708 BANTU NEGROES 



singing, and he insisted on going, promising that he wonld not be long. He went, 

 and a fight arose, and Kawekwa was speared and killed. When the news was 

 l)ronght to hi.s wife she we))t for many months and refused to be consoled. One 

 night as she was crying in her hut Kawekwa returned from death and asked her : 

 *'AVhy do yon weep so long and bitterly?" 



" Because 1 loved you so much," she replied. 



" Then if you loved me so much, will you come with me now ? " 



" Yes, yes ; I'll come," and she died. 



It has now become a kind of proverb in T^ganda : " Tokabye okuzukiza Kawekwa 

 wa danga" — that is, "You cry as if you wished to wake Kawekwa of (ianga." 



The Goat-Herd and the Leopard. 



A Muganda chief had many goats, and one slave boy, named Sikilya Munaku, 

 to look after them. One night a leopard came and killed all the goats except one, 

 and the chief was angry, and blamed the boy for not herding them more carefully. 

 " You see," said the chief, " there is only one left now. If you allow the leopard to 

 catch that one, I will cast you out and throw you to the leopard yourself." 



Sikilya ]Munaku was very careful of how he watched the goat ; he went with it 

 to feed every morning, stayed with it all day, returned home with it in the evening, 

 and took it into his house till the morning. He guarded it thus for many days. 



At length the grass near his but was eaten bare, and he led the goat to the 

 border of the forest, and tied it to a post where there was rich grass. 



Towards sunset a leopard came to the edge of the jungle and looked out. 



"Go away," said the boy; but the leopard merely crouched down. "Go away," 

 re])eated the boy, "if you eat this goat my master Avill kill me, so go away." 



The leopard sprang out and seized the goat by the neck, and the boy seized it 

 by the legs, and they tugged for some time. At length the leopard dragged both 

 the boy and goat into the forest. Then they saw that the goat was dead, and they 

 sat down to rest, the leopard on one side of the carcase, and the boy on the other. 



" What did you mean by di-agging it 1 " said the leopard. 



" What did i/ou mean by dragging it 1 " retorted the boy. 



" Are you not afraid that I may eat you ? " 



" No, I am not afraid any more. If I return to my master he will kill me now 

 that you have stolen his last goat." 



" Kill you, will he 1 Y^ou need not bother about him. For the future you will 

 remain with me in the forest, so set to work and build a hut." 



The leopard sat still over the goat whilst the lioy l.iuilt a hut, and then he asked 

 the boy : " Are you hungry 1 " 



"Eh, Sebo" ("Yes, sir"). 



" Well, we must get a fire. Creep out to a neighbouring garden, and bring me a 

 stick from the half-smouldering fire near the village." 



The boy did so, and came back. 



"Have you got the firebrand.^" asked the leopard, when the boy came in view. 



"Eh, Sebo." 



"Hurry up and make a fire, and I will give you a piece of the goat to roast." 



^\'hen the meat was cooked the boy ate it, and he told the leopard thf.t it was 

 very good. He was so pleased that he thought it only fair to do a good turn to 

 the leopard. The boy knew a certain ant-heap near the Gabunga's garden where 

 there w^ere"Nswa" (edible ants) to be found. Nobody else knew of this particular 



