Mr. Tortoise, who was married to Mrs. Tortoise, Had in Vulture a friend who was constant in visiting him. But, having no wings, Tortoise was unable to return the visits, and this upset him. One day he bethought himself of his cunning ands aid to his wife, “Wife!’

Mrs. Tortoise answered, “Hello, husband! What is it?”

Said he, “don’t you see, wife, that we are becoming despicable in Vulture’s eyes?”

“How despicable?”

“Despicable, because it is despicable for me not to visit Vulture. He is always coming here and I have never yet been to his house – and he is my friend.”

Mrs. Tortoise replied, “I don’t see how Vulture should think us despicable unless we could fly as he does and then did not pay him a visit.”

But Mr. Tortoise persisted: “Nevertheless, wife, it is despicable.”

Said his wife, “Very well, then, sprout some wings and fly and visit your friend Vulture.”

Mr. Tortoise answered, “No, I shan’t sprout any wings because I was not born that way.”

“Well,” said Mrs. Tortoise, “what will you do?”

“I shall find a way,” he replied.

“Find it then, ” said Mrs Tortoise, “and let us see what you will do.”

Later Tortoise said to his wife, “Come and tie me up in a parcel with a lump of tobacco and, when Vulture arrives, give it to him and say it is tobacco and, when Vulture arrives, give it to him and say that it is tobacco to buy grain for us.” So Mrs. Tortoise took some palm leaf and made him into a parcel and put him down in the corner.

At his usual time, Vulture came to pay his visit and said, “Where’s your husband gone, Mrs. Tortoise?”

“My husband has gone some distance to visit some people, and he left hunger here. We have not a bit of grain in the house.”

Vulture said, “you are in trouble indeed, not having grain in the house.”

Vulture said, “you are in such trouble as human beings never knew.” And she went on: “Vulture, at your place is there no grain to be bought?”

“Yes,” said he, “any amount, Mrs. Tortoise.”

She brought the bundle and said, “My husband left this lump of tobacco thinking you would buy some grain with it for us and bring it here.”

Vulture willingly took it returned to his home in the heights. As he was nearing his native town he was surprised to here a voice saying, “Untie me, I am your friend Tortoise. I said I would pay a visit to you.”

But Vulture, in his surprise, let go his hold of the bundle and down crashed Tortoise to the earth, Pididi-pididi, his shell smashed to bits, and he died. And so the friendship between Tortoise and culture was broken: and you can still see the cracks in Tortoise’s shell.