Adventure stories; Fantasy fiction; Tarzan (Fictitious character) -- Fiction
"Make no noise, Uhha," she cautioned, "for Obebe, my father, sleeps
within." She nodded toward the hut. The visitor sat down and the two
girls chatted in low tones. They spoke of their ornaments, their
coiffures, of the young men of the village, and often, when they spoke
of these, they giggled. Their conversation was not unlike that which
might pass between two young girls of any race or clime. As they
talked, Uhha's eyes often wandered toward the entrance to Obebe's hut
and many times her brows were contracted in much deeper thought than
their idle passages warranted.
"Where," she demanded suddenly, "is the armlet of copper wire that your
father's brother gave you at the beginning of the last moon?"
Obebe's daughter shrugged. "He took it back from me," she replied, "and
gave it to the sister of his youngest wife."
Uhha appeared crest-fallen. Could it be that she had coveted the copper
bracelet? Her eyes closely scrutinized the person of her friend. Her
brows almost met, so deeply was she thinking. Suddenly her face
brightened.
"The necklace of many beads that your father took from the body of the
warrior captured for the last feast!" she exclaimed. "You have not lost
it?"
"No," replied her friend. "It is in the house of my father. When I
grind maize it gets in my way and so I laid it aside."
"May I see it?" asked Uhha. "I will fetch it."
"No, you will awaken Obebe and he will be very angry," said the chief's
daughter.
"I will not awaken him," replied Uhha, and started to crawl toward the
hut's entrance.
Her friend tried to dissuade her. "I will fetch it as soon as _baba_
has awakened," she told Uhha, but Uhha paid no attention to her and
presently was crawling cautiously into the interior of the hut. Once
within she waited silently until her eyes became accustomed to the dim
light. Against the opposite wall of the hut Obebe lay sprawled upon a
sleeping mat. He snored lustily. Uhha crept toward him. Her stealth
was the stealth of Sheeta the leopard. Her heart was beating like the
tom-tom when the dance is at its height. She feared that its noise and
her rapid breathing would awaken the old chief, of whom she was as
terrified as of the river devil; but Obebe snored on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account