An eagle borrows an axe from a candimba, promising to return it but failing to keep her word. Left without an essential tool, the candimba struggles until an elderly tortoise offers a clever plan to recover it. Their encounter reveals the consequences of dishonesty and the importance of holding others accountable for their promises.
The Eagle Notices the Candimba
Long ago, an eagle lived high above the ground, near the clouds. From her lofty home, she could look down upon the land and observe the creatures moving about below.
One day, the eagle noticed a candimba constantly moving around his little house. He seemed to spend much of his time going in and out, occupied with work. Curious about his activities, the eagle decided to visit him.
She descended from the heights and landed near his doorway. After greeting the candimba, she began a conversation about the work she had observed from above.
The candimba explained that he was cutting firewood to protect himself from the cold. His axe was an essential tool, allowing him to gather the wood he needed.
The eagle listened and soon turned her attention to the axe. She explained that the handle of her own axe had broken and asked the candimba to lend her his.
The candimba hesitated. Lending the tool to someone who lived so far above the ground would make its return difficult to arrange. He could not easily travel to the eagle’s home in the sky to retrieve it.
The eagle assured him that there was no need to worry. Once she had finished using the axe, she promised to bring it straight back.
Although the candimba was reluctant, he eventually agreed to the request. He trusted the eagle’s assurance and handed over his tool.
The eagle departed with the axe, leaving the candimba to continue his work without it.
A Promise Left Unfulfilled
Time passed, but the eagle did not return.
The candimba waited for the promised delivery, expecting his neighbour to honour her word. Days went by without any sign of the missing axe. The eagle neither returned the tool nor made an effort to explain her absence.
Without his axe, the candimba could no longer cut the firewood he needed. His supply of wood remained around his home, but he lacked the means to prepare it for use.
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The loss made life uncomfortable. More than a month passed, and the candimba continued to suffer from the cold. He had trusted the eagle, yet her promise had brought him nothing but difficulty.
The problem was not simply that the tool had gone missing. The candimba had lent it in good faith, relying on the assurance that it would be returned. The eagle had taken advantage of that trust and left him to bear the consequences.
One sunny morning, the candimba was inside his house when he heard someone approaching slowly. He went outside and discovered that an elderly tortoise had come to visit.
The candimba welcomed his visitor respectfully. The tortoise returned the greeting, and the two settled into conversation.
The Tortoise Offers Advice
The tortoise asked the candimba how life was treating him.
The candimba explained that things were going badly. Despite having plenty of fur and firewood around his house, he was still suffering from the cold. He had even been forced to sit in the sunshine to find some comfort.
The tortoise found this difficult to understand. From what he could see, the candimba appeared to have what he needed to keep warm.
The candimba then explained the real problem. The eagle had visited him, borrowed his axe and failed to return it. Without the tool, he could not cut his firewood, and he had no practical way of reaching the eagle to recover it.
The tortoise criticised the decision to lend an important possession to someone who lived so far away. The candimba admitted that he had not suspected the eagle would behave dishonestly.
Rather than leaving his friend to endure the situation, the tortoise proposed a plan to catch the eagle when she came down to the ground again.
The plan relied on the eagle’s appetite. The tortoise asked whether the candimba kept any goats. When the candimba confirmed that he did, the tortoise explained how they could use a young goat’s stomach as bait.
The candimba would prepare the bait and place the tortoise inside it. They would then position it on a high rock where the eagle could easily see it.
The tortoise expected the eagle to approach the tempting food. Once she began pecking at it, he would seize her by the beak. The candimba would remain hidden nearby with a rope, ready to secure the bird.
The plan gave the candimba a way to confront the eagle without having to reach her distant home.
The Trap Is Set
The candimba followed the tortoise’s instructions. He prepared the bait, placed the tortoise inside it and positioned everything on the rock where it could attract the eagle’s attention.
He then hid behind some bushes with a rope ready in his hands.
Before long, the eagle appeared. She flew around the area before gradually approaching the rock. After landing, she looked around to make sure that no one was nearby.
Seeing no obvious danger, the eagle began pecking at the bait.
Inside, the tortoise waited for the right moment. As the eagle continued, he adjusted his position and prepared to grip her beak with his tail.
When the opportunity came, the tortoise seized the eagle firmly.
He immediately called out to the candimba and urged him to bring the rope.
The candimba, who had been watching from his hiding place, rushed forward. He tied the eagle securely, preventing her from escaping.
Their plan had succeeded. The bird who had taken the candimba’s axe and failed to return it was now in their hands.
The Eagle Faces Judgment
The candimba and the tortoise took the captured eagle home to face judgment.
There, the candimba demanded to know where his axe was. The eagle offered excuses. She claimed that she had forgotten to return it and insisted that she had intended to bring it back that very day.
Her explanations did not change what had happened. She had borrowed the axe with a promise to return it, yet she had allowed the candimba to suffer for more than a month.
The candimba and the tortoise ordered her to restore the missing tool. They warned that she would face death if she could not fulfil the judgment.
The eagle could not satisfy the demand. According to the original tale, she had no relatives on the ground who could act as guarantors or provide the required surety.
Unable to produce a guarantor, she remained in captivity and died there.
The tale ends with the eagle suffering the consequences of her failure to honour her promise. Her attempt to keep what belonged to another creature led to her capture, judgment and eventual death.
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Moral Lesson
A promise creates an obligation, and trust should never be treated as an opportunity to take advantage of another person. The eagle’s dishonesty deprived the candimba of an essential tool and caused him prolonged discomfort. The tortoise’s wisdom helped the candimba confront the problem when ordinary waiting had failed.
The story also warns against careless borrowing. Anyone who accepts another person’s property should take responsibility for returning it as promised. When dishonesty causes harm, patience alone may not resolve the situation; thoughtful action and the support of others can help restore what has been lost.
Knowledge Check
1. Why did the eagle visit the candimba?
She wanted to see what he was doing and later asked to borrow his axe because the handle of her own was broken.
2. Why was the candimba reluctant to lend his axe?
He was concerned that the eagle lived so high above the ground that recovering the tool would be difficult.
3. What happened after the eagle borrowed the axe?
She failed to return it, leaving the candimba unable to cut his firewood.
4. Who helped the candimba recover his axe?
An elderly tortoise offered a plan to capture the eagle.
5. How did the tortoise’s plan work?
The tortoise hid inside bait made from a young goat’s stomach, seized the eagle by the beak when she began pecking at it, and signalled for the candimba to tie her with a rope.
6. What happened to the eagle at the end of the story?
She was judged for failing to return the axe and died in captivity because she could not provide a guarantor.
Source
David, Raúl. “A Águia e o Candimba.” In Boneca de Pano: Colectânea de Contos Infantis, 2nd edition, published by the União dos Escritores Angolanos, Luanda, 2006, pp. 100–102. The text identifies Contos Tradicionais da Nossa Terra, published by the União dos Escritores Angolanos in 1982, as its earlier source
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