Once, long ago, the different parts of the body weren't all together but went about the world on their own. The ears, the eyes, the legs and the arms all went about their business, doing what they had to do - ears one way, eyes the other, legs off over there, arms over the other way.

One day though, they decided to go out hunting together. The ears, eyes, legs and arms marched off to the forest.

They walked for seven days before they got there but just as they were getting near, the ears called out "Shh, listen! I can hear something."

Immediately the eyes started to search among the trees, and then suddenly they called out, "There! Look! An antelope! Over there... " The legs set off to chase it, followed closely by the arms.

As the legs caught up with the antelope, the arms reached out and killed it. After a while, the ears and the eyes caught up with their friends. "What do you want?" said the arms. "The antelope's ours, we caught it. Shove off."

"No, come off it," said the legs. "You would never have been able to grab it if it wasn't for us being fast enough to catch up with it."

"Never mind that," said the eyes. "I reckon the antelope's ours, because we were the ones who saw it. You wouldn't have known where to go if it wasn't for us."

"All right, all right," said the ears. "Who got the whole thing going? Us, of course. We heard the antelope, didn't we? You'd all be sitting around back there if it wasn't for us hearing it move." 

Just then a mosquito came by. "What's the row about? What's all the fuss about?" They told it the story.

"Hmm," said the mosquito, "this is a tricky one. Very tricky. But listen, there's a wise old chief not far from here - why not take the problem to him?" Off went the four friends to the wise old chief, with the arms carrying the antelope.

The chief listened to the story and then ordered the antelope to be cooked. When it was brought to him, he sat down and started eating. He didn't stop till he had finished every last bit. And not once did he ask the four friends to have some.

Then the chief spoke. I listened to your story and decided that I would punish all of you for being so mean and selfish. First I punished you by eating all of the antelope without sharing any of it with you. Now I am going to punish you all once more, by joining you together so that something like this never happens again."

And he did.

 

 

 

The parts of the body were furious with the chief for doing this, but they were even angrier with the mosquito for bringing them to see the chief. And that's why whenever the ears hear the whine of a mosquito, the eyes search for it and the arms try and slap it. If, as often happens, the mosquito still whines even after the arms have slapped and smacked all over the place, the legs join in the hunt.