Moussa the Thief and Bour the King

[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

Moussa the Thief and Bour the King

Moussa the Thief used to burglarize the palace of Bour, the king, often. After his crime, he always wrote on the door:

“It is I, Moussa Ndiaye, who came to rob you, and I live in the forest.” This happened three times, and each time Bour noticed and his anxiety grew a little more.

One day, he summoned one of his bëk-nëk to discuss Moussa. At the same time, he put the village griot in charge of announcing a meeting at the penc. Everyone was there: Djaraf, Ndej Ju Reew, Saltigué, prominent citizens, and badolos. After the Takussaan prayer, the king left the palace and headed for the meeting. Everyone was waiting for him, including Moussa Ndiaye the Thief, who was seated comfortably on a chair cross-legged. Bour called the Djaraf and said,

“Go in the crowd and ask which one is Moussa Ndiaye, and don’t forget to say that I want to make him a knight of the King’s Order.” Everyone wanted to be Moussa. They yelled louder and louder to show themselves to be the knight without fear and without reproach. The real Moussa Ndiaye stalled a bit, then went to the king like a hero and addressed him in these terms:

“They are all liars, Bour. I am the real Moussa,” he said, throwing down one of the king’s stolen coats.

”Ah!” said the king. “So you are my thief. Bring him to the gallows and hang him!” Moussa, who saw that the end was near, cried out,

“Bour, they are all my accomplices. They would help me and then we would divide the goods.”
So the king had everyone killed.


Teey baax na ci ndox, waye ci nit la gëna baax.
Calm water is nice, but a calm man is even better.