THE BUNDI SPEAKS 



w WW » yy- y y^^ 



Wembi^ was saying to the M'gandi,^ "What a fine tree 

 am I. See how I sheltered the Wazee^ from the KiU^ sun, 

 and kept them cool under the shade of my branches." 

 "Ah, that's nothing," replied the M'Gandi. "Didn't you 

 see whom I was protecting from the Kali sun? It was no 

 other than the Bwan ya Miti M'kubwe." ^ 



"All honour be to you," said the Wembi, "but all the 

 time he was sitting under the shade of your branches he 

 was telling the Wazee to plant Wembi, for," said he, 

 'Wembi's heart is good for timber. Wembi's arms are 

 good for charcoal. Wembi's fruit is good for food. Plant 

 Wembi. Plant Wembi." 



"Yes," said the M'gandi. "That's true, but you are 

 only a stranger in this land; you came here but yester- 

 day. You were only brought here by the Arabs, whereas 

 I've been here from very long ago." 



"True," said the Wembi, "But I was brought here be- 

 cause I was of use to man; because my heart was good 

 for timber; because my arms were good for charcoal 

 and because my fruit was good for food, whereas you 

 are but a parasite; you climb up other good trees and 

 hug them to death, and you are neither good for timber, 

 fruit nor food." 



"Softly, softly," said the M'gandi. "Remember, my 

 young friend, that in the old days before the coming 



^ Wembi — ^mango. 



2 M'gandi — parasitic fig. 



3 Wazee — elders. 

 ■* Kali — fierce. 



* fiuan ya Miti M'kubwe — Great white chief of the forest. 



97. 



