<h2><SPAN name="XVII" id="XVII"></SPAN>XVII</h2>
<h3><i>Why the Flies Bother the Cows</i></h3>
<p>When Adiaha Umo was Queen of Calabar, being very rich and hospitable,
she used to give big feasts to all the domestic animals, but never
invited the wild beasts, as she was afraid of them.</p>
<p>At one feast she gave there were three large tables, and she told the
cow to sit at the head of the table, as she was the biggest animal
present, and share out the food. The cow was quite ready to do this,
and the first course was passed, which the cow shared out amongst the
people, but forgot the fly, because he was so small.</p>
<p>When the fly saw this, he called out to the cow to give him his share,
but the cow said: "Be quiet, my friend, you must have patience."</p>
<p>When the second course arrived, the fly again called out to the cow,
but the cow merely pointed to her eye, and told the fly to look there,
and he would get food later.</p>
<p>At last all the dishes were finished, and the fly, having been given
no food by the cow, went supperless to bed.</p>
<p>The next day the fly complained to the queen, who decided that, as the
cow had presided at the feast, and had not given the fly his share,
but had<span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</SPAN></span> pointed to her eye, for the future the fly could always get
his food from the cow's eyes wherever she went; and even at the
present time, wherever the cows are, the flies can always be seen
feeding off their eyes in accordance with the queen's orders.</p>
<hr style="width: 65%;" />
<p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</SPAN></span></p>
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