English for Students

The Longest Story in The World

Do you know story about the longest story in the world?


Once upon a time there lived a chief who liked to listen to stories. And he knew so many stories that sometimes he stopped the story-teller and finished the story himself. One day the chief sent his servants everywhere to find a good story-teller.


"Our Chief will give many presents to the man who will tell him the longest story in the world and make him laugh."


The servants shouted in the streets. Many people came to the chief and told him very long stories. They tried to make him laugh. But nobody could do that. The chief always said, "That is not the longest story and there is nothing to laugh at."


Once a boy came to the chief and said, "Oh, my Chief, let me try to tell you the longest story in the world and make you laugh."


The chief said, "Well, sit down and begin your story!" The boy began.


"Long, long ago there lived a man, Mogambo by name. He ate so much that no man could feed him full. The chief of that country heard about Mogambo and said, 'Bring him to me. I shall feed him full.' And he ordered his people to bring hundreds of thousands of pots of soup, meat and fruit. Hundreds of camels carried the pots on their backs. The camels stopped in front of the chief’s house. Many people came to see Mogambo's dinner.


Then Mogambo came. The drummers began to drum. The musicians began to play. And the people sang songs. Mogambo made a bow to the chief and said to the people, 'Now look at me! Look at me! Look at me!' With these words Mogambo began to eat soup. And he ate. And he ate. And he ate. And he ate. And he ate.


"Well, what then?" asked the chief, "He ate. And he ate. And what then?"


"Oh, my chief," answered the boy, "this is only the first pot and there were many thousands of pots! Wait a little. And he ate. And he ate. And he ate.


Evening came. The boy went on with his story. “And he ate. And he ate. And he ate. "


At last the chief ordered him to stop till the next morning. In the morning the chief asked the boy to go on with his story.


"Now what can you tell us about your Mogambo?" he asked.


"Oh, my Chief, he not only ate, but drank too, so he drank and then he ate and he ate and he ate."


The story-teller said louder and louder, "and he ate and he ate and he ate."


The chief looked at the boy and began to laugh.


"Well, my boy, your story is the longest in the world! Have a rest now! Stop!"


And the young story-teller stopped his story, got many presents from the chief, climbed up on a camel and rode away with these words: "And he ate, and he ate, and he ate"

African Folk Tales Index