400 SIKONliA IT.OVF.IUiS. 



27. Hleka ivcnc, munduku hi ta buya ha loenc ! 



" Laugh! It will be ypur turn to-morrow! " 



An obviously' fit remark to make when endeavouring to 

 comfort anyone in trouble. 



28. Anhoiuja ya masa' nthaku aku babisa. 



The second stroke hurts (more than the first)." 



This is less obvious. The meaning is that, if you injure 

 anyone, he is sure to find a way to injure you more than 

 you have injured him. The proverb refers to a capacity 

 for bearing grudges, and for seeking vengeance, that is, 

 perhaps^ not confined to this people. 



29. Ma yala ku byehra: a bona hi ku ilicaka ka ngati. 



" They refuse to be told: a man sees by the dropping 

 of blood." 



People refuse to listen to warnings of danger, but the 

 danger is brought home to them when blood flows. 

 Seeing is believmg. Expcricniia docct. 



30 Ankolo a wu (si) na burombc. 



The throat has no pity." 



As long as a thing is good to eat, one does not care how 

 one gets it. This might be quoted in defence of 

 vegetarianism ; but the proverb is used in trying to comfort 

 people who do not want to eat, because of grief. Bodily 

 needs have to be thought of and satisfied ; they assert 

 themselves without reference to our sensibilities. 



31. Alihlo da iidlopfn ira wu pfata. • 



" You are taking something out of an elephant's 

 eye " (presumably without the elepliant's permission). 

 This is said to restrain someone from doing something 

 rash, or from meddling with things which do not concern 

 him, where such interference will be resented. 



32. AlidJin lii'nrc a U )igi nusa hobc. 



" ()n(_> finger can never pit-k up a grain of mealies." 



This is said to a man, or of a man, who diffuses his 

 energies in different directions, has " too many irons in 

 the fire," and so is unable to accomplish that which he 

 has undertaken. He ha-s only one finger to spare for 

 this particuhu- action, and therefore fails in it. 



33. V fa Jnvita sanya ba ku tiinbi lifiho. 



" You will say many things at random, as if they had 

 tied your finger." 

 I have heard that the " tying of the finger " is an expres- 

 sion used for 'what inigl/t be called torture of the Third 

 Degree,' persistent questioning of the accused with the 



