The Chief’s Feast

The chief sent out messengers to announce that he would give a feast and asked that each guest bring one calabash of palm wine. One man wanted to attend very badly but he had no wine to bring.

His wife suggested that he buy the wine, but he said, “What?! Spend money so that I can attend a feast that is free?”

He though to himself, “If hundreds of people were to pour their wine into the chief’s pot, could just one calabash of water spoil so much wine?”

The day of the feast came. Everyone bathed and dressed in their finest clothes and gathered at the house of the chief. There was music and dancing. Each man, as he entered the chief’s compound, poured the contents of his calabash into the chief’s large earthen pot. The man also poured his water there and then greeted the chief.

When all the guests had arrived, the chief ordered hi servants to fill everyone’s cup with wine. The man was impatient, because his mouth watered for some sweet palm wine. At the chief’s signal, all the gusts put their cups to their lips and were surprised that what they tasted was WATER.

Each guest had though that his ONE calabash of water would not spoil a great pot of good palm wine, and so each one had brought water.