Chapter II: Part 2

The others said: “Please show us the bird.”

They went into the house and took it out of the secret place where their father had placed it. They ordered it as their father used to order it, and it made milk, which their companions drank, for they were very hungry.

After drinking they said: “Let it dance for us,” and they loosened it from the place where it was tied.

The bird began to dance in the house, but one said: “This place is too confined,” so they took it outside of the house. While they were enjoying themselves and laughing, the bird flew away, leaving them in great dismay.

Masilo’s children said: “Our father will this day kill us, therefore we must go after the bird.”

So they followed it, and continued going after it the whole day long, for when they were at a distance it would sit still for a little while, and when they approached it would fly away.

When the digging companies returned from digging, the people of that town cried for their children, for they did not know what had become of them. But when Masilo went into the house and could not find his bird, he knew where the children were, but he did not tell any of their parents. He was very sorry for his bird, for he knew that he had lost his food.

When evening set in, the children determined to return to their home, but there came a storm of rain with heavy thunder, and they were very much afraid. Among them was a brave boy, named Mosemanyanamatong, who encouraged them, and said:

“Do not be afraid; I can command a house to build itself.”

They said: “Please command it.”

He said: “House appear,” and it appeared, and also wood for fire. Then the children entered the house and made a large fire, and began to roast some wild roots which they dug out of the ground.

While they were roasting the roots and were merry, there came a big cannibal, and they heard his voice saying: “Mosemanyanamatong, give me some of the wild roots you have.”

They were afraid, and the brave boy said to the girls and to the other boys, “Give me some of yours.”

They gave to him, and he threw the roots outside. While the cannibal was still eating, they went out and fled. He finished eating the roots, and then pursued them. When he approached they scattered some more roots upon the ground, and while he was picking them up and eating, they fled.

At length they came among mountains, where trees were growing. The girls were already very tired, so they all climbed up a tall tree. The cannibal came there, and tried to cut the tree down with his sharp and long nail.

Then the brave boy said to the girls: “While I am singing you must continue saying, ‘Tree be strong, Tree be strong!’”

He sang this song:

“It is foolish,
It is foolish to be a traveller,
And to go on a journey
With the blood of girls upon one!
While we were roasting wild roots
A great darkness fell upon us.
It was not darkness,
It was awful gloom!”

While he was singing, there came a great bird and hovered over them, and said: “Hold fast to me.”

The children held fast to the bird, and it flew away with them, and took them to their own town.

It was midnight when it arrived there, and it sat down at the gate of Mosemanyanamatong’s mother’s house.

In the morning, when that woman came out of her house, she took ashes and cast upon the bird, for she said: “This bird knows where our children are.”

At midday the bird sent word to the chief, saying, “Command all your people to spread mats in all the paths.”

The chief commanded them to do so. Then the bird brought all the children out, and the people were greatly delighted.

THE STORY OF FIVE HEADS.

There was once a man living in a certain place, who had two daughters big enough to be married.

One day the man went over the river to another village, which was the residence of a great chief. The people asked him to tell them the news. He replied, that there was no news in the place that he came from. Then the man inquired about the news of their place. They said the news of their place was that the chief wanted a wife.

The man went home and said to his two daughters: “Which of you wishes to be the wife of a chief?”

The eldest replied: “I wish to be the wife of a chief, my father.” The name of that girl was Mpunzikazi.

The man said: “At that village which I visited, the chief wishes for a wife; you, my daughter, shall go.”

The man called all his friends, and assembled a large company to go with his daughter to the village of the chief. But the girl would not consent that those people should go with her.

She said: “I will go alone to be the wife of the chief.”

Her father replied: “How can you, my daughter, say such a thing? Is it not so that when a girl goes to present herself to her husband she should be accompanied by others? Be not foolish, my daughter.”

The girl still said: “I will go alone to be the wife of the chief.”

Then the man allowed his daughter to do as she chose. She went alone, no bridal party accompanying her, to present herself at the village of the chief who wanted a wife.

As Mpunzikazi was in the path, she met a mouse.

The mouse said: “Shall I show you the way?”

The girl replied: “Just get away from before my eyes.”

The mouse answered: “If you do like this, you will not succeed.”

Then she met a frog.

The frog said: “Shall I show you the way?”

Mpunzikazi replied: “You are not worthy to speak to me, as I am to be the wife of a chief.”

The frog said: “Go on then; you will see afterwards what will happen.”

When the girl got tired, she sat down under a tree to rest. A boy who was herding goats in that place came to her, he being very hungry.

The boy said: “Where are you going to, my eldest sister?”

Mpunzikazi replied in an angry voice: “Who are you that you should speak to me? Just get away from before me.”

The boy said: “I am very hungry; will you not give me of your food?”

She answered: “Get away quickly.”

The boy said: “You will not return if you do this.”

She went on her way again, and met with an old woman sitting by a big stone.

The old woman said: “I will give you advice. You will meet with trees that will laugh at you: you must not laugh in return. You will see a bag of thick milk: you must not eat of it. You will meet a man whose head is under his arm: you must not take water from him.”

Mpunzikazi answered: “You ugly thing! who are you that you should advise me?”

The old woman continued in saying those words.

The girl went on. She came to a place where were many trees. The trees laughed at her, and she laughed at them in return. She saw a bag of thick milk, and she ate of it. She met a man carrying his head under his arm, and she took water to drink from him.

She came to the river of the village of the chief. She saw a girl there dipping water from the river. The girl said: “Where are you going to, my sister?”

Mpunzikazi replied: “Who are you that you should call me sister? I am going to be the wife of a chief.”

The girl drawing water was the sister of the chief. She said: “Wait, I will give you advice. Do not enter the village by this side.”

Mpunzikazi did not stand to listen, but just went on.

She reached the village of the chief. The people asked her where she came from and what she wanted.

She answered: “I have come to be the wife of the chief.”

They said: “Who ever saw a girl go without a retinue to be a bride?”

They said also: “The chief is not at home; you must prepare food for him, that when he comes in the evening he may eat.”

They gave her millet to grind. She ground it very coarse, and made bread that was not nice to eat.

In the evening she heard the sound of a great wind. That wind was the coming of the chief. He was a big snake with five heads and large eyes. Mpunzikazi was very much frightened when she saw him. He sat down before the door and told her to bring his food. She brought the bread which she had made. Makanda Mahlanu (Five Heads) was not satisfied with that bread. He said: “You shall not be my wife,” and he struck her with his tail and killed her.

Afterwards the sister of Mpunzikazi said to her father: “I also wish to be the wife of a chief.”

Her father replied: “It is well, my daughter; it is right that you should wish to be a bride.”

The man called all his friends, and a great retinue prepared to accompany the bride. The name of the girl was Mpunzanyana.

In the way they met a mouse.

The mouse said: “Shall I show you the road?”

Mpunzanyana replied: “If you will show me the way I shall be glad.”

Then the mouse pointed out the way.

She came into a valley, where she saw an old woman standing by a tree.

The old woman said to her: “You will come to a place where two paths branch off. You must take the little one, because if you take the big one you will not be fortunate.”

Mpunzanyana replied: “I will take the little path, my mother.” She went on.

Afterwards she met a cony.

The cony said: “The village of the chief is close by. You will meet a girl by the river: you must speak nicely to her. They will give you millet to grind: you must grind it well. When you see your husband, you must not be afraid.”

She said: “I will do as you say, cony.”

In the river she met the chief’s sister carrying water.

The chief’s sister said: “Where are you going to?”

Mpunzanyana replied: “This is the end of my journey.”

The chief’s sister said: “What is the object of your coming to this place?”

Mpunzanyana replied: “I am with a bridal party.”

The chief’s sister said: “That is right, but will you not be afraid when you see your husband?”

Mpunzanyana answered: “I will not be afraid.”

The chief’s sister pointed out the hut in which she should stay. Food was given to the bridal party. The mother of the chief took millet and gave to the bride, saying: “You must prepare food for your husband. He is not here now, but he will come in the evening.”

In the evening she heard a very strong wind, which made the hut shake. The poles fell, but she did not run out. Then she saw the chief Makanda Mahlanu coming. He asked for food. Mpunzanyana took the bread which she had made, and gave it to him. He was very much pleased with that food, and said:

“You shall be my wife.” He gave her very many ornaments.

Afterwards Makanda Mahlanu became a man, and Mpunzanyana continued to be the wife he loved best.

THE STORY OF TANGALIMLIBO.

There was once a man who had two wives, one of whom had no children. She grieved much about that, till one day a bird came to her and gave her some little pellets. The bird said she must eat of these always before she partook of food, and then she would bear a child. She was very glad, and offered the bird some millet.

But the bird said: “No, I do not want millet.”

The woman then offered an isidanga (an ornamental breast-band which women wear), but the bird said it had no use for that. Then she got some very fine gravel and placed before the bird, which it received at her hands.

After this the woman had a daughter. Her husband knew nothing of what had happened, because he never went to her house. He did not love her at all, for the reason that she bore no children. So she said:

“I will keep my daughter in the house till my husband comes; he will surely love me when he sees I have such a beautiful child.”

The name given to the girl was Tangalimlibo.

The man went always to the house of the other wife, and so it happened that Tangalimlibo was grown to be a young woman when her father first saw her. He was very much pleased, and said:

“My dear wife, you should have told me of this before.”

The girl had never been out of the house in the daytime. Only in the night-time she had gone out, when people could not see her.

The man said to his wife:

“You must make much beer, and invite many people to come and rejoice with me over this that has happened.”

The woman did so. There was a big tree in front of the kraal, and the mats were spread under it. It was a fine sunny day, and very many men came. Among them was the son of a certain chief, who fell in love with Tangalimlibo as soon as he saw her.

When the young chief went home he sent a message to the father of the girl that he must send her to him to be married. The man told all his friends about that. He told them also to be ready at a certain time to conduct his daughter to the chief. So they came and took her, and the marriage feast was very great. The oxen were many which were killed that day. Tangalimlibo had a large and beautiful ox given to her by her father. That ox was called by her own name. She took off a piece of her clothing and gave it to the ox, which ate it.

After she had been married some time, this woman had a son. She was loved very much by her husband, because she was pretty and industrious; only this thing was observed of her, that she never went out in the daytime. Therefore she received the name of Sihamba Ngenyanga (the walker by moonlight).

One day her husband went to a distant place to hunt with other men. There were left at his home with this woman only her father-in-law, her mother-in-law, and a girl who nursed the little child.

The father-in-law said:

“Why does she not work during the day?”

He pretended to become thirsty, and sent the girl to Tangalimlibo to ask for water, saying:

“I die with thirst.”

The woman sent water to her father-in-law, but he threw it on the ground, saying:

“It is water from the river I desire.”

She said:

“I never go to the river in the daytime.”

He continued to ask, saying again:

“I die with thirst.”

Then she took a milk-basket and a calabash ladle, and went weeping to the river. She dipped the ladle in the water, and it was drawn out of her hand. She dipped the milk-basket in the water, and it was drawn away from her. Then she tried to take some water in her mantle, and she was drawn under the surface. After a little time the girl was sent to look for her, but she came back, saying:

“I found her not who is accustomed to draw water only in the night.”

Her father-in-law drove oxen quickly to the river. He took the big ox that was called by her name and killed it. He put all the flesh and everything else that was of that ox into the river, saying:

“Let this be instead of my child.”

A voice was heard saying:

“Go to my father and my mother and say to them that I am taken by the river.”

That evening the little child of Tangalimlibo was crying very bitterly. Its father was not yet home. Its grandmother tried by every means to keep it from crying, but in vain. Then she gave it to the nurse, who fastened it on her back. Still the child continued to cry. In the middle of the night the nurse went down to the river with the child, singing this song:

“It is crying, it is crying,
The child of Sihamba Ngenyanga;
It is crying, it will not be pacified.”

Then the mother of the child came out of the river, and wailed this song:

“It is crying, it is crying,
The child of the walker by moonlight.
It was done intentionally by people whose names are unmentionable.
They sent her for water during the day.
She tried to dip with the milk-basket, and then it sank.
Tried to dip with the ladle, and then it sank.
Tried to dip with the mantle, and then it sank.”

With the name as a chorus at the end of each line.

Then she took her child and put it to her breast to suck.

When the child had finished sucking, she gave it back to the nurse, telling her to take it home. She commanded the nurse never to say to any one that she came out of the water, and told her that when people asked where the child got food she must say she gave it berries to eat.

This continued for some days. Every night the nurse took the child to the river, when its mother came out and suckled it. She always looked round to see that no one was present, and always put the same command on the girl.

After a time the father of the child returned from hunting. They told him of Tangalimlibo’s going to the river and not returning. Then the nurse brought the child to him. He inquired what it ate, and was told that berries were given to it.

He said: “That cannot be so; go and get some berries, and let me see my child eat them.”

The girl went and brought some berries, but they were not eaten by the child. Then the father of the child beat the girl until she told the truth. She said she went at night to the river, when the mother came out and caressed her child and gave it of her milk.

Then they made a plan that the husband of Tangalimlibo should hide himself in the reeds and try and catch his wife when she came out of the water. He took the skin of an ox and cut it into a long riem, one end of which he fastened round his waist. The other end he gave to the men of that village, telling them to hold it fast and to pull hard when they felt it being drawn from them.

At night the man hid himself in the reeds. Tangalimlibo came out of the water and looked all round while she was singing her song. She asked the girl if any one was there, and when the girl replied that there was no one she took her child. Then her husband sprang upon her, clasping her very tight. She tried to pull back, but the men at the village drew upon the riem. She was drawn away, but the river followed her, and its water turned into blood. When it came close to the village, the men who were pulling at the riem saw it, and became frightened. They let the riem go, when the river at once went back, taking Tangalimlibo with it.

After that her husband was told of the voice which came from the water, saying:

“Go to my father and my mother and tell them I am taken by the river.”

He called his racing ox, and said:

“Will you, my ox, take this message to the father and mother of Tangalimlibo?”

The ox only bellowed.

He called his dog, and said:

“Will you, my dog, take this message to the father and mother of Tangalimlibo?”

The dog only barked.

Last of all he called the cock.

He said: “Will you, my cock, take this message to the father and mother of Tangalimlibo?”

The cock answered: “I will do so, my master.”

He said: “Let me hear what you will say.”

The cock answered: “I will sing——

“I am a cock that ought not to be killed—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
I have come to intimate about Tangalimlibo—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Tangalimlibo is dead—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
She dipped water for a person that cannot be
named—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
It was tried to send an ox; it bellowed—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
It was tried to send a dog; it barked—Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

The chief said: “That is good, my cock, go now.”

As the cock was going on his way, some boys who were tending calves saw him.

One of them said to the others: “Come here, come here, boys; there is a cock for us to kill.”

Then the cock stood up, and sang his song.

The boys said: “Sing again, we did not hear you plainly.”

So he sang again:

“I am a cock that ought not to be killed—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
I have come to intimate about Tangalimlibo—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Tangalimlibo is dead—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
She dipped water for a person that cannot be
named—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
It was tried to send an ox; it bellowed—Cock-a-doodle-doo!
It was tried to send a dog; it barked—Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

Then the boys let him go on his way.

He travelled far from that place and came to a village, where the men were sitting in the kraal. He flew up on the back of the kraal to rest himself, and the men saw him.

They said: “Where does this cock come from? We thought all the cocks here were killed. Make haste, boys, and kill him.”

The cock began to sing his song.

Then the men said: “Wait, boys, we wish to hear what he says.”

They said to him: “Begin again, we did not hear you.”

The cock said: “Give me some food, for I am very hungry.”

The men sent a boy for some millet, and gave it to him. When he had eaten, he sang his song.

The men said: “Let him go;” and he went on his way.

Then he came to the village of the father of Tangalimlibo, to the house of those he was seeking. He told the message he was sent to carry. The mother of Tangalimlibo was a woman skilful in the use of medicines.

She said to her husband: “Get a fat ox to go with us.”

They arrived at the river, and killed the ox.

Then that woman worked with her medicines while they put the meat in the water. There was a great shaking and a rising up of the river, and Tangalimlibo came out. There was great joy among those people when they took her home to her husband.

STORY OF THE GIRL WHO DISREGARDED THE CUSTOM OF NTONJANE.

There was once a chief’s daughter who had reached the age when it was necessary for her to observe the ntonjane. She was therefore placed in a hut, in which she was to remain during the period of the ceremony. One day her companions persuaded her to go and bathe in a stream near at hand, though this was against the custom of the ntonjane. When they came out of the water, they saw a snake with black blotches, called the Isinyobolokondwana, near their clothes. They were very much afraid, and did not know what to do at first. But by-and-by one of them commenced to sing these words:

“Sinyobolokondwana,
Sinyobolokondwana,
Bring my mantle!”

The snake replied:

“Take it,
And pass on.”

The companions of the chief’s daughter, one after the other, asked the snake for their mantles in this manner, and obtained permission to take them. Last of all was the chief’s daughter. But instead of speaking to the snake respectfully as the others had done, she said mockingly, “Ngcingcingci, ngcingcingci.” [1] So the snake became very angry, and bit her, when she immediately became of the same hideous colour as it was. Her companions were so frightened that they left her and ran away home. They put another girl in the hut, and pretended that she was the chief’s daughter. The girl, thus left alone, went to a forest close by, and climbed up a tree to hide herself.

About this time the chief was killing an ox on account of his daughter, and so he sent a young man to the forest to get pieces of wood with which to peg out the skin. The young man was cutting sticks, when he heard some one crying: “Man cutting sticks, tell my father and mother that the sinyobolokondwana bit me.” He heard this repeated twice, and, without looking to see what was crying, he ran home and told the chief. Two young men were then sent back with him to see what it was, one of these happening to be the girl’s brother. These two were told to hide themselves and listen while the other cut the sticks. They did so, and heard the voice crying as before. Then the brother of the girl knew the voice of his sister, and they all went to the tree where she was, and took her home with them.

The chief was very much surprised to see his daughter in that state, and was so angry with her companions for taking her to the river, and then for substituting another girl so as to deceive him, that he caused them all to be killed.

Then he sent some of his men with forty cattle to take his daughter to a distant country, where she was to remain far away from him. They did as they were told, and built huts in that place to live in. After they had been there a long time, they found that the cows which the chief sent with them were giving more milk than they could consume, so they poured what was left in a hole in the ground. To their amazement, the milk rose, and rose, and rose, higher and still higher, till at last it stood up out of the ground like a great overhanging rock. They called the girl to see this wonderful thing that was happening. In her curiosity she went close to the precipice, when it fell down on her, and, as the milk ran over her, all her ugly blotched skin disappeared, and she was again beautiful as at first.

Soon afterwards a young chief who was passing by saw the girl, and fell in love with her. He thought she was the daughter of one of the men who were there to protect her, but when he made inquiries they told him she was the daughter of their chief. Then he went to her father, and some of the men went also to tell how the milk had cured the girl. The young chief had very many cattle, which he offered to her father. So the old chief agreed to let him marry the girl, and she became his great wife, and was loved by him very dearly.

THE STORY OF SIMBUKUMBUKWANA.

There was a man whose wife had no children, so that he was much dissatisfied. At last he went to a wise woman (Igqirakazi) and asked her to help him in this matter. She said: “You must bring me a fat calf that I may get its tallow to use with my medicine” (or charms—the Kaffir word is Imifizi). The man went home and selected a calf without horns or tail, which he took to the wise woman. She said: “Your wife will have a son who will have no arms and no legs, as this calf has no horns and no tail.” She told him, further, that he was not to inform any one of this.

The man returned to his home and told his friends what was to happen. Not long after this his wife bore a child, but it was a daughter and had arms and legs. The man would not own that child, he said it was not his. He beat his wife, and commanded her to take the child away and leave it to perish. Then he went to the wise woman, and told her what had taken place. The wise woman said: “It was because you did not obey my command about keeping this matter to yourself, but your wife will yet have a son without arms and without legs.”

It was so. His wife bore another child, which was a boy without arms and without legs, therefore he was called Simbukumbukwana. He began to speak on the day of his birth. During this time the girl that was first born was growing up in the valley where her mother left her; she lived in a hole in an ant-heap, and ate honey, and “nongwes,” and gum.

One day the mother of Simbukumbukwana went to work in her garden, and left the boy at home with the door fastened. While she was away the girl came; she stood at a distance and said: “Where are the people?”

There came a voice from inside which said: “Here am I.”

She said: “Who are you?”

The voice replied: “I am Simbukumbukwana.”

She said: “Open for me.”

He answered: “How can I open? I have no legs and no arms.”

She said: “My mother’s Simbukumbukwana, have legs and arms” (Simbukumbukwana sikama, yiba nemilenze nemikono).

Then legs and arms came on the boy, and he arose and opened for his sister. She went in and swept the floor; then she took millet and ground it and made bread. She told her brother when his parents asked him who did these things to say that he did them himself, and if they should ask him to do them again to reply, “I have done it already.” Then she said: “My mother’s Simbukumbukwana, sink legs and sink arms” (Simbukumbukwana sikama, tshona milenze tshona mikono). Then his legs and arms shrunk up, and his sister went away.

After a time his father and his mother came home; they went in and saw the clean floor and bread ready for eating. They were surprised, and said to Simbukumbukwana, “Who did this?”

He replied: “I did.”

They said: “Do so again that we may see you.”

He answered: “I have done it already.”

The next day the woman went again to work in her garden, but the man hid himself to watch what would happen. After a time came the sister of Simbukumbukwana and said: “Where are the people?” (Exactly the same conversation as before.) She went in and began to smear the floor; water was wanting, so she sent Simbukumbukwana to the river for some. His joy in walking was great, so that he did not stop at the river, but put the pot down there and continued to go forward. The girl thought he ought not to be so long absent, for the river was close by, so she went to look for him. She saw him walking up a hill far away, and she called to him to return. He would not. Then she sang, Simbukumbukwana sikama, tshona milenze, tshona mikono, and immediately his legs shrank up. Then she was going away, but her father came out and caught her; he kissed her, and said she must remain with him.

Her mother was coming home, when she saw something moving on the hillside. She went to see what it was, and found her son. She said: “How did you come here?”

He replied: “I came by myself.”

She said: “Let me see you go further.”

He answered: “I have done it already.”

Then she put him on her back and went home. She found her daughter there, and her husband much pleased. The girl said: Simbukumbukwana sikama, yiba nemilenze nemikono, and legs and arms came on him.

One day his sister and some other girls went to get red clay, and he followed them. When they looked behind they saw him, and his sister got angry. She said to him: “What do you want here?”

He replied: “I am going for red clay for my mother.”

His sister compelled him to sit down; but as soon as they went on, he followed; then his sister beat him, and left him in the path. After that there was a heavy storm of rain, but none fell where the little boy was. When the rain was over, the other girls said to the one who had beaten her brother: “Let us go and look after the little boy.” They went and saw he was quite dry. He called to his sister: “You have beaten me,” but she asked him to forgive her.

Then he said: “I want my father’s house to be here,” and immediately it came.

He said: “I want the fire of my father to be here,” and there was a fire.

He said to them: “Now go in; although you have beaten me, there is a house and fire for you.”

He said afterwards: “I want the cattle of my father to be here,” and at once they were all there.

That was a nice place, so they remained there ever after.

THE STORY OF SIKULUME.

There was once in a certain village an old man who was very poor. He had no children, and only a few cattle. One day, when the sky was clear and the sun was bright, he sat down by the cattle-fold. While he was sitting there, he noticed some birds close by which were singing very joyfully. He listened for a while, and then he stood up to observe them better. They were very beautiful to look upon, and they sang differently from other birds. They had all long tails and topknots on their heads. Then the old man went to the chief and told him what he had seen.

The chief said: “How many were they?”

The old man replied: “There were seven.”

The chief said: “You have acted wisely in coming to tell me; you shall have seven of the fattest of my cows. I have lost seven sons in battle, and these beautiful birds shall be in the place of my seven sons. You must not sleep to-night; you must watch them, and to-morrow I will choose seven boys to catch them. Do not let them out of your sight by any means.”

In the morning the chief ordered all the boys of the village to be assembled at the cattle-fold, when he spoke to them of the birds. He said: “I will choose six of you, and set my son who is dumb, over you, that will make seven in all. You must catch those birds. Wherever they go, you must follow, and you must not see my face again without them.” He gave them weapons, and instructed them that if any one opposed them they were to fight till the last of them died.

The boys set off to follow those beautiful birds. They chased them for several days, till at last the birds were exhausted, when each of the boys caught one. At the place where they caught the birds they remained that night.

On the morning of the next day they set out on their return home. That evening they came to a hut in which they saw a fire burning, but no one was there. They went in, and lay down to sleep. In the middle of the night one of those boys was awake. He heard some one saying: “There is nice meat here. I will begin with this one, and take this one next, and that one after, and the one with small feet the last.” The one with the small feet was the son of the chief. His name was Sikulume, for he had never been able to speak till he caught the bird. Then he began to talk at once.

After saying those words the voice was still. Then the boy awakened his companions, and told them what he had heard.

They said: “You have been dreaming; there is no one here; how can such a thing be?”

He replied: “I did not dream; I spoke the truth.”

Then they made a plan that one should remain awake, and if anything happened, he should pinch the one next him, and that one should pinch the next, till all were awake.

After a while the boy who was listening heard some one come in quietly. That was a cannibal. He said the same words again, and then went out for the purpose of calling his friends to come to the feast. The boy awakened his companions according to the plan agreed upon, so that they all heard what was said. Therefore, as soon as the cannibal went out, they arose and fled from that place. The cannibal came back with his friends, and when the others saw there was no one in the hut, they killed and ate him.

As they were going on, Sikulume saw that he had left his bird behind. He stood, and said: “I must return for my bird, my beautiful bird with the long tail and topknot on its head. My father commanded that I must not see his face again unless I bring the bird.”

The boys said: “Take one of ours. Why should you go where cannibals are?”

He replied: “I must have the one that is my own.”

He stuck his assagai in the ground, and told them to look at it. He said: “If it stands still, you will know I am safe; if it shakes, you will know I am running; if it falls down, you will know I am dead.” Then he left them to return to the hut of the cannibals.

On the way he saw an old woman sitting by a big stone. She said: “Where are you going to?” He told her he was going for his bird. The old woman gave him some fat, and said: “If the cannibals pursue you, put some of this on a stone.”

He came to the hut and got his bird. The cannibals were sitting outside, a little way back. They had just finished eating the owner of the hut. When Sikulume came out with his bird they saw him and ran after him. They were close to him, when he took some of the fat and threw it on a stone. The cannibals came to the stone, and began to fight with each other.

One said: “The stone is mine.”

Another said: “It is mine.”

One of them swallowed the stone. When the others saw that, they killed him and ate him. Then they pursued again after Sikulume. They came close to him again, when he threw the remainder of the fat on another stone. The cannibals fought for this also. One swallowed it, and was killed by the others.

They followed still, and Sikulume was almost in their hands, when he threw off his mantle. The mantle commenced to run another way, and the cannibals ran after it. It was so long before they caught it that the young chief had time to reach his companions.

They all went on their way, but very soon they saw the cannibals coming after them. Then they observed a little man sitting by a big stone.

He said to them: “I can turn this stone into a hut.”

They replied: “Do so.”

He turned the stone into a hut, and they all went inside, the little man with them. They played the “iceya” there. The cannibals came to the place and smelt. They thought the hut was still a stone, for it looked like a stone to them. They began to bite it, and bit till all their teeth were broken, when they returned to their own village.

After this, the boys and the little man came out.

The boys went on. When they reached their own home they saw no people, till at length an old woman crept out of a heap of ashes. She was very much frightened, and said to them: “I thought there were no people left.”

Sikulume said: “Where is my father?”

She replied: “All the people have been swallowed by the inabulele” (a fabulous monster).

He said: “Where did it go to?”

The old woman replied: “It went to the river.”

So those boys went to the river, and Sikulume said to them: “I will go into the water, and take an assagai with me. If the water moves much, you will know I am in the stomach of the inabulele; if the water is red, you will know I have killed it.” Then he threw himself into the water and went down.

The inabulele swallowed him without tearing him or hurting him. He saw his father and his mother and many people and cattle. Then he took his assagai and pierced the inabulele from inside. The water moved till the inabulele was dead, then it became red. When the young men saw that, they cut a big hole in the side of the inabulele, and all the people and the cattle were delivered.

One day Sikulume said to another boy: “I am going to the doctor’s; tell my sister to cook food for me, nice food that I may eat.” This was done.

He said to his sister: “Bring me of the skin of the inabulele which I killed, to make a mantle.” She called her companions, and they went to the side of the river. She sang this song:—

“Inabulele,
Inabulele,
I am sent for you
By Sikulume,
Inabulele.”

The body of the inabulele then came out. She cut two little pieces of the skin for sandals, and a large piece to make a mantle for her brother.

When he was a young man, Sikulume said to his friends: “I am going to marry the daughter of Mangangezulu.”

They replied: “You must not go there, for at Mangangezulu’s you will be killed.”

He said: “I will go.”

Then he called those young men who were his chosen friends to accompany him. On the way they came to a place where the grass was long. A mouse came out of the grass, and asked Sikulume where he was going to.

He replied: “I am going to the place of Mangangezulu.”

The mouse sang this song:—

“Turn back, turn back, Sikulume.
No one ever leaves the place of Mangangezulu.
Turn back, turn back, O chief.”

Sikulume replied: “I shall not turn back.”

The mouse then said: “As it is so, you must kill me and throw my skin up in the air.”

He did so.

The skin said: “You must not enter by the front of the village; you must not eat off a new mat; you must not sleep in a hut which has nothing in it.”

They arrived at the village of Mangangezulu. They entered it from the wrong side, so that all the people said: “Why is this?”

They replied: “It is our custom.”

Food was brought to them on a new mat, but they said: “It is our custom to eat off old mats only.”

An empty hut was given to them to sleep in, but they said: “It is our custom only to sleep in a hut that has things in it.”

The next day the chief said to Sikulume and his companions: “You must go and tend the cattle.”

They went. A storm of rain fell, when Sikulume spread out his mantle and it became a hut as hard as stone, into which they all went. In the evening they returned with the cattle. The daughter of Mangangezulu came to them. Her mother pressed her foot in the footprint of Sikulume, and he became an eland.

The girl loved the young chief very much. When she saw he was turned into an eland, she made a great fire and drove him into it. Then he was burned, and became a little coal. She took the coal out and put it in a pot of water, when it became a young man again.

Afterwards they left that place. The girl took with her an egg, a milksack, a pot, and a smooth stone. The father of the girl pursued them.

The girl threw down the egg, and it became a mist. Her father wandered about in the mist a long time, till at length it cleared away. Then he pursued again.

She threw down the milksack, and it became a sheet of water. Her father tried to get rid of the water by dipping it up with a calabash, but he could not succeed, so he was compelled to wait till it dried up. He followed still.

The girl threw down the pot, and it became thick darkness. He waited a long time till light came again, when he followed them. He could travel very quickly.

He came close to them, and then the girl threw down the smooth stone. It became a rock, a big rock with one side steep like a wall. He could not climb up that rock, and so he returned to his own village.

Then Sikulume went home with his wife. He said to the people: “This is the daughter of Mangangezulu. You advised me not to go there, lest I should be killed. Here is my wife.”

After that he became a great chief. All the people said: “There is no chief that can do such things as Sikulume.”

THE STORY OF HLAKANYANA.

Once upon a time there was a village with many women in it. All the women had children at the same time except the wife of the chief. The children grew, and again all the women gave birth to others. Only the wife of the chief had no child. Then the people said: “Let us kill an ox, perhaps the wife of the chief will then bear a child.”

While they were killing the ox, the woman heard a voice saying: “Bear me, mother, before the meat of my father is all finished.”

The woman did not pay any attention to that, thinking it was a ringing in her ears. The voice said again: “Bear me, mother, before the meat of my father is all finished.”

The woman took a small piece of wood and cleaned her ears. She heard that voice again. Then she became excited. She said: “There is something in my ears; I would like to know what it is. I have just now cleaned my ears.”

The voice said again: “Make haste and bear me, mother, before the meat of my father is all finished.”

The woman said: “What is this? there was never a child that could speak before it was born.”

The voice said again: “Bear me, mother, as all my father’s cattle are being finished, and I have not yet eaten anything of them.” Then the woman gave birth to that child.

When she saw that to which she had given birth, she was very much astonished. It was a boy, but in size very little, and with a face that looked like that of an old person.

He said to his mother: “Mother, give me a skin robe.” His mother gave him a robe. Then he went at once to the kraal where the ox was being killed.

He asked for some meat, saying: “Father, father, give me a piece of meat.”

The chief was astonished to hear this child calling him father. He said: “Oh, men, what thing is this that calls me father?” So he continued with the skinning of the ox. But Hlakanyana continued also in asking meat from him. The chief became very angry, and pushed him, and said: “Get away from this place.”

Hlakanyana answered: “I am your child, give me meat.”

The chief took a little stick, and said: “If you trouble me again, I will strike you with this.”

Hlakanyana replied: “Give me meat first, and I will go away;” but the chief would not answer, because he was very angry.

Hlakanyana continued asking. Then the chief threw him outside the kraal, and went on with his work. After a little time, the child returned, still asking.

So the chief said to the men that were with him: “What strange thing is this?”

The men replied: “We don’t know him at all.”

The chief asked of them also advice, saying: “What shall I do?”

The men replied: “Give him a piece of meat.”

So the chief cut off a piece of meat and gave it to him. Hlakanyana ran to his mother and gave the meat to her to be cooked.

Then he returned to his father, and said again: “Father, give me some meat.”

The chief just took him and trampled upon him, and threw him outside of the kraal, thinking that he was dead.

But he rose again and returned to his father, still saying: “Father, give me some meat.”

Then the chief thought to get rid of him by giving him meat again. The chief gave him a piece of liver. Hlakanyana threw it away. Fat was then given to him. He put it down on one side. Flesh was then given to him, and a bone with much marrow in it.

Hlakanyana said: “I am a man to-day.” He said: “This is the beginning of my father’s cattle.”

At this time the men were saying to each other: “Who will carry the meat to our huts?”

Hlakanyana answered: “I will do it.”

They said: “How can such a thing as you are carry meat?”

Hlakanyana replied: “I am stronger than you; just see if you can lift this piece of meat.”

The men tried, but could not lift it. Then Hlakanyana took the piece of meat and carried it out of the kraal. The men said: “That will do now, carry our meat for us.”

Hlakanyana took the meat and carried it to the house of his mother. He took blood and put it on the eating mats at the houses of the men. The men went to their houses, and said: “Where is our meat?” They called Hlakanyana, and asked him what he had done with the meat.

He replied: “Surely I put it here where the blood is. It must have been taken by the dogs. Surely the dogs have eaten it.”

Then those men beat the women and children because they did not watch that the dogs did not take the meat. As for Hlakanyana, he only delighted in this trick of his. He was more cunning than any of the old men.

Hlakanyana said to his mother, that she must put the meat in the pot to cook, but that it must not be eaten before the next morning. It was done. In the night this cunning little fellow rose and went to the pot. His mother heard something at the pot, and struck with a stick. Hlakanyana cried like a dog. His mother said: “Surely a dog is eating the meat.” Hlakanyana returned afterwards, and left nothing but bones in the pot. In the morning he asked his mother for meat. His mother went to the pot, and found nothing but bones. The cunning little fellow pretended to be astonished.

He said: “Where is the meat, mother?”

His mother replied: “It has been eaten by a dog.”

Hlakanyana said: “As that is so, give me the bones, for you who are the wife of the chief will not eat from the same pot with a dog.”

His mother gave him the bones.

Hlakanyana went to sleep in the same house with the boys. The boys were unwilling to let him sleep with them. They laughed at him.

They said: “Who are you? You are just a child of a few days.”

Hlakanyana answered: “I am older than you.”

He slept there that night. When the boys were asleep, he got up and went to the cattle kraal. He killed two cows and ate all their insides. He took blood and smeared it on one of the boys who was sleeping. In the morning the men found those two dead cows.

They said: “Who has done this thing?”

They found the boy with blood upon him, and killed him, because they thought he was the robber.

Hlakanyana said within himself: “I told them that I was older than they are; to-day it is seen who is a child and who is a man.”