Thano ya Timba (The story of Timba 'small bird')

"Once there was a small bird called Timba. Timba made his living on a certain tree called Nkankande. He put a notice on the tree because he knew that the tree was beside the main path which all the animals took to drink water at the river. The notice said "Everyone who passes must look out because mu hut is here, anyone who does not heed my notice will die." After a while the elephants passed by and knocked down Timba's nest because the Nkankande tree is the natural food of elephants. At the time Timba was away looking after his cotton field. When he got back his house had gone. From the foot prints all around he knew it was the elephants and he said "I will see them on their way back". When the elephants came along Timba said, "which of you broke down my house?" "He had better confess at once or one of you will die, I am sure." Before the elephants arrived home one of them was already unhappy and his friend asked him what was the matter. "I am unhappy about what Timba said to us." He replied, "well if you are the one who spoiled Timba's nest we had better go back and tell him." But he refused and later that day he lay down and died. Messages were sent far and wide that an elephant had died and all the animals came to attend his funeral. Timba knew that the elephant had died on account of his notice, so when he came to the funeral Timba said, "I warned you about my tree, so let this be a warning to everyone that it is better to obey than to disobey because in this way a young man can make bad things right again." Story