Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore TalesNassau, Robert Hamill
Philosophy
Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore Tales
Nassau, Robert Hamill
Animals -- Folklore; Tales -- Africa, West
Mbwa also came, and found the dead bodies stretched out. Right away, he
knew what had happened. So he went to the Prophet Totode, and inquired
what he should do. Totode asked him, "Are you able to go to the town of
Doctor Nja-ya-melema-mya-bato? (Hunger-for-the-hearts-of-people)." He
agreed "Yes, I will go there." Then he went to the town of the Doctor.
A child of the Doctor spoke to Mbwa, and asked, "What have you come
to do?" He answered, "I have come to seek heart-life; because my
father's wives have killed from me two children."
Already Nja-ya-melema-mya-bato had gone to kill people for himself. In
a little while he returned and suddenly, pieces of meat (from the dead
bodies) began to fall, kidi! kidi! being thrown out on the ground in
the street. Mbwa, awaiting a chance, hid himself under a bed.
Then came the Doctor bringing in the heart-lives of the men he had
killed. Mbwa, without permission, seized two of the hearts, and ran out
quickly. Nja-ya-melema-mya-bato followed after him, running rapidly,
da! da! da! But he did not overtake Mbwa.
Mbwa ran in haste with the hearts, on to his village. There he thrust
the new lives into the children. The twins arose again to life and
stood, to show themselves, and then they sat down.
Those twins went on growing, and became stout young men.
One day they said to Mbwa, "We want guns." He went to his father,
in the town, and said, "I want two guns." His father produced two
guns for him. He took them, went to his home, and handed them to the
twins. Then they tried the guns, and loaded them.
Next day, in the morning, they went out early to hunt; they killed two
gazelles; and they took them to their village. Mbwa cut up one of the
beasts; and he said to his mother, "Cook it." Then he took the other
one to his father. His father cut it up; and he called Majanga and
Inyanji; and, dividing the meat, he said to them, "Go ye, and cook
these in the pot, and those in a jomba." (Mbwa himself was still in
the house watching them.) They boiled, and cooked; they put in the
salt and pepper; and were about to taste the soup when Mbwa said,
"Not so! This meat is not to be eaten by women."
They took the food to the Reception-house, where their husband Njambu
ate; and he laid aside some for them. But, what he laid aside for
those women, Mbwa drew away and ate. Then he returned to his home. His
mother made food; and they ate, all four of them.
Next morning, the twins returned to their hunting. They killed also
three antelopes, and they carried them to take them to their home,
and left them in the path on the way outside of the village. In the
village, they said to Mbwa, "Go, and bring the beasts from the forest."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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