SlUOXGA FOLKLORE. 397 



Then the hare jumped, and nothing happened. 



After that the leopard jumped. Nothing happened. 



After him all the animals jumped, and still nothing happened. 



At last the elephant was the only one left. The elephant 

 jumped, and when he jumped the stones of the fruit of the tree 

 lell down on the ground, falling from behind his ears. 



Then the hare jumped up and said, " I^ook at this fellow! 

 Look at the stones of the fruit that he has eaten ! I told you 

 we should find out who ate the tree." 



The elejthant said, " Mj'self, I do not know how these stones 

 came here. I did not eat the fruit. How could I climb a tree 

 to get the fruit? " 



But the animals did not beheve him. They all thought that 

 he had eaten the tree of their chief the lion. , 



Then the hare said, " What a shame for a big fellow like 

 you to steal the things of the chief! " 

 The lion said, " Kill him! " 



So they caught the elephant and killed him, and gave the 

 hare some of the flesh to carry to the chief's kraal. That is the 

 end. 



VI. 



The Transformation of Nwampfundla. 



While the animals, servants of the great chief the lion, 

 were going away from the place of the nivebe tree, where the 

 fruit of the lion had been stolen by the hare, and. the elephant 

 had been killed for the hare's fault, Nwampfundla the hare was 

 carrying a large piece of the elephant's flesh. 



Now the hare, although he is very clever, is, as indeed you 

 know, only a little animal. So as he was walking in the path, 

 carrying the flesh of the elephant, that piece of -flesh became too 

 lieavy for him. He was very tired, for the flesh was too 

 heavy on his shoulders. And, also, he began to be very sorry in 

 his heart because of the elephant who had been killed because of 

 him, although he had not done any wrong. He was very sorry 

 for the elephant that was dead. So as he walked behind the 

 other animals, carrying the heavy piece of flesh, he was crying, 

 saying, " They have killed my friend the elephant, but he did not 

 eat the tree. He had no fault, tlie elephant my friend. They just 

 killed him for nothing. It was I, Nwampfundla the hare, who 

 ate the tree of our master the lion." 



Now the animals who were walking in front heard the hare 

 crying and saying something, but they did not understand what 

 he was saying, for they were far in front of him. 



