The guinea fowl had laid many eggs and was about to hatch them. Over time, it got hungry, but who was going to look after the eggs when it went looking for food?

Then a snake came by and said: "Why are you looking so sad, guinea fowl?"

"Oh, I'm hungry. But I don't have anyone to look after my eggs."

"If that's all - I'll look after your eggs until you come back."

So the guinea fowl left the nest to the snake and went in search of food. When it returned, the snake said: "I'm staying here now, from now on the eggs are mine. Just make sure you don't get too close or I'll eat you."

Desperate, the guinea fowl walked away. Then he met Sister Antelope: "Why are you looking so sad, guinea fowl?" she asked.

"Oh, the snake is sitting on my eggs and doesn't want to leave. Can you help me chase it away?"

Sister Antelope went with the guinea fowl, but when the snake saw them, she hissed: "Just make sure you don't get too close or I'll eat you!"

When the antelope heard this, it ran away as fast as it could. Desperate, the guinea fowl ran off and met Brother Rabbit, who asked: "Why do you look so sad, guinea fowl?"

The guinea fowl told him about the snake and the two of them went back to the nest together. But when the rabbit heard what the snake was hissing, he ran away too.

Sadly, the guinea fowl sat down in the sand and cried. An ant came by and asked: "Why are you so sad, guinea fowl?"

The guinea fowl told him everything and said: "Sister Antelope couldn't help, neither could Brother Rabbit, how can you help me when you're so small?"

But the ant got all the ants together from their nest. They marched to the nest and when the snake saw all the ants, it quickly crawled away and never came back.

And the guinea fowl? It sat happily on its nest and brooded until one fine day many little guinea fowls hatched.

© translated by Lysander Jaenike, version by Djamila Jaenike, based on:  La pintade e le serpent, in: Receuil de contes et de comptines pour les structures de developpelement integre de la petite enfance. République du Sénegal, in Zusammenarbeit mit Unicef und KOICA.