The Hunter and the Crocodile

Donso the hunter was coming back from a hunt when he came across Bamba the Crocodile and his family returning from vacation.  The Crocodiles had been out of the water far too long and needed help to return to the river.  "Can you return us to our home in the river?', asked Bamba.  "I cannot, you crocodiles have a reputation for biting people in the river.  That is a chance I dare not take."  Bamba and his family began to cry.  Moved by the crocodiles tears Donso finally agreed to carry them to river.  He stacked all five crocodiles on top of each other.  Bamba was on the bottom and the baby was on the top. He tied them together and carried them to the river on his head.  Bamba asked Donso to carry them deeper into the river where the current was strongest.  Now in the deep water Bamba took Donso's arm in his mouth and refused to let it go.  The Donso and Bamba both argued for a long time about right and wrong.  Soon Cow,  Horse, Guinea Fowl came to the river to drink.  Donso asked them for help, but each had been disrespected by Man and refused to help.  Finally the clever Hare came to the river.  He listened to Donso's plea for help and explanation for his predicament.  The Hare rounded over on the ground laughing.  "No one your size could put a load of crocodiles on his head. I don't believe it."  "It is true", Bamba insisted.  "Bamba show me how he did it", said Hare.  They all came out of the river and Donso stacked and tied them up just like before.  Hare said to the hunter, "Now take your crocodiles home to your family and make a great feast.  Grateful, Donso invited Hare come his village for the celebration. As Donso entered the village a man told him that his wife had become very ill, and only the tears of a crocodile could save her. Donso then turned to Bamba and promised to free his family in exchange for a few of their tears.  The crocodiles begin to cry tears of joy which the hunter collected and ran home to save his wife. Moral: We must live in harmony each other because need one another to survive.

The Healer

A man shows up in a small town, but the people there had already heard about this man.  He was said to be a healer, he could place his hands on someone and instantly they would be healed.  As soon as the people of this town heard he was in town, they began to line up hoping for a miracle.  The man soon came out to the crowd, healing those who asked.  A homeless man asks the Healer to touch him and give him the ability to read.  The man told the Healer because he couldn't read he couldn't get any work, and his life had no hope with out being able to read. The Healer reached out and placed his hand on his head and prayed for the man to recieve the ability to read.  Grateful the man went away.  A year passed and the Healer returned to same small town.  Once again crowds began to gather to be healed.  The Healer was praying and healing those who were sick, when a voice cried out "HE IS A FAKE!" The voice declared "This man is a Charlatan, he can't heal anyone."  The Healer was looking through out the crowd for man behind the voice.  In the back was a well dressed man.  "Do I know you Sir? "asked the Healer?  "A year ago I came to you for prayer, I asked you to give me the ability to read.  Since that time I have read all kinds of magazine and newspaper articles, and scientific research available about divine healing.  According to all I have read You are a fake!  Moral: Real life can be more amazing and difficult to believe than made-up stories.

The Feast

A Great Warrior Chief wanted to add to his empire.  The problem was there were only a few kingdoms left that had never been conquered by him.  The Chief turned to his Griot for advice on which kingdom to conquer next.  After singing praises of all the King's victories, the Griot sets down his ngoni and advises the king.  "Have a festival for the princes of the three kingdoms.  Offer them food, wine and women in excess.  Let the servants use vulgar language and encourage the princes to do the same.  By the end of the festival I will know which kingdom you should conquer."  The Chief agrees and orders the festival.  At the end of the festival he calls his Griot in to tell him his findings.  "The kingdom from the North will be the easiest to conquer, because their prince was easily corrupted by the food, wine and women the first night of the festival.  The kingdom to the South will be more difficult but can be conquered as well.    Their prince gave in to the temptations after two days into the festival.  Chief, what ever you do, never attack the kingdom to the East.  The prince from the East never gave in to the temptations set before him.  When I asked why he did not give into his desires, he told me,  I am the son of a chief, and no matter where I am or what I do I will always behave as a future Chief.  Moral: No matter how sharp the ax it will never cut it's own handle

The Possum and the Snake

                                                         

Possum was traveling down the highway looking for a place to cross.  He was distracted by all of his fellow possums who didn't make it across the road.  He was so distracted that he bumped in to a snake.  Possum jumped almost three feet in the air and hid behind a tree.  He slowly peaked around the tree to see the snake on the side of road with a brick on his back. Snake asked "Pleeassse help me.  Get thisssss brick offfff my back."  Possum responded nervously "Nnnnnnoo you will bbbite mmmeee.  The snake promised not to bite him.  Possum took the brick of his back.  Of course Snake took a big bite out of  Possum and held on tight.  Rabbit was walking down the same road and saw Snake with a mouth full of Possum. Rabbit spoke "Howdy neighbors," Possum spoke "Hhhhowdy", but all Snake did was mumble because his mouth was full of possum.  :How rude " Rabbit said to Snake.  Snake spoke "Howdy" and Possum jumped free. Rabbit asked what happened.  Snake told him how a brick fell off a truck and landed on his back trapping on the side of the road.  Rabbit had Snake show him just how it happened including placing the brick back on his back.  "Oh I see now." said Rabbit.  Possum and Rabbit left the snake trapped under the brick. Moral: Don't help Snakes

The Rabbit's Thesis

Rabbit sat by a cave typing away on a typewriter.  Mr Fox walked by and asked "What you doing"?  Rabbit said "Working on my thesis". "What's it about?" asked Fox.  "How a rabbit can whoop any fox and have him for breakfast.". “That’s ridiculous ! Any fool knows that rabbits don’t eat foxes!"  "Come inside my cave and see."  Moments later Rabbit came out the cave chewing on a fox bone and wearing a new fox coat. Soon Mr. Alligator came walking by as Rabbit was typing away on his typewriter.  "What you doing?" asked the alligator.  "Working on my thesis" said Rabbit   "What's it about?" he asks. 'How a rabbit can whoop the pants off of any ol' alligator."  That's absurd! says the alligator.  "Come inside my cave and see."  In a few minutes Rabbit walks out chewing on an alligator bone and wearing a new pair of alligator shoes.   By the end of day Rabbit had a new coat, new shoes and a new coon skin cap, Each animal went into the cave and met Lion, Rabbit's advisor. Moral: I doesn't matter how absurb your thesis may sound, what matters is having a good advisor.

The Fisherman and the Crane

 A fisherman befriends a wounded crane and nurses it back to health. After becoming sick, the fisherman meets a mysterious thin pale woman who nurses him back to health.  She makes him a special magical net.  It was obvious that making the net took a lot out of the delicate woman. The net is very strong and seems to attract fish to it.  The new net brings the fisherman  huge success.  But the man becomes greedy and asks for a second net even though it made the woman so weak to knit it.  The fishman hires men to fish a second boat, but his greed made him desire a third boat.  A third boat meant a third net.  The woman agreed to make each net as long as he promised to never enter the room as she worked. But this time he becomes impatient and enters the sewing room and sees a crane weaving a net with her own breast feathers. The Crane turns towards the fisherman and flys out the open window.  The fisherman never saw the crane or the woman ever again. Moral: Greedy choked the puppy.

A Runaway Love Story

Love has never been easy.  Many stuggled to find it, and even more struggled to keep it.  Perhaps there was no greater struggle for love than during slavery times. Afraid of being sold and separated from each other a slave couple made plans to be free. Ellen was fair skinned slave and could pass for white. Her love was a dark shinned man who as a master cabinet maker and also a slave. The two fell in love but Ellen couldn't stand the idea of giving birth to enslaved children. William was often hired out to make cabinets, and was allow to keep a small amount for himself.  He saved the money for the day the couple would run for freedom.  Because Ellen could pass for white, they cut her hair, and dressed her as a white gentleman.  William was his trusty servant. Using the money WIlliam saved they boarded a train to freedom. Pretending to be sick with one arm in a sling the other holding a cane, the southern gentleman requested his slave be allowed to stay close. The couple traveled from Macon, GA to Philadelphia, PA. Freedom! True story of William and Ellen Craft.