Lesotho -- Social life and customs; Sotho (African people)
But Mokete continued to follow him, till the sun was high in the
heavens. Each time he saw her close behind him, he stopped and cut off
more of her legs, till only her body was left; even then she was not
conquered, but continued to roll after him. Thoroughly enraged, the Sun
Chief seized her, and called down fire from the heavens to consume her,
and a wind from the edge of the world to scatter her ashes.
When this was done, he went on his way rejoicing, for surely now she
would trouble him no more. Then as he journeyed, a voice rose in the
evening air, "I follow, I follow, to the edge of the world, yea, even
beyond, shall I follow thee."
Placing his hands over his ears to shut out the voice, the Sun Chief ran
with the fleetness of a young brave, until, at the hour when the spirits
visit the abodes of men, he overtook Tsepitso and the two women, and
with them entered the kingdom of his son.
How he won pardon from Siloane, and gained his son's love, and how it
was arranged that he and Siloane should again be married, are old tales
now in the country of Tsepitso. When the marriage feast was begun, a
cloud of ashes dashed against the Sun Chief, and an angry voice was
heard from the midst of the cloud, saying, "Nay, thou shalt not wed
Siloane, for I have found thee, and I shall claim thee for ever."
Hastily the witch doctor was called to free the Sun Chief from the power
of Mokete. As the old man approached the cloud, chanting a hymn to the
gods, every one gazed in silence. Raising his wand, the wizard made some
mystic signs, the cloud vanished, and only a handful of ashes lay upon
the ground.
Thus was the Evil Eye of Mokete stilled for evermore, and peace reigned
in the hearts of the Sun Chief and his wife Siloane.
CHAPTER XV.
HOW RA-MOLO BECAME A SNAKE.
Long, long ago, before the time of the great chief Mosheshue, there
lived, behind the mountains, a wicked chief called Ra-Molo (the father
of fire), who ruled his people with the hand of hardness. His village
lay at the foot of a high hill, and down below flowed the Sinkou, deep
and dark and cold. Every year, when the harvest feasts began, would
Ra-Molo cause to die the black death all those upon whom his displeasure
had fallen during the past year; and when the moon was big in the
heavens, he would come out from his dwelling to gaze upon his victims,
and to listen to their screams of agony. Many, many times have the cries
of the poor unfortunates echoed from rock to rock, while the people hid
their heads in their blankets and trembled with fear and horror.
When the last feeble moans died away, the chief would return to his
dwelling, and a great silence would descend upon the village. Then
softly, by ones and by twos, the frightened people would creep away to
some quiet spot out of sight of the village, and there offer up their
prayers to the spirits of their fathers to rescue them from Ra-Molo;
but for many many moons no help came.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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