The Cheetah and the Lazy Hunter - A Traditional Zulu Story

The Cheetah and the Lazy Hunter - A Traditional Zulu Story

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a hunter who was always lazy and never wanted to move from his spot under the shade of a big tree. He was always hungry and wished for an easy way to get food without having to go looking for it. As he sat there, he watched a cheetah attack a springbok that had wandered away from its herd. The hunter's heart filled with envy as he saw the cheetah drag its prize to a shaded clearing where three cheetah cubs were waiting.

The hunter got an idea, an awful and rotten idea. He decided to steal one of the cheetah cubs, thinking that he would never go hungry again. So he waited patiently until dark to make his move. The mother cheetah emerged cautiously from behind a bush and set off for her nightly journey to the watering hole. The hunter seized the opportunity and took all three of the cheetah's cubs, leaving nothing but brush behind.

When the mother cheetah returned, she searched frantically for her cubs but sadly, they were nowhere to be found. Day and night she cried until her eyes went dry and there were no more tears left to shed. An old man from a nearby village heard her cries and went to find out what was wrong.

"It's my babies. They've been taken from me," said the cheetah.

"There, there, cheetah. I will do all that's in my power to help you find your cubs. Let me return to my village to seek more information, and I will bring it to you in one day's time," said the old man.

The old man was wise and knew the ways of the animals. When he returned to his village to find out what could have happened to the cheetah's cubs, he was met with a most interesting bit of news.

"Have you seen three small cheetah cubs, good man?" asked the old man.

"Why, yes! Now that you mention it, I saw the hunter with some cubs just the other day. It looked as if he was training them for something," replied the villager.

"In that case, the hunter is not only a thief, he has violated the noble tradition of our tribe. He brings dishonor to us all," said the old man.

When the old man heard what the wicked hunter had done, he became very angry. Everyone knew that a hunter need only use his skill and strength to feed himself. So, the old man told the elders of the village what had happened, and they agreed that the hunter was no longer welcome there.

The moral of the story is to respect our sacred traditions and to work hard for what you want in life. The hunter was lazy and jealous, and he tried to take the easy way out by stealing from the cheetah. But in doing so, he not only violated the traditions of his tribe, but he also brought dishonor upon himself. In the end, he learned that hard work and respect for others are the only true paths to success and happiness.