A Malagasy Just-So Story

As a kid in the car I remember listening to Rudyard Kipling’s Just-So stories: How the Leopard Got His Spots, the great grey-green greasy Limpopo river, and so on. As it happens, the Malagasy people are also very fond of a just-so story…

Why the dog chases the taxi-brousse

Once upon a time, there were four friends: the zebu, the goat, the sheep and the dog. One fine day the four friends decided to go on holiday, and took a taxi-brousse. When they got there the zebu got out first, paid the driver, and waited for his friends. The sheep got out next, paid the driver, and waited with the zebu. Then the goat got out, and ran away without paying! Finally the dog got out, and the driver said “Hmm, one of your friends didn’t pay! You will have to pay for him too!”. Angrily the dog paid and went to find his friends.

This is why every time the taxi-brousse goes past, the goat runs away, the dog chases after it asking for his money back, and the zebu and sheep just watch.

(Thanks to Lomba for the tale!)