The Cheetah and the Lazy Hunter - A Traditional Zulu Story
The Cheetah and the Lazy Hunter - A Traditional Zulu Story
Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was a wide and sunny land filled with tall grass, green trees, and many wild animals. In this beautiful land lived a hunter. But this hunter was not like the brave and hardworking hunters in old stories. He was very lazy.
Every day, the hunter sat under the shade of a big tree. The tree was old and strong, and its leaves were wide and cool. The hunter liked to sleep there all day. He did not like to walk, run, or hunt. He did not like to use his bow and arrow. Most of all, he did not like to work hard.
The hunter was always hungry. His stomach growled all the time. But instead of getting up to find food, he just sat and dreamed.
“Oh, I wish food would come to me by itself,” he said again and again. “I do not want to chase animals. I do not want to work. I want an easy life.”
One hot afternoon, as the hunter sat under his tree, he saw something amazing. A fast cheetah ran across the land. The cheetah was very quick, like the wind. Soon, it caught a springbok that had walked too far away from its herd.
The hunter watched with wide eyes. The cheetah carried the springbok to a quiet place with shade. There, three small cheetah cubs were waiting. They were fluffy, spotted, and very cute.
The cubs jumped with joy when they saw their mother.
“Mother! Mother! You are back!” they seemed to say.
The cheetah gently placed the food down for them.
The hunter felt something bad grow inside his heart. It was jealousy.
“That cheetah did all the work,” the hunter thought. “She ran fast and hunted well. Her babies will eat, and I will stay hungry.”
Then a terrible idea came into his mind.
“If I take the cubs,” he thought, “the cheetah will hunt for me. I will never be hungry again. I can be lazy forever.”
This was a very wrong idea. But the hunter did not care. He waited quietly until night came.
When the moon rose in the sky, the mother cheetah looked around carefully. She walked slowly to the watering hole to drink. She did not know that danger was hiding nearby.
As soon as she left, the hunter ran from behind the bushes. He grabbed all three cheetah cubs and ran away as fast as he could. The cubs cried loudly.
“Mother! Help us!” they cried.
But the cheetah was too far away to hear them.
When the mother cheetah came back, her heart broke. The cubs were gone.
She ran everywhere. She sniffed the ground. She called out loudly.
“My babies! My babies! Where are you?” she cried.
She searched all day and all night. Her eyes became tired. Her voice became weak. Soon, she had no tears left to cry.
An old man from a nearby village heard her sad cries. He was kind and wise. He walked slowly toward the cheetah.
“Why are you crying, dear cheetah?” the old man asked softly.
“My babies were taken,” the cheetah said sadly. “Someone stole my cubs. I am all alone.”
The old man felt very sorry for her.
“Do not worry,” he said. “I will help you. I will go to my village and find out the truth. I promise to come back in one day.”
The old man returned to the village. He talked to many people. He asked careful questions.
“Have you seen three small cheetah cubs?” he asked.
One villager said, “Yes, I saw the lazy hunter carrying them. He was trying to train them.”
The old man became angry.
“That hunter has done a terrible thing,” he said. “A hunter must work for his food. Stealing baby animals is wrong. It breaks our sacred traditions.”
The old man told the village elders everything. The elders shook their heads.
“The hunter has brought shame to our village,” they said. “He is no longer welcome here.”
The villagers went together and found the hunter. They took the cubs away from him. The cubs were scared but safe.
The old man carried the cubs back to the cheetah mother. When she saw her babies, she jumped with joy.
“My children! You are safe!” she cried.
The cubs ran to her and hugged her tightly.
“Thank you,” the cheetah said to the old man. “You have saved my family.”
The hunter was left alone. He had no village, no honor, and no respect. He learned too late that laziness and stealing only bring sadness.
THE END
Moral of the Story:
This kids moral story teaches us that we must respect others and work hard for what we want. Being lazy and jealous can lead to bad choices. True happiness comes from honesty, effort, and kindness toward all living beings.
Comprehension Questions and Answers
1. Who was the main character in the story?
Answer: The main character was a lazy hunter.
2. Where did the hunter like to sit all day?
Answer: The hunter liked to sit under the shade of a big tree.
3. Why was the hunter always hungry?
Answer: He was always hungry because he did not like to work or hunt for food.
4. Which animal did the hunter watch while sitting under the tree?
Answer: He watched a cheetah hunting a springbok.
5. How many cheetah cubs were there?
Answer: There were three cheetah cubs.
6. What bad idea came into the hunter’s mind?
Answer: He decided to steal the cheetah’s cubs so he would not have to work.
7. When did the hunter steal the cubs?
Answer: He stole the cubs at night when the mother cheetah went to the watering hole.
8. How did the mother cheetah feel when she could not find her cubs?
Answer: She felt very sad and cried day and night.
9. Who came to help the cheetah?
Answer: A kind and wise old man from the village came to help her.
10. How did the old man find out who took the cubs?
Answer: He asked people in the village and learned that the hunter took them.
Moral and Thinking Questions
11. Why was it wrong for the hunter to steal the cubs?
Answer: It was wrong because stealing hurts others and breaks rules and traditions.
12. What should a hunter do to get food?
Answer: A hunter should work hard and hunt honestly for food.
13. What happened to the hunter in the end?
Answer: He lost respect and was not welcome in the village anymore.
14. How were the cheetah cubs saved?
Answer: The villagers took the cubs away from the hunter and returned them to their mother.
15. How did the cheetah feel when she got her cubs back?
Answer: She felt very happy and thankful.
Values and Life Lesson Questions
16. What lesson does this story teach us?
Answer: The story teaches us to work hard and respect others.
17. Is it good to be lazy? Why or why not?
Answer: No, being lazy is not good because it leads to bad choices.
18. What should we do instead of taking the easy way?
Answer: We should work honestly and do our best.
19. How can we show kindness like the old man?
Answer: By helping others when they are in trouble.
20. What would you do if you saw someone being treated unfairly?
Answer: I would tell a trusted adult and try to help in a kind way.
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