It is better to remain silent due to momentary shyness than to make a racket with false words.
The chatter and lies of the bird Nsuélé or Popodi, legendary among the Koongo people, brought him many misfortunes. For example, the foolishness of revealing the hiding place of his nest. To be like or speak like a Nsuélé is highly frowned upon among the Laari.
The bird Mututu organized hunting parties in the region, being their leader. When the time came, he sounded the call with his buffalo horn:
– Tu... tu... tu-tu-tu tu! Mbingu'é! Mbingu'é! The hunt! The hunt!
All available hunters gathered around the bird Mututu and entered the forest. As soon as the dogs were released, an antelope startled and disappeared into the safety of the woods. All the birds pursued it. Just as it took a few leaps away, a gunshot resounded! The bird Kidukia hit the mark, but Nsuélé intervened:
– It was me! It was me who hit the target! Mé ntélé yo!
Timid by nature, Kidukia the turtledove did not protest. Nsuélé's eagerness was such that poor Kidukia remained speechless. A few days later, Chief Mututu blew his horn:
– Tu... tu... tu-tu-tu! Mbingu'é! Mbingu'é! The hunt!
All the birds gathered, and the hunt began. It was in full swing under the bright sun, following the trail of the marmots, the Nsibishi. Their meals, bidilu, revealed the presence of rodents.
The dogs were called back to another part of the forest; it seemed that the remains of the rodents' feast were two days old. Suddenly, a gunshot disturbed the forest silence. The echo reached the source of the Dzouéké River, where the Djoué originates near Mpangala. Kidukia had brought down a monkey, hiding against a tree trunk to elude the hunters' sight.
– It was me! It was me who shot! It was me, the skilled hunter, the one and only! I killed the monkey!