The turtle dove's ring
A young boy named Ségué Karanmbé was a happy bird catcher. Every time he went to visit his traps, he found many captured birds there. He had caught all the species that exist in the world, except a black-throated dove that the Peuhl call kourkoundourôrou and the Bambara call bourountouba-kabouountouba-kanji dodged all its traps.
Rintending to capture it by this means, the boy prepared glue with boiled bark of ficus. Then he glued all the trees in the country. The dove, which did not know this trap, went to land on a branch, and its legs were trapped in the sticky material.
Ségué Karanmbé ran to grab his victim.
Ségué Karanmbé ran to grab his victim.
“Young man,” said the bird to him, “your skill was greater than my distrust, but if you spare my life, I will give you something with which you will be happy, and your father with you, for he will no longer be obliged to go hunting with his dog as he does in all weathers.
—And what do you want to give me that is so precious?
- Livestock!
- What's the point? I don't drink milk!
—Then I will offer you money in abundance!
— It's not something that can be eaten! Your flesh is much preferable to me! »
And Ségué, impatient, grabbed the turtledove by the throat.
She then begged in a muffled voice, because the pressure of the fingers made it very difficult for her to speak: “Child, release me! I promise you a mass of gold as huge as a mountain! »
At these words, Ségué loosened his grip a little. Then the bird laid an egg and said to the young man: “Break this egg, you will find a ring inside. This ring, wet it with your blood. »
—And what do you want to give me that is so precious?
- Livestock!
- What's the point? I don't drink milk!
—Then I will offer you money in abundance!
— It's not something that can be eaten! Your flesh is much preferable to me! »
And Ségué, impatient, grabbed the turtledove by the throat.
She then begged in a muffled voice, because the pressure of the fingers made it very difficult for her to speak: “Child, release me! I promise you a mass of gold as huge as a mountain! »
At these words, Ségué loosened his grip a little. Then the bird laid an egg and said to the young man: “Break this egg, you will find a ring inside. This ring, wet it with your blood. »
QWhen Ségué had broken the egg, he saw a small white ring inside. He then made a slight incision in his hand and wet the ring with the blood that flowed from it. The ring immediately turned yellow like gold.
“Put this ring on your finger,” the turtle dove recommended. Whenever you need something, strike the ground with the palm where the ring finger is. Say the name of what you want at the same time. You will get it right now!
— I'm going to experience it without further delay! Ségué declared. If you lied, I will roast you over the coals and eat you without mercy! »
He put the ring on a finger of his right hand and, striking the ground with his palm, he shouted this single word: “Mush! » A hundred gourds of porridge immediately came down the hill.
After having had his fill, the young fowler said to the turtledove: “Perhaps this is just an effect of your spells. I don't think it was the ring that gave me this much. I'm going to try a second experiment. »
“Put this ring on your finger,” the turtle dove recommended. Whenever you need something, strike the ground with the palm where the ring finger is. Say the name of what you want at the same time. You will get it right now!
— I'm going to experience it without further delay! Ségué declared. If you lied, I will roast you over the coals and eat you without mercy! »
He put the ring on a finger of his right hand and, striking the ground with his palm, he shouted this single word: “Mush! » A hundred gourds of porridge immediately came down the hill.
After having had his fill, the young fowler said to the turtledove: “Perhaps this is just an effect of your spells. I don't think it was the ring that gave me this much. I'm going to try a second experiment. »
HASthen, striking the earth again, he called: “My father! My mother! Come and eat porridge! » Immediately, he saw his parents beside him.
They both sat down and ate with great appetites. “Little dove,” said Ségué, “whether your ring is effective or not, you have already given me more food than your flesh would have earned me! So I will let you go. But know that if your ring ceased to be useful to me, it would still be possible for me to get my hands on you again! »
They both sat down and ate with great appetites. “Little dove,” said Ségué, “whether your ring is effective or not, you have already given me more food than your flesh would have earned me! So I will let you go. But know that if your ring ceased to be useful to me, it would still be possible for me to get my hands on you again! »
With these words, he freed the turtledove, which fled with its wings.
Ségué Karanmbé returned to his village, accompanied by his parents. But the walk was very tiring for the latter who had not been able to realize the length of the path coming, having been transported by the virtue of the ring.
Ségué, seeing them walking with difficulty, struck the ground with the flat of his hand, saying: “I need three chestnut horses! » Immediately, three horses fully harnessed and whose manes and tails were decorated with gold threads, emerged from the ground at the very place where Ségué had struck.
The young man helped his parents get on their horses, and then he in turn climbed onto his own. They returned home in this crew.
Ségué, seeing them walking with difficulty, struck the ground with the flat of his hand, saying: “I need three chestnut horses! » Immediately, three horses fully harnessed and whose manes and tails were decorated with gold threads, emerged from the ground at the very place where Ségué had struck.
The young man helped his parents get on their horses, and then he in turn climbed onto his own. They returned home in this crew.
Once at home, Ségué hit the ground again, wishing for a hut with a very richly decorated terrace. And, at this wish, a hut emerged from the ground, as high as a mountain and so solid that it could defy the assaults of the most furious tornadoes. The whole family moved there.
LSégué's mother, to thank her son, prepared him a drink made from milk and millet flour. The young man, after tasting this mixture, found it excellent: “Since my ring can provide me with everything I desire,” he said, “I wish I had cattle myself that would provide me with milk!” » He struck the ground with his palm and found himself having many cows.
The chief of a neighboring village, of a very envious nature, learned that Ségué possessed a marvelous ring. He resolved to take it away from her. He marched towards the young man's village and surrounded it with his warriors. Then, Ségué struck a block of rock with all his might with his right palm. “I want giant warriors,” he ordered, “to get rid of these invaders!” »
From all sides arrived enormous monsters armed with spears and guns. Some uprooted trees to use them as clubs. Those who had no weapons provided themselves with rocks as big as huts.
From all sides arrived enormous monsters armed with spears and guns. Some uprooted trees to use them as clubs. Those who had no weapons provided themselves with rocks as big as huts.
VSThe warriors rushed on the enemies, massacred the majority of them, and carried away their corpses to feast on. The rest of the invaders fled with their leader.
The latter, unable to seize the magic ring by force, resolved to appropriate it by trickery.
The latter, unable to seize the magic ring by force, resolved to appropriate it by trickery.
For this purpose, he sent the eldest of his daughters to the possessor of the talisman, begging him to accept her as his wife. Before sending his daughter on her way, he said to her: “You know that you are the daughter of a king! And you certainly don't want there to be anyone more powerful than your father in this world. The one I send you to has more power than I, for he has a ring that gives him everything he could wish for. When he welcomes you as his wife, on the seventh night of your marriage, do what is necessary to seize the ring. If you don't want me to curse you! »
When the young girl presented herself to Ségué, he liked her so much that he wholeheartedly accepted her as his wife.
On the seventh evening, as she was going to sleep, she said to her husband:
“Every good husband must give gifts to his wife.
I will give you a hundred captives, Ségué replied.
“At my father's, I had two hundred,” replied the young woman.
— I will present you with bracelets for your arms and ankles!
— There are plenty of them at my father's house!
—In that case, what do you want from me?
— The ring that I see on your finger.
— I certainly won't give it to you!
— Since that is so, let me go back to my father at once! »
Ségué, desperate to see his wife leave, gave in.
“Here,” he said, “here’s the ring!” So take it!
— Now that you have given it to me, you need to show me how to use it.
—If you desire something, replied Ségué, strike the earth with the flat of your hand, naming out loud the desired object. »
The young woman, then, struck the ground with her palm saying: “Fowler's Ring, take me back to my hut! »
Instantly, she found herself transported to her father's hut, and all the goods that Ségué had obtained thanks to the ring followed her because they could not remain separated from their mistress.
“Every good husband must give gifts to his wife.
I will give you a hundred captives, Ségué replied.
“At my father's, I had two hundred,” replied the young woman.
— I will present you with bracelets for your arms and ankles!
— There are plenty of them at my father's house!
—In that case, what do you want from me?
— The ring that I see on your finger.
— I certainly won't give it to you!
— Since that is so, let me go back to my father at once! »
Ségué, desperate to see his wife leave, gave in.
“Here,” he said, “here’s the ring!” So take it!
— Now that you have given it to me, you need to show me how to use it.
—If you desire something, replied Ségué, strike the earth with the flat of your hand, naming out loud the desired object. »
The young woman, then, struck the ground with her palm saying: “Fowler's Ring, take me back to my hut! »
Instantly, she found herself transported to her father's hut, and all the goods that Ségué had obtained thanks to the ring followed her because they could not remain separated from their mistress.
The next day, the perfidious bride gave the ring to her father, and he made his preparations to go and destroy his son-in-law's village.
“Here we are again, unhappy as before!” said Ségué to his father. The turtledove will pay me for it because I will capture it again. Although she knows the trap and the glue, she ignores the horsehair snares! »
“Here we are again, unhappy as before!” said Ségué to his father. The turtledove will pay me for it because I will capture it again. Although she knows the trap and the glue, she ignores the horsehair snares! »
The old hunter's dog then intervened: "There's no point in catching the dove! I'll try to get your ring back. Let me do it! »
The dog went to find a cat. “My master's ring is now in the hands of the chief of the neighboring village. If, by tonight, I don't have it in my possession, there won't be a cat left alive on earth. »
The cat, in turn, went to find a rat. “If the ring of Ségué spends the night with the chief of the neighboring village, I will eat every last rat! »
At midnight, three rats went to the chief of the neighboring village, who was sleeping soundly. The first rat made sure that no one entered the hut, and the second rat watched over the leader's sleep. Meanwhile, the third took the ring off his finger.
When he had it in his possession, he promptly went to give it to the cat. He, in turn, hastened to carry her to the dog. And the dog returned it to Ségué Karanmbé.
HASith the ring returned all the riches that had disappeared. For fear of having it taken from him again, Ségué sewed it into a bag which he hung around his neck, then he said: “Ring, take me away from other men, where no one can attack me. »
In the blink of an eye, Ségué, his family, and his possessions found themselves transported to an inaccessible mountain of prodigious height, where they lived happily and peacefully for a long time.
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