Chap. XIX. STORY OF AKENDA MBANI. 391 



related by a very talkative old fellow who seemed 

 to be the wag of tlie village. It was as follows : — 



AKENDA MBANI. 



Redjioua had a daughter called Arondo, and 

 she was very beautiful. Redjioua said, " A man 

 may give me slaves, goods, or ivory to marry my 

 daughter, but he will not get her ; I want only a 

 man that will agree that when Arondo falls ill, he 

 will fall ill also, and that when Arondo dies, he 

 will die also." Time went on ; and, as people knew 

 this, no one came to ask Arondo in marriage ; but, 

 one day, a man called Akenda Mbani (" never goes 

 twice to the same place ") came, and he said to Red- 

 jioua, " I come to marry Arondo, your daughter ; 

 I come, because I will agree that when Arondo 

 dies, I will die also." So Akenda Mbani married 

 Arondo. Akenda Mbani was a great hunter, and, 

 after he had married Arondo, he went hunting, and 

 killed two wild boars. On his return, he said, "I 

 have killed two boars, and bring you one." Red- 

 jioua said, " Go and fetch the other." Akenda 

 Mbani said, " My father gave me a nconi (a law) 

 that I must never go twice to the same place." 

 Another day he went hunting again, and killed 

 two antelopes ; on his return, he said to Redjioua, 

 " Father, I have killed two kambi (antelopes), I 

 bring you one." The king answered, " Please, my 

 son-in-law, go and fetch the other." He answ^ered, 

 " You know I cannot go twice to the same place." 



Another time he went hunting again, and killed 



