BANTU NEGROES 711 



•and went to a house in the village. He cut the rope and went in, and was surprised to 

 .see the house full of leopards. The man raised his spear and threw it at the biggest, 

 shouting: "Have that for the Kabaka " ("king 1 ')- The big leopard rolled over and 

 died. The tipsy man then returned and told the chief that he had killed a leopard. 

 The chief told him he had done wrong ; that the leopard was his good friend ; had 

 cared for him like a father; and that the man might just as well have killed him 

 ■(the chief) as the leopard. 



The dance broke up and the people retired. Directly after, the leopard, who had 

 risen from the dead, came and charged the chief with having disobeyed him. " I found 

 you a worthless slave boy, too small to eat, too weak to kill, and with a master who 

 had threatened to destroy you. 1 cared for you, and ultimately made you chief, and 

 now one of your people has speared me. I am clone with you tor ever. Go back to 

 your old master and be a slave boy again." 



Having said this, the leopard spat on the ground, thrashed madly all round the hut, 

 ■and, with a bitter snarl, left the house. 



Then a great storm came up from Sese and knocked down the house. The villagers 

 stole the bananas ; the goats and sheep and cows ran away, and his wife and children 

 also ran away, and when morning came there was nothing left but Sikilya Munaku all 

 by himself ! 



The Hare and the Elephant. 



A hare and an elephant went to a "ntujo" (drum dance), and the hare stood 

 still whilst the elephant danced. When it was over the hare said : " Mr. Elephant, 

 I can't say I admire your dancing ; there seems to be too much of you, and the 

 flesh on your buttocks goes flop, Hop, flop. Let me cut off a few slices, and then 

 •try. You will then dance as well as I do." 



The hare then cut off some huge slices and went home. The elephant also 

 went home, but he was in agony. At length he called a buffalo, and said: "(Jit 

 to the hare, and ask him to return my slices.'' 



The buffalo went, and was received by the hare, and told his message. 



" Were the slices not eaten on the road 1 " asked the hare. 



" I heard they were,"' replied the buffalo. 

 Then the hare cooked some meat (it was really the slices of elephant) and 

 /gave some to the buffalo. The buffalo thought it very tender, and asked where 

 he got it. 



"I got it at the hill Bikongoliro, not far from here, where I go occasionally to 

 hunt. Come hunting with me to-day. - ' 



So they went to hunt, and taking some nets set them up. The hare then gave 

 ithe following instructions to the buffalo : 



"You remain here whilst I go into the grass. If you hear something conic 

 buzzing ' zoooooooooooooo ' hang down your head." 



The buffalo waited, and then he heard "zoooooooooooooo" and hung down his 

 .head, and the hare struck the head, and the buffalo died. The hare skinned him, 

 and carried home the meat. 



As the buffalo did not return, the elephant sent an antelope to ask the hare to 

 return his slices, but the hare disposed of him in the same way as in the case of 

 the buffalo, and carried home his meat. 



The elephant sent a succession of messengers for the slices, but not one of them 

 .returned, with them or without them. 



The elephant then called up a leopard, and said: "Go to Mr. Hare, and ask him 



VOL. II. 16 



