With its question-and-response format, this Mande folktale from what is now Sierra Leone is a good example of the sort of fables told by nonprofessional storytellers. The story not only illustrated the virtue of patience but also educated young people about the value of using intellect to solve problems and demonstrated the importance of understanding the relationships among animals, plants, and human beings.

At one time a man went walking with three things: a goat, a leopard, and hamper of cassava. They journeyed to three days. During this journey neither the man nor the animals ate anything; they all became extremely hungry. They continued to travel until they reached a large river. There was a law about crossing this river: a person could take only one load at a time across the river.

The man reached the river crossing with the goat, the...