47 45. The Spider Passes on a Debt
[From Hausa Superstitions and Customs: An Introduction to the Folk-Lore and the Folk by Arthur J. N. Tremearne, 1913. See item #191 in the Bibliography.]
There was once a certain old woman who had a daughter, and, when she was going to give her in marriage, the daughter said that she had no bowls and no plates, and that she would not be married without them. So the old woman, who had a bull, took it to the slaughter-men and asked them to buy it; ten bowls and ten plates was the price. But they said that they could not give that for it.
Now the spider heard, and he came up and said that he would buy the bull from the old woman, and that when her daughter’s marriage was about to be performed, he would bring ten plates and ten bowls. So the old woman handed over the bull to the spider, and he took it home and killed it.
When the spider had cooked it, he poured the broth into a pot, and took it, and placed it in the road, and he climbed a tree above, and hid there. Now the goat was passing, and he was very thirsty, so he came up and put his nose into the pot, and immediately the pot caught hold of his nose.
Then the spider slid down and said, “Good.” And he continued:
“The goat is the drinker of the spider’s broth;
The spider is the buyer of the old woman’s bull
For ten large bowls and ten large plates;
The payment is upon you now, O goat!”
And the goat replied, “Very well, I agree.”
So the goat went to the river to drink water, and there a crab seized his beard, and then the goat said:
“The crab is the catcher of the goat’s beard;
The goat is the drinker of the spider’s broth;
The spider is the buyer of the old woman’s bull
For ten large bowls and ten large plates;
The payment is upon you, O crab.”
And the crab replied, “Very well, I agree.”
Now when the daughter came to the stream, she trod upon the crab, and the crab said:
“The daughter has stepped on the poor little crab;
The crab is the catcher of the goat’s beard;
The goat is the drinker of the spider’s broth;
The spider is the buyer of the old woman’s bull
For ten large bowls and ten large plates;
The payment is upon you, O daughter.”
And the daughter said, “Very well, I agree.”
So the daughter took the water that she had come to get and was going home when the slipperiness caused her to fall, and she spilt the water. Then she said:
“The slipperiness made the daughter fall;
The daughter is the stepper on the poor little crab;
The crab is the catcher of the goat’s beard;
The goat is the drinker of the spider’s broth;
The spider is the buyer of the old woman’s bull
For ten large bowls and ten large plates;
The payment is upon you, O slipperiness.”
And the slipperiness said, “Very well, I agree.”
Now the slipperiness stayed on the ground, and soon afterwards a termite came and made a passage across the wet place. Then the slipperiness sang:
“The termite has built on the slipperiness;
The slipperiness made the daughter fall;
The daughter is the stepper on the poor little crab;
The crab is the catcher of the goat’s beard;
The goat is the drinker of the spider’s broth;
The spider is the buyer of the old woman’s bull
For ten large bowls and ten large plates;
The payment is upon you, O termite.”
And the termite said, “Very well, I agree.”
After a little while, a certain bird came and built a nest upon the termite’s hill, and then the termite said:
“The bird has alighted on the termite’s hill;
The termite built on the slipperiness;
The slipperiness made the daughter fall;
The daughter is the stepper on the poor little crab;
The crab is the catcher of the goat’s beard;
The goat is the drinker of the spider’s broth;
The spider is the buyer of the old woman’s bull
For ten large bowls and ten large plates;
The payment is upon you, O bird.”
And the bird said, “Very well, I agree.”
Now the bird stayed there, and one day a boy who was shooting came along, and when he saw the bird sitting on the termite-hill, he shot it. Then the bird said:
“The boy is the shooter of the poor little bird;
The bird alighted on the termite’s hill;
The termite built on the slipperiness;
The slipperiness made the daughter fall;
The daughter is the stepper on the poor little crab;
The crab is the catcher of the goat’s beard;
The goat is the drinker of the spider’s broth;
The spider is the buyer of the old woman’s bull
For ten large bowls and ten large plates;
The payment is upon you, O boy.”
And the boy said, “Very well, I agree.”
So the boy went home, and just as he had opened his mouth to tell his mother about it, she covered him with blows. Then the boy said:
“The mother is the beater of the poor little boy;
The boy is the shooter of the poor little bird;
The bird alighted on the termite’s hill;
The termite built on the slipperiness;
The slipperiness made the daughter fall;
The daughter is the stepper on the poor little crab;
The crab is the catcher of the goat’s beard;
The goat is the drinker of the spider’s broth;
The spider is the buyer of the old woman’s bull
For ten large bowls and ten large plates;
The payment is upon you, O mother.”
And the mother said, “Very well, I agree.”
Now it happened soon afterwards that a certain blacksmith burned one of the mother’s cloths, and then she said:
“The blacksmith is the burner of the mother’s cloth;
The mother is the beater of the poor little boy;
The boy is the shooter of the poor little bird;
The bird alighted on the termite’s hill;
The termite built on the slipperiness;
The slipperiness made the daughter fall;
The daughter is the stepper on the poor little crab;
The crab is the catcher of the goat’s beard;
The goat is the drinker of the spider’s broth;
The spider is the buyer of the old woman’s bull
For ten large bowls and ten large plates;
The payment is upon you, O blacksmith.”
Then the blacksmith said, “Very well, I agree.”
Immediately all the blacksmiths started work, and made ten bowls and ten plates, and took them to the mother.
The mother took them and gave them to the boy.
The boy took them and gave them to the bird.
The bird took them and gave them to the termite.
The termite took them and gave them to the slipperiness.
The slipperiness took them and gave them to the daughter.
The daughter took them and gave them to the crab.
The crab took them and gave them to the goat.
The goat took them and gave them to the spider.
And at last the spider took ten bowls and ten plates and gave them to the old woman, just as he had promised when he bought the bull whose flesh he ate.
That is an example of the spider’s cunning: he himself ate the flesh of the bull, but he made others make the payment for him, thus giving nothing in return for what he had got.
