There was a certain Man who was very poor; he had no goods with which to buy a wife. He went one day into the forest to set snares. On the morrow, he went off to examine them; and found a Wild-Goat caught in the snares. He rejoiced and said, "I must eat Mbindi today!" But the Wild-Goat said to that Man, "Let me alone, Bwinge is coming after awhile." So, the Man, thinking that "Bwinge" was the name of some other and more desirable animal, at once let the Wild-Goat loose, and went off to his town. On the next day, the Man went to examine the snare, to see whether Bwinge was there, and found Hog caught fast in the net. And he exclaimed, "I must eat Ngweya today!" But the Hog said, "Let me go. Bwinge is coming." The man at once left the Hog, (still thinking that many more were coming); and it went away. The Man wondered, and said to himself, "What Thing is it that is named 'Bwinge'?" On another day, he went to set his snare. He found there a dwarf child of a Human Being; and, in anger, he said, "You are the one who has caused me to send away the beasts? Is it possible that you are he who is 'Bwinge'? I shall kill you." But the dwarf said, "No! don't kill me. I will call Ungumba for you." So, the Man said, "Call in a hurry!" The Dwarf ordered, "Let guns come!" And they at once came. (This was done by the Dwarf's Magic-Power.) The Man again said, "Call, in a hurry!" The Dwarf called for women; and they came. The Man again said to him, "Call for Goats, in a hurry!" And they came, with abundance of other things. Then the Man freed him, and said to him, "Go!" The Man also went his way with his riches. And he became a great man. This was because of his patient waiting. TALE 9 AN OATH, WITH A MENTAL RESERVATION Persons Ibembe (Dove) Nje (Leopard) Ngando (Crocodile) NOTE Covenants among natives are made under oath, by the two parties eating together of some fetish-mixture, called a "Medicine"; which, being connected with some Spirit, is supposed to be able to punish any infraction of the covenant. Because Dove "abused" Leopard, that is, deceived him, the dove no longer builds its nest on the ground, through fear of leopards. Dove was building in a tree-trunk by a river, because it preferred to walk on the ground. And Crocodile just then emerged from the river to the bank, and lay on his log where he usually rested. They two said, "Let us eat a Medicine-charm." So, Dove agreed, and swore, saying, "I say to you that, when anything at all shall happen openly, if I do not tell it to you, then may this Medicine find me out and kill me." Crocodile also uttered his oath, "When whatever thing shall come out from the river onto the ground, if I do not tell it to you, this Medicine must find me out and kill me!" When they had finished their Covenant, Crocodile returned to his hollow in the ground by the river. Dove also arose, and went away, walking to his place. Then he and Leopard suddenly met, on the path.