Why the tortoise has a rough shell

Once upon a time, all the birds were invited to a feast in the sky. They were very happy and bean to prepare themselves for the great day. They painted their bodies and drew beautiful patterns on them.
Tortoise saw all these preparations and soon discovered what they all meant. Nothing that happened in the world of animals ever escaped his notice; he was full of cunning. As soon as he heard of the great feast in the sky, his throat began to itch at the very thought. There was famine in those days and tortoise had not eaten a good meal for two weeks. His body rattled like a piece of dry stick in his shell.
Tortoise began to plan how he could go to the feast in the sky. He had no wings but he went to the birds and asked o be allowed to go with them.
“We know you too well,” said the birds after listening to him. “You are full of cunning and you are ungrateful. If we allow you to come with us, you will soon be up to mischief.”
“You do not know me,” said tortoise. “I am different from what I was having learnt that anyone who makes trouble for others is also making it for himself.”
Tortoise had a sweet tongue, and within a short time all the birds agreed that he had changed indeed. They then each gave him a feather, and with the feathers he made two wings.
At last, the great day arrived. Tortoise was the first to arrive at the meeting-place. When all the bird had gathered, they set off together. Tortoise was happy and talkative as he flew among the birds. He was chosen as the spokesman for the group because he was a great orator.
“There is one important thing which we must not forget,” he said s they flew on their way. “When people are invited to a great feast like this, they take new names for the occasion. Our hosts in the sky will expect us o honour this age-old custom.”
None of the birds had heard of this custom but they all knew that tortoise was widely travelled and thought he should know the customs of different peoples. So hey each took a new name. Tortoise chose to be called all of you.
Soon the party arrived in the sky. Their hosts were very happy to see them and made them welcome. Tortoise stood up in his many- coloured plumage and thanked them for the invitation. His speech was so eloquent that the birds wee glad they had brought him and nodded their heads in approval of what he said. The hosts took him to be the king of the birds, especially as he looked somewhat different from the others.
The people of the sky set before their gests the most delicious dishes tortoise had ever seen. The soup was hot and full of meat and fish. There was pounded yam and yam pottage cooked with palm oil and fresh fish. There were also pots of palm wine. Tortoise just as he had planned, turned to one of his hosts and asked: “for who have you prepared this feast?”
“For all of you,” replied the man surprised.
Tortoise then turned to the birds, “do you remember that my name is all of you? The custom here is to serve the spokesman first.” With that he set to the food and ate with gusto, the birds watched angrily. The people of the sky thought it must be the bird’s custom to let their king have his fill first.
Tortoise ate and drinks until he was full and his body swelled in his shell.
The birds decided to punish tortoise. When it was time to leave, they each took back the feather they had given him. So he was left to stand in his hard sell, full of food and wine, without wings to fly home.
Tortoise asked the birds to take a message to his wife but they all refused. In the end, however, Eagle, who had felt angrier than the others, suddenly changed his mind and agreed to take the message.
“Tell my wife,” said Tortoise, “to bring out all the soft things in my house and cover the compound so that I can jump down from the sky without hurting myself.”
Eagle promised to deliver the message but when he reached tortoise’s house, he told his wife to bring out all the hard things in the house. And she brought out her husband’s hoes, machetes, spears, guns and even cannon. Tortoise looked down from the sky and saw his wife bringing things out, but it was too far away to see what they were. When all seemed ready he made his jump. Own, down and down, he fell. Then like the sound of a bomb exploding he crashed to the compound. Tortoise survived the fall but his shell was smashed into pieces. Only with the help of a great medicine man, Mrs Snail, was he able to have it patched up.
That is why the tortoise’s shell is rough.