Spurned Offerings

The Fisherman’s Unexpected Catch

Far across the Arabian Sea in the vast continent of Africa, there once lived a fisherman who managed to scratch a living catching fish in one of the big lakes. He could not afford a boat, so he used a homemade raft made of young trees lashed together. He fished with large baskets, which he anchored in shallow water at night, and collected his catch the following morning.

The morning our story begins, the catch was very disappointing. The first three baskets yielded a few very small fish, but the fourth basket was as heavy as lead. The fisherman tugged and tugged, with thoughts of a basket loaded with big fish. When at last he managed to pull the basket to the surface, it contained a withered old Negro woman!

An Unanticipated Guest

The fisherman was so enraged that he was all for throwing the woman back into the water. “Don’t throw me back,” she pleaded. “Take me to your home, and you will never regret your kindness.”

At first, he said no. But then he thought she could keep his hut clean, and she wouldn’t eat very much. When they got to his hut, the fisherman gave the old woman some mealie gruel, but before she had taken a mouthful, he asked her, “You said I would never regret my kindness. How can an old woman like you help me?”

A Promise Fulfilled

“My son,” replied the old woman with a smile. “By sunset, you will own a hundred head of cattle. So get busy and build an enclosure with a strong fence.”

With a lot of grumbling and muttering, the fisherman built a rough fence of thorny shrubs to keep wild animals out. It was near sunset when he finished, and no sooner had he downed his tools than the bellowing of cattle could be heard in the distance. Shortly afterward, a great drove of bulls, cows, and calves came lumbering into sight.

Rise and Fall of Wealth

From that day onwards, the fisherman’s wealth grew and grew. He bought adjoining land and employed many laborers. But wealth, unfortunately, gave him a bloated idea of his own importance, and he became arrogant and scorned those who were poorer than himself.

One night, he was entertained in a neighboring village, and as the food and drink were plentiful, he did himself full justice. It was past midnight when he reached home on unsteady legs.

The hut was in total darkness, and he banged on the door shouting. “Come on, you withered old hag. Open this door, or I will kick it down.”

The Return to Humility

The old woman unbolted the door and upbraided the fisherman for his abuse and drunken state, and threatened to leave him. “Go, you silly old woman, go,” shouted the fisherman, “and good riddance to bad rubbish.”

As dawn was breaking, the old woman left the hut, and opening the gate of the cattle enclosure, she beckoned to the animals, which silently followed her to the lake. When they reached the lake, the woman and the cattle walked into its depths and were never seen again.

As for the fisherman, he became poorer and poorer, yet he seemed too scared to try and earn a living by fishing in the lake.