A fierce beast had a town terrified; its last victim was a poor woman gathering firewood. A relative of hers, hardly more than a boy, thought it over: «if nobody beats that beast, one day my mother will fall into its claws». He took a spear and a country harp and went into the forest. Beside the river, the beast asked him: «what are you doing in my kingdom without trembling?» — «I came to hunt small animals; the harp is to cheer my loneliness with music». Curious, the beast asked him to play while it bathed: it was carried away by the melody, and the boy took the chance to ready his bow and arrow — the shaft struck it mortally in the heart. In the town they did not believe him: nobody could believe such courage in a boy — until they reached the river and saw the beast with the arrow in its heart.
In a town there was a fierce beast that had all the people around terrified. It often caused deaths; the last of them was a poor woman who went into the forest looking for firewood for her fire. That woman had a relative, a young lad, hardly more than a boy, who on hearing the wretched news began to think it over: «If that beast is not beaten, one day my mother could find herself in its terrible claws». From thinking he went to doing: he took a spear and a country harp, and with those he set out for the forest in search of the beast.
He was beside the river when he saw the terrible animal coming. Seeing the boy, it asked him: «What are you doing in my kingdom without trembling?». The boy, unshaken, answered: «I am a son of the nearby town and I came to hunt small animals». «But what do you want those small things for — asked the beast — that look so harmless?». He answered again: «To cheer my loneliness with music». Curious, the beast then told him: «Well, my friend, while I bathe, you play that instrument». Having said this it plunged into the river, while the boy drew sweet sounds from his harp. The animal was carried away listening to such fine music, and the boy took advantage of its softened mood to ready his bow and arrow: he loosed the shaft, which struck the beast mortally in the heart.
Happy with his victory, the boy went back to the town and told the people of his victory over the fierce animal, so they could come and enjoy it with him. In the town they did not believe him: nobody could believe a boy had such courage. Greater still was their surprise when they reached the river, and the onlookers could see for themselves the feared animal lying there with the arrow in its heart. Note: after the ebbó is finished, the rooster is given to Eshu, the pigeons to Oshosi and the hens to Oshún; the other ingredients are put to Ifá.