reflected there. Jabu began to back up.
"You promised, Bhubesi," Jabu began. "I saved you
from the hunters, and you promised not to eat me!"
"Yes," said Bhubesi, slowly walking toward the
retreating boy. "You are right, I did make that
promise. But somehow now that I am free it does not
seem so important to keep that promise. And I am
awfully hungry!"
"You are making a big mistake," said Jabu. "Don't
you know that if you break your promises that the
pieces of the broken promises will come back to
pierce you?"
The lion stopped and laughed. "Hah! What
nonsense! How can such a flimsy thing pierce me? I
am more determined than ever to eat you now, boy,"
and he started stalking Jabu once more, "and all this
talk is just serving to make me hungrier!"
Just then an old donkey happened across their path.
"Ask the donkey," said Jabu to the lion. "Ask him
and he will tell you how bad it is to break a
promise."
"He, wena! (hay, way'nah "alright, you!") You are
certainly dragging this thing out! So I will ask the
donkey." The lion turned to the old creature. "I want
to eat this boy," he addressed the donkey. "Isn't that
okay?"
Jabu broke in, "But he promised to let me go after I
freed him from the snare," Jabu added.
The donkey slowly looked at the lion and then at
Jabu. "I say," the donkey started, "that all my life
these stupid humans have beat me and forced me to
8
Le portrait magazine