BANTU NEGROES 703 



The chiefs went to Kintu and told him that Mugulu wanted a fire made of 

 stones, and that he must chop a rock with the copper axe. 



Kintu suspected there was something wrong, but he sjioke no words to that 

 effect. He put the axe on his shoulder and went out before they allowed the wall 



to drop to the ground. He walked straight to a big rock, st 1 in front of it, 



placed the head of the axe on the rock, and rested his chin on the tip of the handle. 



" It does not seem easy to cut," said he to the axe. 



"It is easy enough to me," replied the axe; "just strike and see." 



Kintu struck the rock, and it splintered in all directions. He picked up the 

 pieces of rock, and went straight to Mugulu and said : " Here's your firewood, Mugulu. 

 Do you want any more ? " 



Mugulu said : " This is marvellous ! Go back to your house. It only remains now 

 for you to find your cow," and Kintu went away. 



Next morning the chiefs were called before Mugulu, and he said : " Take this bucket 

 to Kintu, and tell him to fetch water. Tell him that Mugulu does not drink anything 

 but dew. and if he is a man he is to fetch it quickly." 



Kintu received the bucket and the message, and again he suspected there was some- 

 thing wrong, and he said words within himself, but he spoke nothing to that effect. 

 He took the bucket and went out, and he set it down on the grass, and he said to the 

 bucket: "This does not seem very easy." The bucket replied: "It is easy enough 

 to me," and when Kintu looked down he saw that the bucket was full of dew. He took 

 it to Mugulu and said: "Here's your drinking water, Mugulu. Do you want any- 

 more 1 " 



Mugulu said : " This is marvellous. Kintu, you are a prodigy. I am now satisfied 

 that you are a man indeed, and it only remains for you to get your cow. Whoever 

 took Kintu's cow let him restore it," 



" Your own sons stole my cow," said Kintu. 



" If so," replied Mugulu, " drive all the cows here, and let Kintu pick out his cow if 

 she is amongst them." 



Ten thousand cows were brought in a herd. (It will be remembered that Nambi 

 and her sister assumed a fine astonishment at the " horned thing " when they first saw 

 Kintu's cow, and yet this large herd had belonged to Mugulu all the time. It is, how- 

 ever, fatal to cross-examine the story-teller, as will be seen later on.) 



Kintu stood near the herd in great perplexity, lost in thought. A hornet came and 

 sat on Kintu's shoulder, and as Kintu gave no heed, the hornet prepared his sting and 

 drove it home. 



Kintu struck at the hornet and missed him, and the hornet said : " Don't strike, I'm 

 your friend." 



" You have just bit me," replied Kintu. 



" It wasn't a bite. Listen. You can never tell your cow amongst all that herd. 

 Just you wait until I fly out and sit on the shoulder of a cow. That's yours. Mark 

 her." 



The herd of 10,000 cows was driven past, but the hornet did not move, and Kintu 

 said aloud : " My cow is not amongst them.'' 



Mugulu then ordered another herd to be brought, numbering twice as many cows 

 as the last herd; but the hornet did not move, and Kintu said aloud : " .My cow is not 

 amongst them." 



The herdsmen drove the cows away, and another herd was brought, and the hornet 

 flew ofi' ami sat on the shoulder of a cow. Kintu went forward and marked her. 

 " That's mine," said he to Mugulu. The hornet then Hew to another, a young cow, and 

 Kintu went forward and marked her, and said : " That also is mine." The hornet flew 



