"♪ (THEME MUSIC PLAYS) ♪" "(ANIMAL SOUNDS)" "(GRUNTS)" "Oh, there we are, Jenny." "That ought to do it." "Thanks, Mike." "Billy thanks you too." "You're both welcome." "Just tell him not to get caught in the fence again." "MARSH:" "It's Marsh, calling Wameru." "Marsh, calling Wameru." "Do you read?" "Over." "You heard what he said, Billy." "Don't get caught in the fence again." "MARSH:" "Mike, do you read?" "Over." "I read you, Marsh." "How's it going?" "I have some vultures flocking up." "Thought I'd stay with them for an hour or so, then head for home." "I wanna talk to him, Mike!" "Are you still in the northwest quadrant?" "MARSH:" "Yeah." "Then Jenny wants to talk to you." "Hi, Daktari." "Hi, honey." "What's up?" "Will you bring them here, please?" "I wanna hear stories." "Oh, please, Daktari, bring them here!" "MARSH:" "Wait a minute, slow down a second, honey." "Bring who?" "Mike has been telling me about Usumbu, the storyteller." "Usumbu?" "You mean Usumbu of Latori village?" "Here, honey." "That's right, Marsh." "I heard something about him over the drums." "For some reason, he left his village, headed your way, toward the flats." " Leopard flats?" " Leopard flats." "Well, that's pretty dangerous country." "I better head over, see if I can pick him up." "I'll check with you later." " MARSH:" "Out." " Thanks, Marsh." "Out." "I've never seen a native village before, Mike." "What kind of stories do African natives tell?" "Do they read out of books, like you," "Paula and Daktari." "No, honey." "They tell the stories." "They pass them on from generation to generation, in fact, some of their stories are hundreds of years old." "No pictures to look at." "Oh, yes, live pictures." " Live pictures?" " Mm-hm." "In fact, in Usumbu's tribe, they tell their stories with puppets." "I like that." "Will Usumbu tell me stories with puppets?" "If Marsh can find him." "Oh, that'll be great." " Mike?" " Hmm." "What's a puppet?" "USUMBU:" "You have been brought up to know one thing, and that, you must do." "But why?" "There are other things that I can do, I can be a warrior." "There is nothing that you can do as well as what you have been trained for." "No!" "I am a warrior." "I will prove it." "(GROWLING)" "(GROWLING)" "Die, leopard." "Die in the hands of Usumbu, the warrior." "(HOWLING)" "JENNY:" "Come on, Judy, walk like this." "Come on." "Come on." "Hi, Mike." "MIKE:" "Hi." "Oh, young lady, if Paula catches you with her clothes on," " you're really going to be in for it." " Paula gave them to me." " She went to buy new ones in Ngoro." " Oh." "She gave me this too." " You wanna smell." " Mm-hm." "Oh, that is nice." "(JUDY GRUNTS)" "(GIGGLING) Judy, no." "You always wanna put the whole thing in your mouth or drink it." "Just choose one drop at a time, like this." "(JENNY CHUCKLES)" "Judy, that isn't to lick off." "That is to wear." "Don't be ticklish, Judy." "Don't eat it." "You're only supposed to smell it." "(HORN HONKS)" "They're here!" "Mike!" "Usumbu?" "What happened?" "A leopard?" "Yes." "Luckily, I heard the fight and managed to chase him off." "I gave him a sedative for the pain." " Will he be all right?" " Yes, honey, he'll be all right." "It's just a matter now of debriding these lacerations against infection." " Let's get him up to the clinic." " OK." "(JUDY GRUNTS)" "Oh, look, Judy, what's that?" "Well, you did the right thing, holding your ground like that." "Yes, nothing makes a predator attack faster than seeing his prey run away." "I was not going to run." "Well, then I have to hand it to you, that took a lot of nerve." "Did that hurt?" "Here's a new shirt for you." "Here." "You'll be as good as new in a few days." "You're staying with us, of course." "Good." "Jenny's been looking forward to seeing you." " Jenny?" " Yes, my little adopted daughter." "She's anxious to hear your stories with the puppets." "Well, do you mind telling her your stories?" "Where is my spear?" "Did you leave it in the bush?" "No, it's in the Jeep." "But you won't need it here." "Mike, is there some tribal taboo against telling outsiders the legends?" "No." "Most tellers of tales are proud of their art." "They'll talk to anyone who will listen." "Usumbu's young." "Yes, usually you think of tribal storytellers as wise old men." "Yes, like Usumbu's father." "He trained his son in the art until he grew too old." " Keeping the trade in the family?" " Well, you might say that." "And keeping the legends inherited alive." "Well, something's on his mind and it isn't heritage or legends." " Better make sure he doesn't leave." " All right." "See, this is Usumbu's puppet." "Mike says he uses it to tell stories." "When he gets his arm fixed, maybe he'll tell us a story." "(ROARS)" "(GROWLS QUIETLY)" "Clarence won't hurt you." "He's my friend." "See?" "I told you." "He's nice." "I told you Clarence wouldn't hurt you." "You should've believed me." "Will you be my friend?" "I like you." "What happened?" "It's torn." "Don't you need to tell stories?" "I do not tell stories." "I tell lies." "Stories aren't lies." "They're..." "They're stories." "Please put down your spear and tell me one." "No!" "No more!" "Never!" "Please tell me about all your great warriors." "No." "For a storyteller, you sure do look fierce, like a warrior." "No, I am no warrior!" "I am nothing!" "Is he mad at me?" "Oh, it looks like he's mad at the world, or at himself." " Marsh?" " Mike, I've been thinking." "You know, those vultures don't find those thermals just by accident." " Oh, really?" " Yeah." "That's Usumbu's spear, isn't it?" "What's the matter?" "Is something wrong?" "Marsh, what happened when you found Usumbu in the bush?" "Well, as you know, I was looking for him, saw the leopard attack, managed to scare him off with the Jeep before he mauled him too badly." "And you say he held his ground, did not run away?" "Yeah, threw his spear." "A little awkwardly." "Another minute and" "Tribal storyteller, carrying a spear." "Just doesn't add up." "What do you expect him to do?" "Fight him off with his bare hands?" "No, he isn't supposed to fight any leopards at all." "He's a specialist, trained from infancy in one art:" "telling the tales of the tribe, even, as the other boys are growing up to be warriors and hunters." "They protect him." "If he leaves the village, he's escorted." "Escorted?" "But Usumbu was alone." "Right, a storyteller, alone, with a warrior spear." "(CLICKS TEETH)" "How long before he'll be well enough to leave?" "Probably tomorrow." "Those lacerations shouldn't bother him too much." " Can you hold him for a few days?" " Sure." "What's on your mind?" "He's got another problem, one a lot more serious than lacerations." "Oh." "I see." "He thinks it's unmanly to be a storyteller and wants to be a warrior." "Let's call it a common syndrome of adolescence, an identity crisis." "Hm." "Fine." "What's the cure, if there is one?" "Hmm." "That's a good question." "JENNY:" "Then the king went into the woods and looked at all the animals." "And then he came back home and ate his dinner." "I don't know what he ate, but I think it was something good." "And after dinner, he sat on the veranda and worked on all of his papers." "You see, he was a very busy king." "And the king's little girl came up and asked if he can tell her story." "And the king said, "Come back later," cause he was busy." "And his little girl said, "You're always busy, Mr. King."" "That is no way to use the puppets or to tell a story." "I know I'm not very good at stories, but I promised someone, and you won't tell one, will you?" "No, I will not." "(BLOWS RASPBERRY)" "(GOAT BLEATS)" "They like my stories." "Don't you?" "(DUCK QUACKS)" "And then, the king said, "All right,"" "and put the little girl on his lap and then, he told her a story, and the next one" "I will tell you a story, just one." "Marsh." "But to tell a good story, I must have something else." " Need me around here for a while?" " No, why?" "I wanna take a trip over to Latori village." "Hmm, sounds important." "Mhm." "Want to have a talk with Chief Nyanza." " What, about Usumbu?" " Mm-hm." "What he's doing to that boy is a crime." "Why?" "What's Chief Nyanza doing?" "Watch." " Now..." " (BLEATING)" "Once, there was a great and powerful chief and he ruled his tribe with an iron hand." "No one dared to oppose him." "If they did, he would beat them." "Even kill them." "He told everyone what they must be or do." "(BLEATS)" "You, little goat, you must be a dog and bark!" "And you, you are a chimp." "You do not want to be a chimp?" " Then off with your head!" " (GRUNTS)" "(HOWLS)" "(GRUNTS)" "You scared her!" "It is only a story." "I know, but Judy has such imagination." "(JUDY GRUNTS)" "Judy, don't be scared." "It's just a make believe story." "He's my friend." "He won't hurt you." " (GRUNTS)" " Come on." "Now you give Usumbu a big kiss and be friends with him." "(KISSING)" "(GIGGLES)" "He wants to be your friend, too." "You told that story very well, Usumbu." "You really are a fine artist." "I tell no more stories." "Well, I am curious about one thing." "Just what happened to him?" "He wanted to become a warrior." "But the chief said no, and banished him from the village." "I see." "Uh, Jenny, as soon as Paula gets back," "I'm going to have to go to Ngoro for a couple of days." "I'll miss you." "Well, you won't miss me too much if Usumbu will do me a favor." "A favor?" "Well, yes, you see, uh, Mike will be gone for a while too and, I was wondering if you would mind helping Paula run the place and keep an eye on Jenny for me." "Bart would do it if he were here but he's off on safari." " I am in your debt." " Well, thank you." "Oh, I was wondering too if, uh, when Mike gets back if you'd give him a hand with the big cats." "He's transferring them to some new cages." "Oh, you can't do it alone, can you?" "Oh, no, but I can if Usumbu will help me." "You would trust me?" "Well, handling lions is a two-man job." "Yes, you are right." " Yes, sir, Daktari." " Can I watch?" "Yes, you can, honey, but keep a safe distance." "Those cats can be dangerous, isn't that right, Usumbu?" "Yes, they are." "And I will take good care of Jenny." "Let's go look at them, please." "Uh-huh." "Progress." "Maybe he just needs some assurance that what he's doing is important." "Mmm." "Does this have something to do with your sudden trip to Ngoro?" "Mm, could be." " Mm-hm." " Mm-hm." "Since I'm not gonna get anything out of you, I'll talk to Nyanza." "Well, all right." "Good luck." "Well, thank you, and good luck to you, whatever you are up to." "(JEEP APPROACHES)" " (HONKS HORN) - (CHICKENS CLUCK)" "(INDISTINCT CHATTER)" "(SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE)" "Good to see you again." "I've been hoping that you and Daktari would come out to see our progress." "We've diverted the upper stream to irrigate the bottom land, planted corn, maize." "I want to hear it all, of course, but first, if you don't mind..." "Ah, yes, business first." "That's one of the western customs I found hardest to learn." "Forgive me for letting my enthusiasm run away from me." "(SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Sit down, my friend." "Have some coffee." "Tell me what is on your mind." "Well, it's Usumbu." " You saw him?" " We have him at Wameru." " He was clawed by a leopard." " Badly?" "Well, he's all right physically, but I don't understand, Nyanza, why did you banish him from the tribe?" "It was his own stubbornness." "He refused to take up his hereditary role in life." " I had no other choice." " No other choice?" "This isn't Nyanza, my old college roommate talking." "We went to school together, remember?" "And I know that you know there are other ways of life than this tribal despotism." "Yes, Mike." "I came back to take up the chiefdom after my father died, full of great ideas to lead my people out of darkness and bring them the glorious benefits of democracy, freedom of choice." "I even have a shortwave radio." "That's western technology for you." "But all these ideas did not work that way." "What do you mean?" "I found I could not rebuild Rome or this village in a day." " I had to slow down." " (GROANS)" "You see, I even had to make compromises with the coffee." "Is that what you call this mud?" "Coffee?" "Without the native herbs added, my people won't drink it." "Little by little, I'll get them accustomed to real coffee." "Oh, I was impatient at first, myself." "But then, something happened." "I began to realize there was deep wisdom in the old ways, too." "Our warriors learn from their fathers who were warriors before them." "Son of the medicine man learns the wisdom of his craft from his father." "Tracker learns secrets of movement of wild game from his father." "Usumbu's father spent years educating his son in his art." "If Usumbu refuses to take his place in the tribe, there is no other place for him." "I never would've believed it." "Well, maybe someday it will be different, but right now, it's our system of education, Mike." "If I give in to Usumbu, others would follow and all the arts of the tribe would be lost." "PAULA (OVER RADIO):" "Wameru calling Mike, come in, please." "Wameru calling Mike Makula, this is Paula, come in, please." "Wameru calling Mike, come in, please." "Mike here." "Come in, Paula." "When did you get back?" "Just now from Ngoro." "Uh, listen, Mike, dad's gone and, well, since I'm back..." "Mike, Usumbu went looking for his spear and he found it in the clinic." "Now he wants to leave." "Wants to leave?" "Boy, can his mind change." "Yeah, well, Mike, he seems worried and very moody." "I know, Paula, I know." "Well, I tell you, I've been trying to keep him busy but he insists that he's well and ready to travel." "Now that I'm here to take care of Jenny, well" " He was going to help me move lions." " Well, I've got news for you." "He saw through you and dad, that it was a trick to try to keep him here." "Oh, brother." "Hold on a minute, Paula." "Well, you heard." "Are you going to let that boy go into the jungle alone unprepared?" "You know as well as I do, a spear's no good against a dangerous animal." "It was his choice." "I can't take him back." "Paula, stall him." "I'll get back as soon as I can." "All right, Mike." "Over and out." "(GRUNTS)" "Hey, that's great, Paula." "How'd you do it?" "Well, I just told Usumbu that he had to pay for his medical treatment by telling Jenny another story." "No, no, no, not like that, look." "This shows that he is happy." "See?" "(GRUNTS)" "When he is angry, he goes like this." "Now you try." "Oh, Usumbu, I'll never learn how to do it." "Oh, it is not easy." "My father taught me for many years." "Now I will tell you one more story and then I have to go." "The mighty warrior, Agana, was hunting in the forest." "Suddenly, he was faced by a ferocious lion." "Bravely, he cast his spear." "But the lion caught the spear in his jaws and crushed it into pieces." "(GRUNTS)" "Like Clarence." "Then the lion roared and crouched to leap on Agana to eat him up." "But Agana had learned a magic spell from the witch doctor of his tribe." "Quickly, he rubbed sticks together to make fire." "Seizing a sheath of elephant grass, he burned it and waved it in the lion's face, chanting the magic words:" "(CHANTS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)" "What happened?" "Did the magic spell chase the lion away?" "(GRUNTS)" "Oh, what nonsense." "Please, Usumbu, tell me the rest, please?" "I guess that's it." "Don't know how we'll keep him here much longer." " Boy, I wish Jack were here." " Jack?" "Well, at least he'd be crafty enough to think of something." "You could always telephone him in the states and ask him what he would do." "(GRUNTS)" "Paula, Jack is not the only crafty character we know." "We do have another one." " Who?" " Me." "(GRUNTS)" " You?" " Mm-hm." "Remember Usumbu mentioning burning elephant grass?" " Well, that was only a story." " That's right." "But it reminded me." "A couple of months ago, Marsh and I wanted to observe an elephant herd." "So Marsh concocted a batch of synthetic elephant scent." " There's a bottle in the dispensary." " Go on." "We used it on ourselves so we could get close." "If it could fool elephants, it can certainly fool lions and leopards." "Yes, they'd give a wide berth to an elephant." "One animal no predator wants to tangle with." "Usumbu will be as safe as if he had an army behind him." "You know, Mike, I think you are as crafty as Jack." "MIKE:" "Thanks a lot." "Look, here's how we'll do it." "Keep Usumbu on the compound, make sandwiches for him to take with him." "Meanwhile, I'll sprinkle him with the elephant perfume and tell him it's..." " ...a good luck potion, hm?" " All right." "(GRUNTS)" "(LOW GROWL)" "Tremble, mighty beast." "When Usumbu finds your cousin in the bush, he will not miss a second time." "(ANIMAL SCREECHES)" "Oh no, Sandy's loose again." "Come here, Judy." "Here, take this." "Give this note to Paula." "She will have to take care of Usumbu." "I've gotta get Sandy before he kicks the fences down." "Here." "Hey, slow down, Sandy!" "Come back here!" "Hey, come back here!" "(SANDY SCREECHES)" "Sandy, come back here!" "Hey, come back here!" "Here, hold this." "JENNY (VOICEOVER):" "Judy, don't eat it." "That's to wear!" "Can't you please stay a little longer?" "I cannot." "I must find my place in the world." "Good." "Mike was able to douse this on Usumbu." "(GRUNTS)" "What, Judy?" "At least he's ready for the road now." "Usumbu?" "I made you some sandwiches and you'll need a fire tonight so here are some matches." "You have been very kind." "I thank you." "You'll come back and see us?" "If I can, little miss." "We are friends." "I knew we would be." "Please, won't you stay just a little bit longer?" "I cannot." "Bye, Usumbu!" "I'll miss you!" "Jenny, why don't you tell your friends some of the stories" "Usumbu taught you, all right?" "OK, scoot." "Now I'm going to tell you all a story." " Once upon a time..." " Come on, Judy." "...there was a powerful king and a brave warrior." "And the king and the warrior didn't get along very well." "The king wanted the warrior to do something." "But the warrior didn't want to." "(JUDY GRUNTS)" "The young warrior, Agana, was hunting in the forest then he saw a ferocious lion." "The lion roared and jumped on Agana to eat him up." "I'll never be able to tell stories like Usumbu." "Well, that's nothing to worry about, is it?" "You're back!" "That's right, I'm back." "(CHUCKLES)" " Oh, I'm so glad." " Well, thank you." " Daktari?" " Mm-hm." "What did Usumbu mean about having to find his place in the world?" " Did he say that?" " Yes, he did." "Uh..." "Well, you see, honey, Usumbu's learning to be a man." "And a man has to find his job." "Like, you know, Bart takes people out on photographic safaris and Hedley sees that people obey the law." "And when animals and people are sick, you make them well." "That's right." "Usumbu loves telling stories but he hates it." "I don't think he hates it so much, he hasn't learned that it's important." "You go on back and continue your story." "You're doing very well." " I am?" " Yes, you are." "I wanna go see Paula and Mike." "So go ahead." " Bye." " See you soon." "Move, little bunny." "Move, little bunny, please." " Well, you're back early." " Yeah, I had a bit of luck." "How'd it go with Nyanza?" "Well, he refused to take Usumbu back except on his own terms." "Oh, boy, I never heard of anything so cruel." "And of course, Usumbu refuses to return as a storyteller." "Maybe he'll change his mind when he hears what I have to tell him." "Um, where is he?" "(GRUNTS)" "He's left." "Didn't Jenny tell you?" "Well, no." "Didn't you try to stop him?" "He was determined, Marsh." "We couldn't very well hold him." "You let him go into the bush alone?" "You saw what happened to him before!" "Just what are you two grinning about?" "You think this is funny?" "Marsh, remember that synthetic elephant scent you cooked up a couple of months ago?" "Yes, what about it?" "Well, we doused Usumbu with it." "Sort of a good luck potion." "If a leopard gets a whiff of him, he'll hightail it out of the country." "(GRUNTS)" "Sounds like an idea that Jack might have thought up." "Ah-ha, that's the accolade." "Well, you know something, it just might work at that." "Well, of course it will." "No leopard will come within a mile of him." "(GRUNTS WILDLY)" "(TRUMPETING)" "(HOWLING)" "Well, after I told them about Usumbu, at the University of Ngoro, the head of Anthropology wants him to record all the old tales on tape, to preserve the tribal culture." "So that was the reason for your mysterious trip to Ngoro." "Well, I didn't mean to be mysterious, really." "I just didn't want to get Usumbu's hopes up in case nothing came of it." "Well, enough of Usumbu." "How are the experimental animals doing?" " It's time for another treatment." " Let's take a look." "(LOW GROWL)" " (GROANS)" " Where are you going, Daktari?" "We're gonna look at the experimental animals." "Can I go?" "Can I?" "Sure you can, honey, sure." "(JUDY GRUNTS)" "Where've you been?" "(CONTINUES GRUNTING)" "I missed you." "I wanted you to play with me." "Well, that's odd." "(SNIFFS)" "That's elephant scent." "And it's on you." "I thought you said you put it on Usumbu." " Paula did." " Mike did." "Well, I thought you did." " I sent a note." "Sandy got loose..." " I didn't get a note." "Judy?" "MARSH:" "Obviously, each of you counted on the other doing the job and it didn't get done." "Now Usumbu's out in the bush unprotected." "He's in no real danger as long as he doesn't go to leopard flats." " What makes you think he won't go?" " 'Cause he's not that foolish." "Usumbu's not gonna get hurt again, is he?" "I hope not." "Jenny, did Usumbu say where he was going by any chance?" "No, but he sharpened his spear and was looking at a leopard and he said," ""Usumbu will not miss a second time."" "Paula, take care of Jenny." "Radio Nyanza and tell him what's happening." "Come on, Mike." "Wameru calling Latori village." "Wameru calling Latori village." "Come in, Nyanza, come in." " Any sign of him?" " No, not on this side." "We better split up so we can cover more area." "Why don't you head down by the river and I'll circle around and meet you." "OK, I'll call if I see anything." "(GRUNTS)" "MARSH:" "I suppose you wanna come and help too, huh?" "OK, it's not a bad idea, I guess." "Come on." "(GRUNTS)" "Judy, scramble up that tree and see if you can spot him." " See him?" " (GRUNTS)" "(CALLING)" "(TWIG SNAPS)" " Any sign of him?" " Not yet." "(SNORTING)" "(LOW GROWL)" "(GROWL)" "(GROWLING)" "Now, great beast, we shall see whether I am a storyteller or a warrior." "(GROWLING CONTINUES)" "Judy, stay here." "Usumbu!" "(GROWLING)" "Watch, Daktari." "Watch a storyteller become a warrior." "Don't throw that spear!" "If you miss, he'll kill you." "And I can't help you, my rifle's jammed." "Then I will kill him for both of us." "Wait a minute!" "Here, here are some matches." "Burn the elephant grass." "I have matches." "But burn the elephant grass?" "Yes, and for Pete's sake, hurry." "(LEOPARD GROWLS)" "MARSH:" "Hurry, Usumbu!" "(LEOPARD ROARS)" "That old story." "That lie!" "It's not a lie, Usumbu, believe it, trust it!" "(LEOPARD ROARS)" " Shoot him." " He's too far away." "Don't!" "If you attack, he'll charge." "Marsh is there, he'll tranquilize him." "Why doesn't he shoot?" "Light the fire!" "Hurry!" "(LEOPARD ROARS)" "(SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE)" "Well, Usumbu, looks as if those old stories aren't lies after all, huh?" "It was a brave thing you did, Usumbu." "What happened?" "Why didn't you tranquilize the leopard." "Oh, my rifle jammed." "Usumbu saved us by using some of his tribal wisdom." "Yeah, give it a smell." " Well, I'll be." " That's right, elephant smell." "When this grass is burned, it gives off a distinctive odor of elephants." "That's why the leopard backed off." "So you see?" "There is truth to your legends." "May I borrow this for a moment, please?" "Oh, it's strange, it never jammed before." "Well, yeah..." "Here." " Jammed, huh?" " (CHUCKLES)" "Now who's the crafty one?" "Well done, Usumbu." "You are right, I am no warrior." "(CHUCKLES) Now you are much more." "When I tell you what Daktari has arranged," "I think you will be proud to be our village storyteller." "You have been gone too long." "Come." " (ELEPHANT TRUMPETS) - (JUDY HOWLS)" "(BOTH LAUGH)" "Say, Mike, since you're the clever one, maybe you can help Judy out of this predicament." "I'm afraid not, Marsh, as long as she insists on smelling like an elephant, this is one problem she'll have to solve herself." "(CHUCKLES)" "(TRUMPETING AND HOWLING CONTINUES)" "(LAUGHING)" "♪ (THEME MUSIC PLAYS) ♪" "(English US" " SDH)"