A Tale from Zulu Folklore - The Tortoise and the Ducks

There was a severe drought; the tortoise was very thirsty. He was sobbing, pondering how he could quench his thirst when two ducks settled beside him.

‘Oh! Ducks,’ he wailed. ‘Please show me where the river is, I need to drink.’

‘All right,’ they said.

‘But how can I get there,’ the tortoise sighed. ‘I can’t fly.’

The ducks took a stick in their beaks, suspending it between them. ‘Hold on to the stick with your mouth,’ they told the tortoise.

The tortoise grabbed the stick between his teeth and the ducks flew high into the sky. ‘Don’t talk!’ they told the tortoise.

Some herd boys shouted, ‘What’s that tortoise doing? Tortoises can’t fly. They’re too stupid!’

The tortoise looked down.  Seething with wounded pride, he opened his mouth to reply . . .and fell to his death.