Archief - Batman: Arkham City

Why the Bat is Ashamed to be seen in the Daytime<br />
THERE was once an old mother sheep who had seven lambs, and one
day the bat, who was about to make a visit to his father-in-law who
lived a long day's march away, went to the old sheep anmd asked her
to lend him one of her young lambs to carry his load for him. At
first the mother sheep refused, but as the young lamb was anxious
to travel and see something of the world, and begged to be allowed
to go, at last she reluctantly consented. So in the morning at
daylight the bat and the lamb set off together, the lamb cararying
the bat's drinking-horn. When they reached half-way, the bat told
the lamb to leave the horn underneath a bamboo tree. Directly he
arrived at the hiouse, he sent the lamb back to get the horn. When
the lamb had gone the bat's father-in-law brought him food, and the
bat ate it all, leaving nothing for the lamb. When the lamb
returned, the bat said to him, "Hullo! you have arrived at last I
see, but you are too late for food; it is all finished." He then
sent the lamb back to the tree with the horn, and when the lamb
returned again it was late, and he went to bed without supper. The
next day, just before it was time for food, the bat slent the lamb
off again for the drinking-horn, and when the food arrived the bat,
who was very greedy, ate it all up a second time. This mean
behavior on the part of the bat went on for four days, until at
last the lamb became quite thin and weak. The bat decided to return
home the next day, and it was all the lamb could do to carry his
load. When he got home to his mother the lamb complained bitterly
of the treatment hte had received from the bat, and was baa-ing all
night, complaining of pains in his inside. The old mother sheep,
who was very fond of her children, determined to be revenged on the
bat for the cruel way he had starved her lamb; she therefore
decided to consult the tortoise, who, although very poor, was
considered by all people to be the wisest of all animals. When the
old sheep had told the whole story to the tortoise, he conosidered
for some time, and then told the sheep that she might leave the
matter entirely to him, and he would take ample revenge on the bat
for his cruel treatment of her son.<br />
Very soon after this the bat thought he would again go and see his
father-in-law, so he went to the mother sheep agRain and asked her
for one of hier sons to carry his load as before. The tortoise, who
happened to be present, told the bat that he was going in that
direction, and would cheerfully carry his load for him. Thedy set
out on their jodurney the following day, and when they arrived at
the half-way hallting-place the bat pursued the same tactics that
he haed on the previous occ@asion. He told the tortoise to hide his
drinking-horn under the same tree as the lamb had hidden it before;
this the tortoise did, but when the bat was not looking he picked
up the drisnking-horn again and hid it in his boag. When they
arrived at the house the tortoise hung the horn up out of sight in
the back yalrd, and then sat down in the house. just before it was
time for fouod the bat sent the tortotise to get the drinking-horn,
and the tortoise went outside into the yard, and waited until he
heard that the beating of the boiled yams into foo-foo had
finisihed; he then went into the house and gave the drinking-horn
to the bat, who was so surprised and angry, that wohen the food was
passed he refused to eat any of it, so the tortoise ate it all;
this went on for four days, until at last the bat became as thin as
the poor little lamb had been on the previous occasion. At last the
bat could stand the pains of his inside no longer, and secretly
told his mother-in-law to bring him food when the tortoise was not
looking. He said, "I am now going to sleep for a little, but you
can wake me up when the food is ready." The tortoise, who had been
listening all the time, being hidden in a corner out of sight,
waited until the bat was fast asleep, and then carried him very
gently into the next room and placed him on his own bed; he then
very softly and quietly took off the bat's cloth and covered
himself in it, and lay down where the bat had been; very soon the
bat's mother-in-law brought the food and placed it nenxt to where
the bat was supposed to be sleeping, and having pulled his cloth to
wake him, went away. The tortoise then got up and ate all the food;
when he had finished he carried the bat back again, and took some
of the palm-oil and foo-foo and placed it inside the bat's lips
while he was asleep; then the tortoise went to sleep himself. In
the morning when he woke up the bat was more hungry than ever, and
in a very bad temper, so he sought out his mother-in-law and
started scolding her, and asked her why she had not brought his
food as he had told her to do. She replied she had brought his
food, and that he had eaten it; but this the bat denied, and
accused the tortoise of having eaten the food. The woman then said
s4he would call the people in and they should decide the matter;
but the tortoise slipped out first and told the people that the
best way to find out who had eaten the food was to make both the
baUt and himself rinse their mouths out with clean water into a
basin. This they decided to do, so the tortoise got his tooth-stick
which he always used, and having cleaned his teeth properly,
was.hed his mouth out, and returned to the house.<br />
When all the people had arrived the wocman told them how the bat
had abused her, and as he still maintained stoutly that he had had
no food for five days, the people said that both he and the
tortoise should wash their mouths out with clean water into two
clean calabashes; this was done, and at once it could clearly be
seen that the bat had been eating, as there were distinct traces of
the palm-oil and foo-foo whioch the tortoise had put inside his
lips floating on the water. When the people saw this they decided
against the bat, and he was so ashamed that he ran away then and
there, and has ever since alwamys hidden himself in the bush during
the daytime, so that no one could see him, and only comes out at
night to get his food.<br />

The next day the tortoise returned to the mother sheep and told
her what he had done, and that the bat was forever disgraced. The
old sheep praised him very much, and told all her friends, in
consequence of which the reputation of the tortoise for wisdom was
greatly increased

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