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There is a bird that steals little chicks. And there is a hen. One day, Hen said to this bird called Hawk, "We've lived here in the bush for a long time. Let us go into the village, and live in houses among men."

They fixed a day to do this. Now when they fixed the day, they both went to see Mawu. Mawu said, "In order to put you in houses like men, you must find seven rats called gbedja."

So they went home to think. The next day, Hen brought one gbedja to Mawu, without letting Hawk know. Day after day she did this. She brought four. Now there were three more to find. She went to tell Hawk that the day they arranged with Mawu was too close. They had best fix another day. But she was deceiving Hawk.

She herself made up her mind to go on the day fixed. Now Hawk asked, "Who told you Mawu would not be there that day?" Now, Hen had already given Mawu all the seven gbedja. She went to tell Mawu that she asked Hawk to come, but Hawk said, "No." She said Hawk was not to be trusted. "It is because she does not believe in you, Mawu, and she does not wish to come and live among man."

Mawu said to her, "You have done what you were told to do, and now you will stay in a house, among man." When Hen came back, she moved into a house in the village. She said nothing to anyone, but seeing straw in a house, she settled there and began to lay eggs. As no one had noticed her for several days, there were many eggs there.

But one day the children of the house saw her and wanted to chase her away, But, the older ones said, "Do not chase her. Do not chase her!" The head of the family said, "When a bird comes from the bush, and stays in a mans house, that means it wants to stay among men. One must not drive it back into the bush."

So now, when a chicken comes out, they throw corn to her. Otherwise she would run off into the bush to find food. So when they began to feed her corn, she got used to men. When they approached, she no longer flew away in fright. So the chicks came.

When Hawk saw that, she said, "Ah, we planned to go together and stay with man, and that one lied saying that she did not wish to go. Now she is among men."

Now, in revenge, since the Hawk has claws, she rests on a tree and watches the chicks. Any chance she gets, she flies down and takes a chick. The people said, "Ah, a bird came to stay with us, and another bird comes to take away her children." So when the hawks come, they throw stones.

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