! Don’t let go whatever happens,’ the captain told his soldiers. Slowly the bird rose higher and higher. It made frightening noises and tried to free it self. The wind rushed by as the bird rose steadily to the sky.
‘Ai...eee...I feel so giddy,’ complained the old fisherman.
‘Don’t let go whatever happens,’ shouted the guard.
‘Hold on!’ panted his wife, her face red with exertion. ‘It’s all your fault,’ she panted. ‘You haven’t a sensible bone in your body, Husband, that’s what’s the matter with you,’ she scolded. ‘What will the neighbours think if they see us? I’ll be the laughing-stock of our village and it’s all your fault,’ she went on.
‘Ah, I feel so ill. This terrible wind. I don’t think I can hold on much longer...’ cried the old fisherman. With that he let go and one after another, the people came tumbling down to the earth...
The Khakha bird looked sadly at the tiny, human specks hurtling earthwards and then flapping its powerful wings, it soared high into the bright, blue sky with the wind at its back.

THE ELEPHANT AND THE ROOSTER

One afternoon, a young rooster walked up to an elephant and said, ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo.’ The old elephant was surprised.
‘What’s the matter with you?’ What’s all this about?’ The rooster did no answer. He shook his feathers, dug his feet into the ground and pecked at the grain. Every now and again, he cried out, ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo.’
The elephant watched him for some time. Then he asked, ‘Tell me, Mr. Rooster, who do you think can eat more? You or I?
The rooster stopped pecking, stared with bis beady eyes at the elephant and said, ‘I can, of course!’ The elephant made a rude noise and lifted his trunk and the rooster kept on crowing. ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo, I can not only eat more than you, Mr. Elephant, but faster.’ They decided to have a contest to see who could eat the most. They asked all the animals in the forest to go to the bank of a great river.
‘Friends, today, you’ll help us find out who can eat more. The rooster or the elephant,’ saidd the tiger.
The elephant and the rooster began to eat. The elephant ate and ate until he was full. ‘I’ll burst if I don’t have a rest,’ he said. It was a hot afternoon and he began to feel drowsy. Soon he was fast asleep.
But the rooster carried on eating. He pecked at the grain, now and again, crowing loudly: ‘Cock-a-dool-doo.’ This made the other animals angry. ‘Oh, do stop showing off,’ said the snake. But the rooster toonk no notice of him.
In the late afternoon, the elephant woke up. He looked at the rooster eating. The animals told him that the rooster had stopped eating of afternoon. ‘Greedy fellow,’ said the elephant.
When he saw the elephant, the rooster began to make fun of him. ‘Did you sleep well, Mr. Elephant? Don’t you want to give up? You won’t win you know. You just aren’s strong or clever enough.
The elephant went on eating, Finally he stopped. ‘Oh, I can’t go on. My stomach hurts.’ He looked at the rooster who was still pecking at the grain.
The rooster was very happy. ‘I’ve won and I’m greatest in the forest,’ he crowed. He flappped his brown wings and landed on the elephant’s back. Angrily the elephant shook him off and ran intothe forest.
The rooster beat his wings and carried on eating. The animals were surprised. The rooster refused to stop. The became worried. They went to see the elephant.
‘Look, Mr. Rooster, if you carry on eating you’ll get sick,’ said the elephant. But the rooster went on eating and crowing, ‘Cock-a-doodle-doo.’
Suddenly, as the animals were returning to the forest they heard a strange sound. It was the rooster. He was red in the face and he was choking. He had eaten too much. ‘Help me!’ he called out. Before the animals could reach him, he fell down and died.
Sadly, the animals looked on. ‘It never pays to be greedy,’ said the wise, old elephant.

THE FOX AND THE MILK JUG

There was once a young farmer called Mikola who owned acres of cornfields. He was very hardworking. Each morning, before the sun rose, he set off from his cottage to work in his fields. His wife always gave him a packed lunch of bread and cheese together with a jug full of rich, creamy milk from their cow. Near one of his fields there was a stream. Each day, as soon as he arrived, Mikola placed the jug of milk in the stream to keep it cool.
But one fine day, the farmer forgot to take his lunch-box with him as he had left in a hurry. So his wife hurried after him with it. ‘Mikola, you forgot your lunch. What can you be thinking of?’ said his wife. He thanked her and when she had returned home, Mikola went to the stream by the cornfield. Gently he lowered the milk jug into the water. Then he went back to his work.
A hungry fox was walking past the field that afternoon when he smelled food. It made him feel hungrier. He went by the stream, sniffing hungrily, ‘Ah, I spy with my little eye a jug of delicious milk,’ he said, licking his lips. So he squeezed his head into the jug and lapped up every drop of the milk. He was very happy. The milk was not only rich and creamy but it also cooled his thirst, for the fox had walked a long way looking for water to drink and something to eat. Then he shook his head to try and free it from the jug. But he could not do it. His head was stuck. The fox wandered up and down the bank of the stream.
First, he shook his head from side to side; then he shook it up and down. Then he tried banging his headon the ground. That made his head hurt and he felt giddy. ‘I must not panic. There’s a way out of this,’ thought the fox to himself. Then he had a wonderful idea. He decided to talk to the little brown jug which held on so tightly to him. ‘Dear little juggle, how are you today? I’m sure you’re going to let me go, aren’t you? You’re just playing a joke on me, aren’t you?’ said the fox. His voice coming from deep down the jug was muffled.
‘What did you say? ‘I can’t hear you properly,’ said the jug, giggling.
This made the fox angry. It was getting extremely warm in the jug and he longed to be free. ‘Now look here. You’ve had your little joke. Release me at once,’ said the fox angrily.
‘I had nothing to do with your getting trapped in here. You were greedy. You know it’s wrong to steal,’ said the jug. The fox began to jump up and down and this made the jug laugh. But still the jug held on tightly and wouldn’t let go.
‘Please let me go. I can’t breathe. There’s not enough air in here,’ said the fox. But the jug took no notice of him. Instead it gripped the fox around his neck even more tightly. ‘Stop! You’re choking me. Let me out!’ said the fox.
‘Well, if you weren’t so fat from stealing other people’s food you’d slip out easily,’ said the jug.
After walking up and down for a long time with his head still in the jug, the fox had an idea. ‘I’m going to jump into the stream. If you don’t let me go, you’ll drown too,’ said the fox.
‘Jugs don’t drown easily. We usually float,’ said the jug calmly.
But the fox did not hear the jug. He ran straight to the bank of the steam and leapt. The weight of the little brown jug pulled him under water and the unhappy fox drowned.
The little brown jug floated to the surface and a little later Mikola spied it in the water. ‘Ah, this isn’t my lucky day. First I forgot my lunch-box and now all my milk has spilled into the water.’ The little brown jug remained silent for as everyone knows jugs never talk to humans.

AIOGA

Everybody agreed that Aioga was a very beautiful girl. In fact, the villagers told her that she was the most beautiful girl in their village. This made Aioga vain. She became pround of her beauty and each day looked at herself in the mirror. She liked her looks so much that daily she went to look at herself in the stream that ran past her house.
One day, her mother asked her to wash the dishes. Aioga spent so much time admiring her reflection in the dishes that her mother was annoyed. “Aioga, you’re becoming too vain and lazy. You do nothing but admire yourself each day. This has got to stop. Even our neighbours are complaining. They say that you’ve become pround and won’t even talk to their daughters. You make me so ashamed.”
Aioga sulked and refused to do any more work. She thought her mother was treating her badly. She became even lazier. Each day, she lay in bed until the sun was high in the sky. Her mother did not know what to do with her.
“Aioga, please go to the stream and fetch some water. I want to bake some some cakes for tea,” said her mother.
“But I may fall into the water,” said Aioga.
Her mother sighed. She was slowly losing patience with her daughter. “Hold on to a bush and you won’t fall in.”
“But the bush may fall into the stream,” complained her daughter.
“But all the bushes by the stream have thorns and I may scratch my pretty hands,” said the girl.
Her mother grew steadily more impatient. “Aioga, put on your mittens. They’ll not only keep you warm but will also stop you from getting scatched.” Aioga then complained that her mittens were torn. Her mother then handed her a needle and thread.
“What if the needle breaks?” asked the girl. Aioga did not sew her mittens but instead spent the time looking at herself in the mirror.
Her mother was very angry with her, and when her husband returned from work, she spoke to him about their daughter. He was angry too when he heard what his wife had told him, so he sent for Aioga. “Aioga, go this minute and get a really thick needle from the workbasket and mend your mittens,” he said.
“But, papa, what if the needle pricks my finger?”
“You can use a thimble made of strong skin,” he said.
“But if the thimble is pierced I’ll hurt my finger,” said the girl.
Aioga’s younger sister, who was good and sweet-natured, came into the room. Cheerfully, she offered to fetch the water. She ran to the stream, filled the bucket and then helped her mother bake some cakes. When Aioga saw the lovely golden cakes, her mouth began to water. They looked delicious.
“Mother, give me some cakes,” she said.
“They’re hot and you’ll burn your fingers,” said her mother.
“I’ll put on my mittens.”
“But your mittens are torn. Besides, they’re damp as you did not dry them out yesterday after playing in the snow,” said her mother.
“I’ll dry them now before the fire,” said the girl.
“No, drying them out too quickly will make them stiff. And you won’t be able to hold the cakes,” said the her mother.
Aioga was hungry and the cakes smelled so delicious. “I’ll soften them with some wax,” she said.
“But your hands will get dirty. Why should you work and spoil your looks? It would be better if I gave the cake to your sister who doesn’t mind using her hands,” said Aioga’s mother.
When she saw her mother give her sister the cake, Aioga ran out of the house to the stream. She was very angry as she thought that her mother was very unfair. She saw her sister enjoying the cake and turned to stare angrily at her. “Aioga, please don’t be angry. I’ll share my cake with you ,” she said. Her sister was only trying to be kind but Aioga was proud. How could she, the village beauty, accept a half-eaten cake! She turned round and slapped her sister hard.
“Go away. I don’t want anything from you. Just leave me alone.” Aioga began to hit her sister again. Suddenly, she lost her balance and fell into the stream. The Goddess of the Stream who had seen Aioga treat her sister badly, changed her into a goose. All day long Aioga, the goose, swam around in the stream. “Ga! Ga! What a beauty I am,” she said, looking at herself in the stream.
As time went by she forgot how to speak. All she remembered was her name, and whenever she saw anyone, she would say, “Ai-oga! Ai-oga! So that all would remember the village beauty who turned into a goose.

THE LANDLORD WHO TRIED TO SKIN GRANDPA ALIVE

There was once a very old man who lived in a cottage deep in the forest. Everyone called him ‘Grandad’ because he was so old. The house he lived in, and the forest, belonged to a very rich man. But the people who lived in the small cottages in this forest did not like their landlord as he was often mean and punished them for the slightest thing. The people were naturally unhappy and began to whisper evil thing about him. ‘He has so much gold in his house yet he allows his guards to beat anyone who hunts for food in his forest,’ they said.
‘He’s cruel and we should teachhim a lesson,’ said the others.
‘I went into the forest to gather wood for a fire as the nights are cold now and his guards caught me. They took away the small bundle of wood for themselves and then beat me,’ complained an old woman.
One day, Grandad out into the forest to trapa rabbit as he had no food in the house. If he was lucky he would get a nice fat rabbit and that would be sufficient to last him at least a few days. Happily the old man set off. On the way there he met some friends. When he told them what he wanted to do, they warned him about their stingy landlord. ‘He’ll punish you if you so muchas pick up a twig in his forest,’ they grumbled.
‘I haven’t any food. I must hunt for it. I’ve no choice,’ said Grandad. Several times when he had been a poor young man, he had hunted in the forest. Many times, the landlord’s guards had caught him and had given him a good beating. It was nothing new, thought the old man to himself.
It was late in the afternoon. Cautiously the old man laid his traps. Then he sat under a tree to wait. It did not take him long to trap a rabbit but the one he caught was so skinny that he was disappointed. ‘Even the animals don’t get enought to eat in this forest,’ said the old man to himself.
Quickly, he put the rabbit in a bag he had brought whit him and when home. As he was walking throught the forest he suddenly heard a shout. ‘Stop! Let me see what you have in that bag, old men,’said the chief guard. The guard then led Grandad to the lanlord’s house. ‘I caught him in the forest with a rabbit in this bag,’said the guard.
‘You know the penalty for stealing,’ said the landlord. He then ordered his guards to beat old man. ‘It’s lucky for you that you only trapped a small rabbit. Next time I catch you stealing anything bigger, I’ll skin you alive,’ said the cruel landlord.
The old man went home and never again went into the forest. But one day, he received a message saying that his daughter who lived on the other side of the forest was very ill. ‘I must visit her. It’s quite late now butif I take a shortcut throught the forest I’ll be there in a shorter time.’ So he hurried as fast as his old legs could carry him. When he was halfway throught the forest he suddenly heard somebody shouthing, ‘Help!Help!’ The old man ran towards the stream and there he saw a huge brown bear. Facing the bear was the landlord.
‘Help me, please, or it will kill me,’ said the landlord.
‘Why should I help you? You do nothing to help us. Our roofs are leaking and you never repair them. You ever do anything to hep us,’ said Grandad. He still remembered the horrible beating he had received from the landlord’s guards. The bear began to growl and paw the ground. It had not eaten for many days and the rich landlord was fat and would make a good meal.
The landlord was frightened and again called out. ‘Use your axe and kill the bear,’ he said.
Grandad looked at the landlord and said, ‘No, Sire, I remember what you said to me the last time you caught me trapping a rabbit. Should I kill anything bigger than a rabbit you said you’d skin me alive. And I want to live.’
The baer was ready to attack the landlord. Grandad, who saw how frightened he looked, finally decided to help him. He was really a very kind old man who often helped his neighbours. So now, he threw the axe at the bear who became so frightened that it ran into the forest. Grandad saved the landlord’s life.
‘I’ve been a mean and selfish landlord. Today you’ve taught me something valuable. I’ll always try to be kind to others from now on. You didn’t have to save my life and yet you did,’ said the landlord to Grandad.
From that day onwards, the rich landlord treated the people more kindly, repaired their homes and allowed them to hunt for food in the forest. And they all lived happily together.

THE FROG AND THE ANTS

There was once a pretty little frog who lived in a small round lake, near a big town. One day, she wanted to go shopping. ‘Dear oh dear, I’ve no oil for my lamp. I must buy some today.
She hopped out of her small, neat home and went down the road. On the way, she passed an ant-hill. The ants were very busy. The cold weather was coming on. They were dragging food into their home.
‘Good morning,’ said the frog. The ants stared at her. They did not like strangers. They weren’t a bit friendly. Before she could get out of their way, they had climbed all over her. Hundreds of them. They jumped on her and bit her. ‘Ouch! Please stop it. You’re hurting me!’
But they were cruel and would not stop. ‘Rivet! Rivet!’ croaked the frog unhapply. Her cheeks puffed and became red and her stomatch began to swell. She twisted this way and that way. She shook most of them off her back.
‘You’re very unkind. I only wanted to be friends,’ said the frog. Then the ants became ashamed of themselvs. They agreed to be friends.
‘Dear Aunty, please be our guest. Help yourself to whatever food we have,’ they said. The frog was very pleased. She had never been so happy in a” her life. ‘Dear Aunty, we sometimes hear you singing when we’re working. Won’t you sing for as now?’ asked the Queen Ant. The frog turned red. She did not know that she had such a loud voice.
As she sang, the ants hummedwith her. They loved to sing but had poor voices. They invited her to stay the night in the ant-hill. Early next morning she woke up. The sun was high in the sky. She saw only a few ants and they were busy washing up after last night’s party. ‘The others are in the woods gathering food,’ they told her.
That afternoon when the Queen Ant returned home, she spoke to her. ‘You’ve been so kind to me. I’d like to invite you to my home by the lake,’ said the frog shyly.
‘That’s very kind of you. But I can’t feast on my own. The others will have to come too,’ said the Queen Ant. The frog invited them all to come. The ants were pleased. It wasn’t often they had a chance to feast twice in a week. On the way, passed many other ant-hills.
‘We’re off to visit the frog,’ they told their friends.
‘We’ll come too.’
Finally, they came to her home. ‘Here it is,’ said the frog and turned round. The shore was covered with thousands of red, bleck and brown ants. There was not a blade of grass to be seen. The frog’s eyes bulged and almost popped out of her head. ‘Rivet Rivet!’ she croaked worriedly. What was she to do? She only had a few cabbage Jeaves with which to feed the ants. It said wasn’t enough. ‘Please wait here and I’ll get everything ready,’ said the frog, disappearing into her home.
The ants waited patiently outside. ‘I’m sure she’s preparing a lovely feast,’ said the Queen Ant. They waited a whole day and still there was no sign of the frog.
‘Perhaps she’s ill,’ said ants worriedly. They had grown to love the pretty little frog. Then the Queen Ant knocked on the door. There was no reply. She pushed the door open out there was no body at home. The back door was wide open. The frog had disappeared.
The ants were very angry. ‘Well, that should teach us a good lesson. We could dia just waiting for the frog to give us a treat.’ The Queen Ant was sad that the frog had not kept her promise. She tightened her belt around her empty belly and went home. All the other ants did the same. Ever since then, ants have had their belts tightened over their bellies and all frogs have had large, bulging eyes.

THE WONDER BIRD

Once upon a time, there lived a little boy. One day, he went for a walk near his home. He looked at the birds and the flowers and at the trees which grew so high. He walked further and further into the woods. Soon it became dark. He wanted to go home, so he looked this way and that way. He could not remember the way home. He was lost! As he was very tired, he sat down under a big tree. “Perhaps if I rest for a while, I’ll be able to remember the way home,” he thought to himself. Soon he fell fast a sleep.
“Help us. Oh, please help us!” The little boy woke up with a start. He looked all around him. Who had called out? Then he saw a huge snake. It was moving slowly up the tree. It wanted to eat the little birds in a nest high up in the branches. “Help! Help!” cheeped the little birds. They were very young and could not fly. So they flapped their wings and cried out again and again. The wicked snake was creeping nearer and nearer. The little boy watched in horror as it opened its ugly, wide jaws. He picked up a heavy stick, climbed up the tree and hit the snake with it. The snake became angry. It curled up and hissed. “Hssssssst! Hssssst!” It lashed out angrily at the boy.
Again and again the boy hit it. It was a long, hard fight. The snake was long and very strong. But the boy was young, strong and very brave. Soon the snake lay dead, its jaws open and its eyes staring.
The young birds cheered. The little boy had saved their lives. He was their hero! Tired, he lay down on the ground and fell fast a sleep.
Suddenly, the wind began to blow. The trees swayed in the breeze. All the animals were frightened and ran to hide. “It’s the wonder bird. She’s coming back and we must hide or she may feed us to her young.” The animals hid in their holes and watched. Gracefully, the big bird flapped its huge, black wings. “It’s the eagle!; said the trees and bushes as they trembled in the wind.
“Mother!” called out the young birds happily. Just as she was about to land, the Wonder Bird saw the little boy sleeping peacefully under the tree.
“A human!” screeched the eagle. “I’ll tear him to pieces with my sharp claws.”
The young birds cried out, “Mummy, please don’t hurt him. He’s our friend. He killed the wicked snake and saved our lives.” The eagle looked at the little boy curiously. He had waken up. He stretched and stared at the bird. He had never seen anything so wonderful. The eagle’s wings were so wide they covered half the ground where he lay.
But the boy was not afraid. “Hullo,”saidthe boy politely. The Wonder Bird nodded. In her claws, she held huge bunches of wild berries.
“Are you hungry?” she asked. The boy held out his hand as he had not eaten since early morning.
“We’re hungry too, Mummy,” said the young birds eagerly. She fed them.
The boy thanked her for the food and because he was still tired, he feel asleep. All that night, the Wonder Bird stood guard over him, spreading her wings so that neither the wind nor the rain would disturb him.
The next morning the little boy woke up. He saw the enormous wing covering him and became frightened. “Don’t be afraid. I covered you so that you wouldn’t feel cold.” The little boy was grateful. “You saved my children from death. I’ll do anything you ask.”she said.
“Please take me home. I lost my way yesterday,” said the boy.
“Of course I shall, but first have some more of these delicious wild berries. You must be hungry.”
“We’re hungry too, Mummy,”said her children.
After breakfast, the Wonder Bird took the little boy home. “Hold on tight and don’t let go. It’s very windy today,” warned the bird, as the little boy climbed onto her back.
“Goodbye, come and see us again,” called out the young birds.
The Wonder Bird lifted the little boy high in the sky, up among the clouds. Soon the boy spied his home. “There’s my home,” he said excitedly. Gently the bird landed and he slid off her back.
“Now remember, always be kind and brave,” she said.
The boy watched as she soared into the bright blue sky, flapping her great, black wings. It was a magnificient sight. “Now I know why they call her the Wonder Bird,” said the boy.

WHO IS THE STRONGEST?

The village pond was frozen and all the children were happy because that meant they could skate on the ice. Namyoka and Kurba were neighbours. They were the first to arrive at the pond. They were warmly clothed in thick coats and woollen scarves for it was very cold. This winter was the coldest in many years and the old people were not happy at all. But the children of the village, like Namyoka and Kurban, did not mind the cold. They played and went skiing down the mountain slopes near their village.
But one day Namyoka and Kurba quarrelled. Kurba had boasted that he was the stronges boy in their village. ‘That isn’ttrue. You know I beat you in the races last year. That makes me the strongest,’ cried Namyoka. Kurba became very angry and he began to hit his friend. Their friends tried to part them.
‘Namyoka, Kurba, this is silly. You have been friends for so long. Why quarrel over such a silly thing as who is the strongest. We are all strong in our own way,’ said their friends.
Namyoka and Kurba took no notice of them. Then Namyoka said, ‘I’m the strongest. You must all bow to me.’ Kurba was so angry that he pushed him and Namyoka fell and hit his head on the ice.
‘You can’t be the strongest as the strongest is the a ice on which you fell. Mr. Ice, isn’t that so? Aren’t you stronger than my friend?’ asked the boy.
‘That may well be true but there is one who is stronger than I am,’ said Mr. Ice.
‘Who’s that?’ asked Namyoka, rubbing his head.
‘It’s Mr. Sun, of course. When the weather gets warm I begin to melt because the sun’s rays are so warm. So Mr. Sun is the strongest. Bow to the Sun,’ said Mr. Ice.
Just then the Sun began to peep through the clouds altought it was still very cold. ‘Good morning, Mr. Sun. Please help us to settle our argument. Kurba and I have been fighting because each of us claimed to be the strongest. We asked Mr. Ice and he said you’re the strongest,’ said Namyoka.
‘It’s kind of Mr. Ice to say that but I don’t think that’s quite true. I think the Cloud is stronger than I am. When it casts its shadow, the Earth becomes so cold because my rays cannot shine through the thick cloud.’
The boys went to see the Cloud who was hanging low over the high mountain to the north of their village. After a long and difficulet climb, they reached the top of the mountain. ‘Good day, Mr. Cloud, we’ve come to see you as the Sun told as that you are the strongest.’ The Cloud wandered over the mountain top, making everything beneath it drak and foggy. The boys shivered for suddenly it became much colder. Their coats were covered with ice. Then a cold wind blew and the Cloud had no time to reply as it was blown away. Just as suddenly, it became warmer. The crust of ice melted and made their clothes damp and uncomfortable.
Then the Sun shone and before long, their clothes were dry. ‘Look, the Rainbow!’ cried out Kurba.
“It’s beautiful. Perhaps the Rainbow is the strongest. Let’s ask it,’ said Namyoka.
But before they could open their mouths a strong wind blew. ‘I am the strongest!’ boasted the wind.
‘Can you move the Mountain from its place?” asked Kurba.
The Wind did not reply. Instead it began to blow. It puffed and puffed and till the Mountain stayed in its place. ‘You’ll never move me. I am the strongest,’ said the Mountain. Again the Wind blew. It roared up and down the mountain through the valleys but only a few grainss of sand flew of its top.
‘Oh, Mr. Wind, I don’t think you’re the strongest after all. It would take you years to move the Mountain,’ said Namyoka. The Wind, realisingthat it was defeated, blew down the mountain-side, and disappeared.
The boys bowd to the Mountain. ‘You Sir, are truly the greatest,’ they said. But the Mountain only groaned.
‘Oh, it isn’t true. I only wist it were, but the Tree must surely be the strongest. It grows on my back and its roots dig deep into me although it does protect. Me from the Wind,’ said the mountain.
‘Are you indeed the strongest of them all?’ asked the boys. The Tree shook in the wind but did not fall down.
“Yes, it’s true. I’m the strongest of all! Bow to me.’
“You’re wrong. You’re telling lies,’ said Namyoka.He took an axe that was lying beneath the tree and felled it. ‘Man is the greatest, the strongest of all,’ said the boys.
Then everyone bowed to them. The Mountain groaned as the trees dug their roots deeper. The Wind roared down the Mountain calling out, ‘Man is the greatest. Bow to Man.’ The Sun shone warmly and melted the Ice.
And ever since that day, everybody believed Man to be the strongest of all.