XI THE BAT

Sacred-Texts African   

p. 17

THE Bat is half a bird and half a rodent, and lives partly on the earth and partly in the air, but both rats and birds shun him, and this is why:

 The rats, his cousins, were once fighting a great battle with the birds, and Bat fought in their midst.

 But when he saw that the birds were likely to be victorious, he left the rats and flew up into the air to fight on the side of the birds.

 Both the rats and the birds were disgusted at this cowardly action, so they ceased from fighting one another and all combined to attack the Bat.

 Since that day he has been forced to hide in dark places all day, and only comes out in the evening when his enemies cannot see him.