1 'V' > 
 
 
 mm
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 GIFT 
 
 From the Library of 
 
 Henry Goldman, Ph.D. 
 
 1886-1972
 
 •p^ 
 
 & 

 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS
 
 HE STEALTHILY APPROACHED FROM TREE TO TREE. 
 
 See p. 51.
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 THEIR STRANGE STORIES 
 
 HENRY M. STANLEY, D.C.L., Etc. 
 
 AUTHOR OF " IN DARKEST AFRICA," " HOW I FOUND LIVINGSTONE, 
 ETC., ETC. 
 
 WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 CHAELES SCRTBNEK'S SONS 
 
 1906
 
 COPTRISHT, 1893, BT 
 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 \H 

 
 Annex 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Creation of Man 4 
 
 The Goat, the Lion, and the Serpent . . 29 
 
 The Queen op the Pool 41 
 
 The Elephant and the Lion 60 
 
 Kino Gumbi and his Lost Daughter 75 
 
 The Story op Maranda 92 
 
 The Story of Kitinda and her wise Dog .... 98 
 
 The Story of the Prince who insisted on Possessing 
 
 the Moon 105 
 
 how klmyera became klng op uganda . . . .120 
 
 The Legend op the Leopardess and her two Servants, 
 
 Dog and Jackal 153 
 
 A Second Version op the Leopard and the Dog Story . 178 
 
 The Legend of the Cunning Terrapin and the Crane . 188 
 
 The Legend op Kibatti the Little, who Conquered all 
 
 the Great Animals 210 
 
 The Partnership of Rabbit and Elephant, and what 
 
 came op it 232 
 
 The Adventures op Saruti 247
 
 viii CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Boy Kinneneh and the Gorilla 265 
 
 The City op the Elephants . 282 
 
 The SEARcn for the Home op the Sun .... 299 
 
 A Hospitable Gorilla 310
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " He stealthily approached prom Tree to Tree " Frontispiece 
 
 "O Moon, list to thy Creature Bateta ! " ... 12 
 
 " Then he lifted his Voice, and cried out aloud up- 
 ward" 17 
 
 " The Moon came down to the Earth . . . and bore 
 
 them to himself " 24 
 
 "Serpent, wake up; Lion is raging for a Fight with 
 
 you" 33 
 
 " Fixed his Fangs in the right Eyebrow of Lion " . .35 
 
 " Conveyed it to the Village " 39 
 
 " Munu, the Pride of Izoka, was killed" . . . .54 
 
 "The Sentence was executed without Loss of Time" . 58 
 
 " ' Well ! what do you want?' he asked" ... 65 
 
 " Drove one of his Tusks through his Adversary's 
 
 Body" 68 
 
 "How did all this happen?" 71 
 
 " 'Deliver it to me,' answered the Parrot" ... 78 
 
 "Sent her away down the River" 81 
 
 " Miami was ill and weak and sat at the Door " . .85 
 
 " Swam down opposite the Village " 95
 
 x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 "He turned, and ran into the Woods" .... 103 
 
 " The Women kneaded the Bread " 112 
 
 " In the Night floated down the Aruwimi "... 114 
 
 " Converted into Monkeys " 117 
 
 klmyera setting out for uganda 133 
 
 klmyera asking for water 137 
 
 klmyera claiming the throne of ganda .... 147 
 
 "Dog . . . set up a piteous Howl" "... 165 
 
 "dog fled like the wlnd " 170 
 
 "Came pouring from their Houses with Dreadful 
 
 Weapons" 176 
 
 " Leopard saw one Place which he could leap over" . 181 
 
 " Soko performed his Part expeditiously "... 201 
 
 " ' Hold hard, Terrapin ! ' " 205 
 
 "Poor Miss Crane was fast asleep" 208 
 
 "Brother Leopard will hold me and mine gudltless," 
 
 etc 215 
 
 "It is I, Kibatti the Little, from Unyoro" . . . 226 
 
 Killing King Rhinoceros 230 
 
 "i am proud to have met you, rabbit " .... 238 
 
 " A powerful Crowd behind the Cow " 240 
 
 " Fled away as fast as their Legs would carry them" 243 
 
 " rutuana laid his stick across his chest " . . . 250 
 
 "Tried to jump up after the Leopard" • 255 
 
 "Felt his Nose seized" . mi
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS x i 
 
 PAGE 
 
 He lifted the Woman anp her Basket and trotted away 269 
 
 "He would roar in Fury, and race about the Village" 279 
 
 Dudu and his Wife meet a young Lion .... 285 
 
 dudu and salimba introduced to klng elephant . . 291 
 
 "The Village was entirely burned" .... 301 
 
 " None of those who were high up on the Mountain Side 
 
 were left alive " 307 
 
 The Father of the Gordllas addressing his Kinsmen . 315
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 The nightly custom of gathering around the 
 camp fire, and entertaining one another with stories, 
 began in 1875, after Sabadu, a page of King 
 Mtesa, had astonished his hearers with the legend 
 of the " Blameless Priest." 
 
 Our circle was free to all, and was frequently- 
 well attended ; for when it was seen that the more 
 accomplished narrators were suitably rewarded, 
 and that there was a great deal of amusement 
 to be derived, few could resist the temptation to 
 approach and listen, unless fatigue or illness 
 prevented them. 
 
 Many of the stories related were naturally of 
 little value, having neither novelty nor originality ; 
 and in many cases, especially where the Zanzi- 
 baris were the narrators, the stories were mere 
 importations from Asia ; while others, again, were 
 mere masks of low inclinations. I therefore had 
 often to sit out a lengthy tale which had not a 
 single point in it. 
 
 But whenever a real aborigine of the interior 
 undertook to tell a tale of the old days, we were
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 sure to hear something new and striking ; the lan- 
 guage became more quaint, and in almost every 
 tale there was a distinct moral. 
 
 The following legends are the choicest and most 
 curious of those that were related to me during 
 seventeen years, and which have not been hitherto 
 published in any of my books of travel. Faithfully 
 as I have endeavoured to follow the unsophisti- 
 cated narrators it is impossible for me to repro- 
 duce the simplicity of style with which they were 
 given, or to describe the action which accom- 
 panied them. I take my cue from the African 
 native. He told them with the view of pleasing 
 his native audience, after much solicitation. He 
 was unused to the art of public speaking, and never 
 dreamed that he was exposing himself to criti- 
 cism. He was also shy, and somewhat indolent, or 
 tired perhaps, and would prefer listening to others 
 rather than speak himself, but though protest- 
 ing strongly that his memory was defective, and 
 that he could not remember anything, he yielded 
 at last for the sake of peace, and good-fellowship. 
 As these few, now about to be published, are not 
 wholly devoid of a certain merit as examples of 
 Central African lore, and oral literature, I have 
 thought it best to consider myself only as a 
 translator and to render them into English with 
 as direct and true a version as possible. 
 
 I begin with the Creation of Man merely for
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 preference, and not according to the date on 
 which it was related. The legend was delivered 
 by Matageza, a native of the Basoko,* in Decem- 
 ber, 1883. He had been an assiduous attendant 
 at our nightly circle, but hitherto had not opened 
 his mouth. Finally, as the silence at the camp 
 fire was getting somewhat awkward, Baruti, one 
 of my tent-boys, was pressed to say something ; 
 but he drew back, saying that he never was able 
 to remember a thing that was told to him, but, 
 added he, "Matageza is clever; I have heard him 
 tell a long legend about the making of the first 
 man by the moon." 
 
 All eyes were at once turned upon Matageza, 
 who was toasting his feet by a little fire of his 
 own, and there was a chorus of cries for " Mata- 
 geza ! Matageza ! " He aft'ected great reluctance 
 to come forward, but the men, whose curiosity 
 was aroused, would not take a denial, and some 
 of them seized him, and dragged him with loud 
 laughter to the seat of honour. After a good 
 deal of urging and a promise of a fine cloth if the 
 story was good, he cleared his throat and began 
 the strange legend of the Creation of Man as 
 follows : — 
 
 * The Basoko are a tribe occupying the right bank of the Aruwimi 
 river from its confluence with the Congo to within a short distance of 
 the rapids of Yanibuya, and inland for a few marches.
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN* 
 
 —^ ^ W n 
 
 the old, old time, 
 all this land, and 
 indeed all the whole 
 earth was covered 
 with sweet water. 
 But the water dried 
 up or disappeared 
 somewhere, and the 
 grasses, herbs, and 
 plants began to 
 spring up above the 
 ground, and some grew, in the course of many 
 moons, into trees, great and small, and the water 
 was confined into streams and rivers, pools 
 and lakes, and as the rain fell it kept the 
 streams and rivers running, and the * pools and 
 lakes always fresh. There was no living thing 
 moving upon the earth, until one day there sat 
 by one of the pools a large Toad. How long he 
 had lived, or how he came to exist, is not known ; 
 it is suspected, however, that the water brought 
 him forth out of some virtue that was in it. In 
 the sky there was only the Moon glowing and 
 
 * Republished through the courtesy of the Editor and Proprietors 
 of the " Fortnightly Review."
 
 The creation of man 
 
 shining — on the earth there was but this one Toad. 
 It is said that they met and conversed together, 
 and that one day the Moon said to him : 
 
 " I have an idea. I propose to make a man and 
 a woman to live on the fruits of the earth, for I 
 believe that there is rich abundance of food on it 
 fit for such creatures." 
 
 " Nay," said the Toad, " let me make them, for 
 I can make them fitter for the use of the earth 
 than thou canst, for I belong to the earth, while 
 thou belongest to the sky." 
 
 " Verily," replied the Moon, " thou hast the 
 power to create creatures which shall have but a 
 brief existence ; but if I make them, they will have 
 something of my own nature ; and it is a pity that 
 the creatures of one's own making should suffer and 
 die. Therefore, O Toad, I propose to reserve the 
 power of creation for myself, that the creatures may 
 be endowed with perfection and enduring life." 
 
 " Ah, Moon, be not envious of the power which 
 I share with thee, but let me have my way. I will 
 give them forms such as I have often dreamed of. 
 The thought is big within me, and I insist upon 
 realising my ideas." 
 
 " An thou be so resolved, observe my words, 
 both thou and they shall die. Thou f shall slay 
 myself and end utterly ; and thy creatures can but 
 follow thee, being of such frail material as thou 
 canst give them."
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " Ah, thou art angry now, but I heed thee not. 
 I am resolved that the creatures to inhabit this 
 earth shall be of my own creating. Attend thou 
 to thine own empire in the sky." 
 
 Then the Moon rose and soared upward, where 
 with his big, shining face he shone upon all the 
 world. 
 
 The Toad grew great with his conception, until 
 it ripened and issued out in the shape of twin 
 beings, full-grown male and female. These were 
 the first like our kind that ever trod the earth. 
 
 The Moon beheld the event with rage, and left 
 his place in the sky to punish the Toad, who had 
 infringed the privilege that he had thought to 
 reserve for himself. He came direct to Toad's pool, 
 and stood blazingly bright over it. 
 
 " Miserable," he cried, " what hast thou done ? " 
 
 " Patience, Moon, I but exercised my right and 
 power. It was within me to do it, and lo, the 
 deed is done." 
 
 " Thou hast exalted thyself to be my equal in 
 thine own esteem. Thy conceit has clouded thy 
 wit, and obscured the memory of the warning I 
 gave thee. Even hadst thou obtained a charter 
 from me to attempt the task, thou couldst have 
 done no better than thou hast done. As much as 
 thou art inferior to me, so these will be inferior to 
 those I could have endowed this earth with. Thy 
 creatures are pitiful things, mere animals without
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN 
 
 sense, without the gift of perception or self- 
 protection. They see, they breathe, they exist ; 
 their lives can be measured by one round journey 
 of mine. Were it not out of pity for them, I would 
 even let them die. Therefore for pity's sake I 
 propose to improve somewhat on what thou hast 
 done : their lives shall be lengthened, and such 
 intelligence as malformed beings as these can 
 contain will I endow them with, that they may 
 have guidance through a life which with all my 
 power must be troubled and sore. But as for thee, 
 whilst thou exist my rage is perilous to them, 
 therefore to save thy kin I end thee." 
 
 Saying which the Moon advanced upon Toad, 
 and the fierce sparks from His burning face were 
 shot forth, and fell upon the Toad until he was 
 consumed. 
 
 The Moon then bathed in the pool, that the heat 
 of his ancjer might be moderated, and the water 
 became so heated that it was like that which is in 
 a pot over a fire, and he stayed in it until the 
 hissing and bubbling had subsided. 
 
 Then the Moon rose out of the pool, and sought 
 the creatures of Toad: and when he had found 
 them, he called them unto him, but they were 
 afraid and hid themselves. 
 
 At this sight the Moon smiled, as you sometimes 
 see him on fine nights, when he is a clear white, 
 and free from stain or blurr, and he was pleased
 
 8 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 that Toad's creatures were afraid of him. " Pool- 
 things," said he, " Toad has left me much to do yet 
 before I can make them fit to be the first of earthly 
 creatures." Saying which he took hold of them, 
 and bore them to the pool wherein he had bathed, 
 and which had been the home of Toad. He held 
 them in the water for some time, tenderly bathing 
 them, and stroking them here and there as a pot- 
 ter does to his earthenware, until he had moulded 
 them into something similar to the shape we men 
 and women possess now. The male became dis- 
 tinguished by breadth of shoulder, depth of chest, 
 larger bones, and more substantial form ; the female 
 was slighter in chest, slimmer of waist, and the 
 breadth and fulness of the woman was midmost of 
 the body at the hips. Then the Moon gave them 
 names ; the man he called Bateta, the woman 
 Hanna, and he addressed them and said : 
 
 " Bateta, see this earth and the trees, and herbs 
 and plants and grasses ; the whole is for thee and 
 thy wife Hanna, and for thy children whom Hanna 
 thy wife shall bear unto thee. I have re-made 
 thee greatly, that thou and thine may enjoy such 
 things as thou mayest find needful and fit. In 
 order that thou mayest discover what things are 
 not noxious but beneficial for thee, I have placed 
 the faculty of discernment within thy head, which 
 thou must exercise before thou canst become wise. 
 The more thou prove this, the more wilt thou be
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN 
 
 able to perceive the abundance of good things 
 the earth possesses for the creatures which are to 
 inhabit it. I have made thee and thy wife as per- 
 fect as is necessary for the preservation and enjoy- 
 ment of the term of life, which by nature of the 
 materials the Toad made thee of must needs be 
 short. It is in thy power to prolong or shorten it. 
 Some things I must teach thee. I give thee first 
 an axe. I make a fire for thee, which thou must 
 feed from time to time with wood, and the first 
 and most necessary utensil for daily use. Observe 
 me while I make it for thee." 
 
 The Moon took some dark clay by the pool and 
 mixed it with water, then kneaded it, and twisted 
 it around until its shape was round and hollowed 
 within, and he covered it with the embers of the 
 fire, and baked it; and when it was ready he 
 handed it to them. 
 
 " This vessel," continued the Moon, " is for the 
 cooking of food. Thou wilt put water into it, and 
 place whatsoever edible thou desirest to eat in the 
 water. Thou wilt then place the vessel on the 
 fire, which in time will boil the water and cook 
 the edible. All vegetables, such as roots and 
 bulbs, are improved in flavour and give superior 
 nourishment by being thus cooked. It will be- 
 come a serious matter for thee to know which of 
 all the things pleasant in appearance are also 
 pleasant for the palate. But shouldst thou be
 
 10 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 long in doubt and fearful of barm, ask and I will 
 answer thee." 
 
 Having given the man and woman their first 
 lesson, the Moon ascended to the sky, and from 
 his lofty place shone upon them, and upon all the 
 earth with a pleased expression, which comforted 
 greatly the lonely pair. 
 
 Having watched the ascending Moon until he 
 had reached his place in the sky, Bateta and 
 Hanna rose and travelled on by the beautiful 
 light which he gave them, until they came to a 
 A^ery large tree that had fallen. The thickness 
 of the prostrate trunk was about twice their 
 height. At the greater end of it there was a 
 hole, into which they could w T alk without bend- 
 ing. Feeling a desire for sleep, Bateta laid his 
 fire down outside near the hollowed entrance, 
 cut up diy fuel, and his wife piled it on the 
 fire, while the flames grew brighter and lit the 
 interior. Bateta took Hanna by the hand and 
 entered within the tree, and the two lay down 
 together. But presently both complained of the 
 hardness of their bed, and Bateta, after pondering 
 awhile, rose, and going out, plucked some fresh 
 large leaves of a plant that grew near the fallen 
 tree, and returned laden with it. He spread it 
 about thickly, and Hanna rolled herself on it, and 
 laughed gleefully as she said to Bateta that it 
 was soft and smooth and nice ; and opening
 
 The creation of man n 
 
 her arms, she cried, " Come, Bateta, and rest by 
 my side." 
 
 Though this was the first day of their lives, the 
 Moon had so perfected the unfinished and poor 
 work of the Toad that they were both mature 
 man and woman. Within a month Hanna bore 
 twins, of whom one was male and the other female, 
 and they were tiny doubles of Bateta and Hanna, 
 which so pleased Bateta that he ministered kindly 
 to his wife who, through her double charge, was 
 prevented from doing anything else. 
 
 Thus it was that Bateta, anxious for the com- 
 fort of his wife, and for the nourishment of his 
 children, sought to find choice things, but could 
 find little to please the dainty taste which his 
 wife had contracted. Whereupon, looking up to 
 Moon with his hands uplifted, he cried out : 
 
 " O Moon, list to thy creature Bateta ! My 
 wife lies languishing, and she has a taste strange 
 to me which I cannot satisfy, and the children that 
 have been born unto us feed upon her body, and 
 her strength decreases fast. Come down, O Moon, 
 and show me what fruit or herbs will cure her 
 longing." 
 
 The Moon heard Bateta's voice, and coming out 
 from behind the cloud with a white, smiling face, 
 said, " It is well, Bateta ; lo ! I come to help 
 thee." 
 
 When the Moon had approached Bateta, he
 
 12 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 showed the golden fruit of the banana — which 
 was the same plant whose leaves had formed the 
 first bed of himself and wife. 
 
 "O MOON, LIST TO THY CREATURE BATETA ! " 
 
 " O Bateta, smell this fruit. How likest thou 
 its fragrance ? "
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN 13 
 
 "It is beautiful and sweet. O Moon, if it be 
 as wholesome for the body as it is sweet to smell, 
 my wife will rejoice in it." 
 
 Then the Moon peeled the banana and offered it 
 to Bateta, upon which he boldly ate it, and the 
 flavour was so pleasant that he besought per- 
 mission to take one to his wife. When Hauna had 
 tasted it she also appeared to enjoy it ; but she 
 said, " Tell Moon that I need something else, for 
 I have no strength, and I am thinking that this 
 fruit will not give to me what I lose by these 
 children." 
 
 Bateta w T ent out and prayed to Moon to listen 
 to Hauna's words — which w r hen he had heard, 
 he said, " It was known to me that this should be, 
 wherefore look round, Bateta, and tell me what 
 thou seest moving yonder." 
 
 " Why, that is a buffalo." 
 
 " Rightly named," replied Moon. " And what 
 follows it ? " 
 
 "A goat." 
 
 " Good agfain. And what next ? " 
 
 " An antelope. 17 
 
 " Excellent, Bateta ; and what may the 
 next be ? " 
 
 " A sheep." 
 
 "Sheep it is, truly. Now look up above the 
 trees, and tell me w T hat thou seest soaring over 
 them."
 
 14 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " I see fowls and pigeons." 
 
 " Very well called, indeed," said Moon. " These 
 I give unto thee for meat. The buffalo is strong 
 and fierce, leave him for thy leisure ; but the goat, 
 sheep, and fowls, shall live near thee, and shall 
 partake of thy bounty. There are numbers in the 
 woods which will come to thee when they are 
 filled with their grazing and their pecking. Take 
 any of them — either goat, sheep, or fowl — bind it, 
 and chop its head off with thy hatchet. The blood 
 will sink into the soil ; the meat underneath the 
 outer skin is good for food, after being boiled or 
 roasted over the fire. Haste now, Bateta ; it is 
 meat thy wife craves, and she needs naught else to 
 restore her strength. So prepare instantly and 
 eat." 
 
 The Moon floated upward, smiling and benig- 
 nant, and Bateta hastened to bind a goat, and 
 made it ready as the Moon had advised. Hanna, 
 after eating of the meat which was prepared by 
 boiling, soon recovered her strength, and the 
 children throve, and grew marvellously. 
 
 One morning Bateta walked out of his hollowed 
 house, and lo ! a change had come over the earth. 
 Right over the tops of the trees a great globe of 
 shining, dazzling light looked out from the sky, 
 and blazed white and bright over all. Things that 
 he had seen dimly before were now more clearly 
 revealed. By the means of the strange light hung
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN 15 
 
 up in the sky he saw the difference between that 
 which the Moon gave and that new brightness 
 which now shone out. For, without, the trees and 
 their leaves seemed clad in a luminous coat of 
 light, while underneath it was but a dim reflection 
 of that which w r as without, and to the sight it 
 seemed like the colder light of the Moon. 
 
 And in the cooler light' that prevailed below the 
 foliage of the trees there were gathered hosts of 
 new and strange creatures ; some large, others of 
 medium, and others of small size. 
 
 Astonished at these changes, he cried, " Come 
 out, O Hanna, and see the strange sights without 
 the dwelling, for verily I am amazed, and know 
 not what has happened." 
 
 Obedient, Hanna came out with the children and 
 stood by his side, and was equally astonished at 
 the brightness of the light and at the numbers of 
 creatures which in all manner of sizes and forms 
 stood in the shade ranged around them, with their 
 faces towards the place where they stood. 
 
 " What may this change portend, O Bateta ? " 
 asked his wife. 
 
 " Nay, Hanna, I know not. All this has 
 happened since the Moon departed from me." 
 
 " Thou must perforce call him again, Bateta, and 
 demand the meaning of it, else I shall fear harm 
 unto thee, and unto these children." 
 
 " Thou art right, my wife, for to discover
 
 16 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 the meaning of all this without other aid than 
 my own wits would keep us here until we per- 
 ished." 
 
 Then he lifted his voice, and cried out aloud 
 upward, and at the sound of his voice all the 
 creatures gathered in the shades looked upward, 
 and cried with their voices ; but the meaning of 
 their cry, though there was an infinite variety of 
 sound, from the round, bellowing voice of the lion 
 to the shrill squeak of the mouse, was : 
 
 " Come down unto us, O Moon, and explain the 
 meaning of this great change unto us ; for thou 
 only who madest us can guide our sense unto the 
 right understanding of it." 
 
 When they had ended their entreaty unto the 
 Moon, there came a voice from above, which 
 sounded like distant thunder, saying, " Rest ye 
 where ye stand, until the brightness of this new 
 light shall have faded, and ye distinguish my 
 milder light and that of the many children which 
 have been born unto me, when I shall come unto 
 you and explain." 
 
 Thereupon they rested each creature in its own 
 place, until the great brightness, and the warmth 
 which the strange light gave faded and lessened, 
 and it was observed that it disappeared from view 
 on the opposite side to that where it had first 
 been seen, and also immediately after at the place 
 of its disappearance the Moon was seen, and all
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN 19 
 
 over the sky were visible the countless little lights 
 which the children of the Moon gave. 
 
 Presently, after Bateta had pointed these out to 
 Hanna and the children, the Moon shone out 
 bland, and its face was covered with gladness, and 
 he left the sky smiling, and floated down to the 
 earth, and stood not far off from Bateta, in view of 
 him and his family, and of all the creatures under 
 the shade. 
 
 " Hearken, O Bateta, and ye creatures of prey 
 and pasture. A little while ago, ye have seen the 
 beginning of the measurement of time, which shall 
 be divided hereafter into day and night. The time 
 that lapses between the Sun's rising and its setting 
 shall be called day, that which shall lapse between 
 its setting and re-rising shall be called night. 
 The light of the day proceeds from the Sun, but 
 the light of the night proceeds from me and from 
 my children the stars ; and as ye are all my 
 creatures, I have chosen that my softer light shall 
 shine during the restful time wherein ye sleep, to 
 recover the strength lost in the waking time, and 
 that ye shall be daily waked for the working time 
 by the stronger light of the Sun. This rule never- 
 ending shall remain. 
 
 " And whereas Bateta and his wife are the first 
 of creatures, to them, their families, and kind 
 that shall be born unto them, shall be given pre- 
 eminence over all creatures made, not that they are
 
 20 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 stronger, or swifter, but because to them only have 
 I given understanding and a gift of speech to 
 transmit it. Perfection and everlasting life had 
 also been given, but the taint of the Toad remains 
 in the system, and the result will be death, — death 
 to all living things, Bateta and Hanna excepted. 
 In the fulness of time, when their limbs refuse to 
 bear the burden of their bodies and their marrow 
 has become dry, my first-born shall return to me, 
 and I shall absorb them. Children shall be born 
 innumerable unto them, until families shall expand 
 into tribes, and from here, as from a spring, man- 
 kind will outflow and overspread all lands, which 
 are now but wild and wold, ay, even to the farthest 
 edge of the earth. 
 
 " And hearken, O Bateta, the beasts which thou 
 seest, have sprung from the ashes of the Toad. On 
 the day that he measured his power against mine, 
 and he was consumed by my fire, there was one drop 
 of juice left in his head. It was a life-germ which 
 soon grew into another toad. Though not equal in 
 power to the parent toad, thou seest what he has 
 done. Yonder beasts of prey and pasture and fowls 
 are his work. As fast as they were conceived by 
 him, and uncouth and ungainly they were, I dipped 
 them into Toad's Pool, and perfected them out- 
 wardly, according to their uses, and, as thou seest, 
 each specimen has its mate. Whereas, both thou 
 and they alike have the acrid poison of the toad,
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN 21 
 
 thou from the parent, they in a greater measure 
 from the child toad, the mortal taint when ripe 
 will end both man and beast. No understanding 
 nor gift of speech has been given to them, and 
 they are as inferior to thyself as the child toad was 
 to the parent toad. Wherefore, such qualities as 
 thou mayst discover in them, thou mayst employ 
 in thy services. Meantime, let them go out each 
 to its own feeding-ground, lair, or covert, and grow 
 and multiply, until the generations descending from 
 thee shall have need for them. Enough for thee 
 with the bounties of the forest, jungle, and plain, 
 are the goats, sheep, and fowls. At thy leisure, 
 Bateta, thou mayst strike and eat such beasts as 
 thou seest akin in custom to these that will feed 
 from thy hand. The waters abound in fish that 
 are thine at thy need, the air swarms with birds 
 which are also thine, as thy understanding will 
 direct thee. 
 
 " Thou wilt be wise to plant all such edibles 
 as thou mayest discover pleasing to the palate 
 and agreeable to thy body, but be not rash in 
 assuming that all things pleasant to the eye are 
 grateful to thy inwards. 
 
 " So long as thou and Hanna are on the earth, I 
 promise thee my aid and counsel ; and what I tell 
 thee and thy wife thou wilt do well to teach thy 
 children, that the memory of useful things be not 
 forgotten — for after I take thee to myself, I come
 
 22 M Y DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 no more to visit man. Enter thy house now, for 
 it is a time, as I have told thee, for rest and sleep. 
 At the shining of the greater light, thou wilt 
 waken for active life and work, and family care 
 and joys. The beasts shall also wander each to 
 his home in the earth, on the tops of the trees, 
 in the bush, or in the cavern. Fare thee well, 
 Bateta, and have kindly care for thy wife Hanna 
 and the children." 
 
 The Moon ended his speech, and floated up- 
 ward, radiant and gracious, until he rested in his 
 place in the sky, and all the children of the Moon 
 t winkled for joy and gladness so brightly, as the 
 parent of the world entered his house, that all 
 the heavens for a short time seemed burning. 
 Then the Moon drew over him his cloudy cloak, 
 and the little children of the Moon seemed to get 
 drowsy, for they twinkled dimly, and then a dark- 
 ness fell over all the earth, and in the darkness 
 man and beast retired, each to his own place, ac- 
 cording as the Moon had directed. 
 
 A second time Bateta waked from sleep, and 
 walked out to wonder at the intense brightness of 
 the burning light that made the day. Then he 
 looked around him, and his eyes rested upon a 
 noble flock of goats and sheep, all of whom bleated 
 their morning welcome, while the younglings 
 pranced about in delight, and after curvetting 
 around, expressed in little bleats the joy they felt
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN 23 
 
 at seeing their chief, Bateta. His attention was 
 also called to the domestic fowls ; there were red 
 and white and spotted cocks, and as many col- 
 oured hens, each with its own brood of chicks. 
 The hens trotted up to their master — cluck, cluck, 
 clucking — the tiny chicks, following each its own 
 mother — cheep, cheep, cheeping — while the cocks 
 threw out their breasts and strutted grandly be- 
 hind, and crowed with their trumpet throats, " All 
 hail, master." 
 
 Then the morning wind rose and swayed the 
 trees, plants, and grasses, and their tops bending 
 before it bowed their salutes to the new king of 
 the earth, and thus it was that man knew that his 
 reign over all was acknowledged. 
 
 A few months afterwards, another double birth 
 occurred, and a few months later there was still 
 another, and Bateta remembered the number of 
 months that intervened between each event, and 
 knew that it would be a regular custom for all 
 time. At the end of the eighteenth year, he per- 
 mitted his first-born to choose a wife, and when 
 his other children grew up he likewise allowed 
 them to select their wives. At the end of ninety 
 years, Hanna had born to Bateta two hundred and 
 forty-two children, and there were grandchildren, 
 and great-grandchildren, and countless great-great- 
 grandchildren, and they lived to an age many 
 times the length of the greatest age amongst us
 
 24 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 now-a-days. When they were so old that it be- 
 came a trouble to them to live, the Moon came 
 
 "THE MOON CAME DOWN TO THE EARTH 
 
 HIMSELF." 
 
 . AND BORE THEM TO 
 
 down to the earth as he had promised, and bore 
 them to himself, and soon after the first-born twins
 
 TEE CREATION OF MAN 25 
 
 died and were buried in the earth, and after that 
 the deaths were many and more frequent. People 
 ceased to live as long as their parents had done, 
 for sickness, dissensions, wars, famines, accidents 
 ended them and cut their days short, until they at 
 last forgot how to live long, and cared not to think 
 how their days might be prolonged. And it has 
 happened after this manner down to us who now 
 live. The whole earth has become filled with 
 mankind, but the dead that are gone and forgotten 
 are far greater in number than those now alive 
 upon the earth. 
 
 Ye see now, my friends, what mischief the 
 Toad did unto all mankind. Had his conceit been 
 less, and had he waited a little, the good Moon 
 would have conceived us of a nobler kind than we 
 now are, and the taint of the Toad had not cursed 
 man. Wherefore abandon headstrong ways, and 
 give not way to rashness, but pay good heed to 
 the wise and old, lest ye taint in like manner the 
 people, and cause the innocent, the young, and the 
 weak to suffer. I have spoken my say. If ye 
 have heard aught displeasing, remember I but tell 
 the tale as it was told unto me. 
 
 " Taking it as a mere story," said Baraka, " it is 
 very well told, but I should like to know why the 
 Moon did not teach Bateta the value of manioc, 
 since he took the trouble to tell him about the 
 banana."
 
 26 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " For the reason," answered Matageza, " that 
 when he showed him the banana, there was no one 
 but the Moon could have done so. But after the 
 Moon had given goats and sheep and fowls for his 
 companions, his own lively intelligence was suffi- 
 cient to teach Bateta many things. The goats 
 became great pets of Bateta, and used to follow 
 him about. He observed that there was a certain 
 plant to which the goats flocked with great greed, 
 to feed upon the tops until their bellies became 
 round and larsje with it. One day the idea came 
 to him that if the goats could feed so freely 
 upon it without harm, it might be also harmless 
 to him. Whereupon he pulled the plant up and 
 carried it home. While he was chopping up the 
 tops for the pot his pet goats tried to eat the tuber 
 which was the root, and he tried that also. He cut 
 up both leaves and root and cooked them, and after 
 tasting them he found them exceedingly good 
 and palatable, and thenceforward manioc became a 
 daily food to him and his family, and from them 
 to his children's children, and so on down to us." 
 
 " Verily, that is of great interest. Why did you 
 not put that in the story ?" 
 
 " Because the stoiy would then have no end. I 
 would have to tell you of the sweet potato, and 
 the tomato, of the pumpkin, of the millet that was 
 discovered by the fowls, and of the palm oil nut 
 that was discovered by the dog."
 
 THE CREATION OF MAN 27 
 
 " Ah, yes, tell us how a dog could have shown 
 the uses of the palm oil nut." 
 
 "It is very simple. Bateta coaxed a dog to 
 live with him because he found that the dog 
 preferred to sit on his haunches and wait for the 
 bones that his family threw aside after the meal 
 was over, rather than hunt for himself like other 
 flesh-eating beasts. One day Bateta walked out 
 into the woods, and his dog followed him. After 
 a lon^ walk Bateta rested at the foot of the 
 straight tall tree called the palm, and there were 
 a great many nuts lying on the ground, which 
 perhaps the monkeys or the wind had thrown 
 down. The dog after smelling them lay down and 
 began to eat them, and though Bateta was afraid 
 he would hurt himself, he allowed him to have his 
 own way, and he did not see that they harmed 
 him at all, but that he seemed as fond as ever of 
 them. By thinking of this he conceived that they 
 would be no harm to him ; and after cooking them, 
 he found that their fat improved the flavour of his 
 vegetables, hence the custom came down to us. 
 Indeed, the knowledge of most things that we 
 know to-day as edibles came down to us through 
 the observation of animals by our earliest fathers. 
 What those of old knew not was found out later 
 through stress of hunger, while men were lost in 
 the bushy wilds." 
 
 When at last we rose to retire to our tents and
 
 28 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 huts, the greater number of our party felt the 
 sorrowful conviction that the Toad had imparted 
 to all mankind an incurable taint, and that we 
 poor wayfarers, in particular, were cursed with an 
 excess of it, in consequence of which both Toad 
 and tadpole were heartily abused by all.
 
 THE GOAT. THE LION, AND THE 
 SERPENT 
 
 [ARUTI, which trans 
 lated means " snm- 
 powder," envied 
 Matageza the 
 " piece " of a dozen 
 gay handkerchiefs, 
 with which he had 
 been rewarded for 
 his excellent story, 
 and one evening while he served dinner, ventured 
 to tell me that he also remembered a story that 
 had been told to him when a child among the 
 Basoko. 
 
 " Very well, Baruti," I replied, " we will all meet 
 to-night around the camp fire as usual, and accord- 
 ing to the merits of your story you will surely be 
 rewarded. If it is better than Matageza's, you 
 shall have a still finer piece of cloth ; if it s not 
 so interesting, you cannot expect so much." 
 
 " All right, sir. Business is business, and 
 nothing for him that can say nothing." 
 
 Soon after the darkness had fallen the captains 
 of the expedition and the more intelligent men
 
 30 MY t)ARK COMPANIONS 
 
 began to form the evening circle, and after we had 
 discussed the state of the night, and the events of 
 the day, I called out to Baruti for his story, when, 
 after telling us what a great time had elapsed since 
 he had heard it, and how by searching into the 
 recesses of his memory he had at last remembered 
 it, he delivered the story of " The Goat, the Lion, 
 and the Serpent," in the following manner : — 
 
 A Goat and a Lion were travelling together one 
 day on the outskirts of a forest, at the end of 
 which there was a community of mankind com- 
 fortably hutted within a village, which was fenced 
 round with tall and pointed stakes. The Goat 
 said to the Lion : 
 
 " Well, now, my friend, where do you come from 
 this day ? " 
 
 " I have come from a feast that I have given 
 many friends of mine — to the leopard, hyena, wolf, 
 jackal, wild cat, buffalo, zebra, and many more. 
 The long-necked giraffe and dew-lapped eland were 
 also there, as well as the springing antelope." 
 
 " That is grand company you keep, indeed," said 
 the Goat, with a sigh. " As for poor me, I am 
 alone. No one cares for me very much, but I find 
 abundance of grass and sweet leafage, and when I 
 am full, I seek a soft spot under a tree, and chew 
 my cud, dreamily and contentedly. And of other 
 sorrows, save an occasional pang of hunger, in my 
 wanderings I know of none."
 
 THE 00 AT, THE LION, AND THE SERPENT 31 
 
 " Do you mean to say that you do not envy me 
 my regal dignity and strength ? " 
 
 " I do not indeed, because as yet I have been 
 ignorant of them." 
 
 " What ? Know you not that I am the strong- 
 est of all who dwell in the forest or wilderness? 
 that when I roar all who hear me bow down their 
 heads, and shrink in fear ? " 
 
 " Indeed, I do not know all this, nor am I very 
 sure that you are not deceiving yourself, because I 
 know many whose offensive powers are much more 
 dangerous, my friend, than yours. True, your teeth 
 are large, and your claws are sharp, and your roar 
 is loud enough, and your appearance is imposing. 
 Still, I know a tiny thing in these woods that is 
 much more to be dreaded than you are ; and I 
 think if you matched yourself against it in a 
 contest, that same tiny thing would become victor." 
 
 " Bah ! " said the Lion, impatiently, " you anger 
 me. Why, even to-day all who were at the feast 
 acknowledged that they were but feeble creatures 
 compared with me : and you will own that if I 
 but clawed you once there would be no life left in 
 you." 
 
 " What you say in regard to me is true enough, 
 and, as I said before, I do not pretend to the 
 possession of strength. But this tiny thing that 
 I know of is not likely to have been at your 
 feast."
 
 32 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " What may this tiny thing be that is so 
 dreadful ? " asked the Lion, sneeringly. 
 
 u The Serpent," answered the Goat, chewing his 
 cud with an indifferent air. 
 
 " The Serpent ! " said the Lion, astounded. 
 " What, that crawling reptile, which feeds on mice 
 and sleeping birds — that soft, vine-like, creeping 
 thing that coils itself in tufts of grass, and branches 
 of bush ? " 
 
 " Yes, that is its name and character clearly." 
 
 " Why, my weight alone would tread it until it 
 became flat like a smashed egg.'' 1 
 
 " I would not try to do so if I were you. Its 
 fangs are sharper than your great corner teeth or 
 claws." 
 
 " Will you match it against my strength ? " 
 
 "Yes."* 
 
 " And if you lose, what will be the forfeit ? " 
 
 " If you survive the fight, I will be your slave, 
 and you may command me for any purpose you 
 please. But what will you give me if you lose ? " 
 
 " What you please." 
 
 " Well, then, I will take one hundred bunches 
 of bananas ; and you had better bring them here 
 alongside of me, before you begin." 
 
 ' : Where is this Serpent that will fight with 
 me ? " 
 
 " Close by. When you have brought the bana- 
 nas he will be here, waiting for you."
 
 THE 00 AT, THE LION, AND THE SERPENT 33 
 
 The Lion stalked proudly away to procure the 
 bananas, and the Goat proceeded into the bush, 
 where he saw Serpent drowsily coiled in many 
 coils on a slender branch. 
 
 " Serpent," said the Goat, " wake up. Lion is 
 raging for a tight with you. He has made a bet of 
 a hundred bunches of bananas that he will be the 
 
 4 
 
 W«rtfl 
 
 ^CT*^"^- 
 
 "serpent, wake up ; LION is raging for a fight with you. 
 
 victor, and I have pledged my life that you will 
 be the strong one ; and, hark you, obey my hints, 
 and my life is safe, and I shall be provided with 
 food for at least three moons." 
 
 "Well," said Serpent, languidly, " what is it 
 that you wish me to do ? " 
 *3
 
 34 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " Take position on a bush about three cubits 
 high, that stands near the scene where the fight is 
 to take place, and when Lion is ready, raise your 
 crest high and boldly, and ask him to advance near 
 you that you may see him well, because you are 
 short-sighted, you know. And he, full of his con- 
 ceit and despising your slight form, will advance 
 towards you, unwitting of your mode of attack. 
 Then fasten your fangs in his eyebrows, and coil 
 yourself round his neck. If there is any virtue left 
 in your venom, poor Lion will lie stark before long." 
 
 " And if I do this, what will you do for me ? " 
 
 " I am thy servant and friend for all time." 
 
 "It is well," answered the Serpent. "Lead the 
 way." 
 
 Accordingly Goat led Serpent to the scene of 
 the combat, and the latter coiled itself in position, 
 as Goat had advised, on the leafy top of a young 
 bush. 
 
 Presently Lion came, with a long line of servile 
 animals, bearing one hundred bunches of bananas ; 
 and, after dismissing them, he turned to the Goat, 
 and said : 
 
 "Well, Goatee, where is your friend who is 
 stronger than I am ? I feel curious to see him." 
 
 " Are you Lion ? " asked a sibilant voice from 
 the top of a bush. 
 
 " Yes, I am ; and who are you that do not 
 know me ? "
 
 "FIXED his fangs in the right eyebrow of lion.
 
 THE GOAT, THE LION, AND THE SERPENT 37 
 
 " I am Serpent, friend Lion, and short of sight 
 and slow of movement. Advance nearer to me, 
 for I see yon not." 
 
 Lion uttered a loud roaring laugh, and went 
 confidently near the Serpent — who had raised his 
 crest and arched his neck — so near that his breath 
 seemed to blow the slender form to a tremulous 
 movement. 
 
 " You shake already," said Lion, mockingly. 
 
 "Yes, I shake but to strike the better, my 
 friend," said Serpent, as he darted forward and 
 fixed his fangs in the right eyebrow of Lion, and 
 at the same moment its body glided round the 
 neck of Lion, and became buried out of sight in 
 the copious mane. 
 
 Like the pain of fire the deadly venom was felt 
 quickly in the head and body. AVhen it reached 
 the heart, Lion fell down and lay still and dead. 
 
 " Well done," cried Goat, as he danced around 
 the pile of bananas. " Provisions for three moons 
 have I, and this doughty roarer is of no more value 
 than a dead goat." 
 
 Goat and Serpent then vowed friendship for one 
 another, after which Serpent said : 
 
 "Now follow me, and obey. I have a little 
 work for you." 
 
 " Work ! What work, O Serpent ? " 
 
 " It is light and agreeable. If you follow that 
 path, you will find a village of mankind. You will
 
 38 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 there proclaim to the people what I have done, and 
 show this carcase to them. In return for this they 
 will make much of you, and you will find abun- 
 dance of food in their gardens — tender leaves of 
 manioc and peanut, mellow bananas, and plenty of 
 rich greens daily. True, when you are fat and a 
 feast is to be made, they will kill you and eat you ; 
 but, for all your kind, comfort, plenty, and warm, 
 dry housing is more agreeable than the cold damp 
 jungle, and destruction by the feral beasts." 
 
 " Nay, neither the work nor the fate is grievous, 
 and I thank you, O Serpent ; but for you there 
 can be no other home than the bush and the tuft 
 of grass, and you will always be a dreaded enemy 
 of all who come near your resting-place." 
 
 Then they parted. The Goat went along the 
 path, and came to the gardens of a village, where 
 a woman was chopping fuel. Looking up she saw 
 a creature with grand horns coming near to her, 
 bleating. Her first impulse was to run away, but 
 seeing, as it bleated, that it was a fodder-eating 
 animal, with no means of offence, she plucked some 
 manioc greens and coaxed it to her, upon which 
 the Goat came and spoke to her. 
 
 " Follow me, for I have a strange thing to show 
 you a little distance off." 
 
 The woman, wondering that a four-footed animal 
 could address her in intelligible speech, followed ; 
 and the Goat trotted gently before her to where
 
 THE 00 AT, THE LION, AND THE SERPENT 39 
 
 Lion lay dead. The woman upon seeing the body, 
 
 stopped and asked, " What is the meaning of this?" 
 
 The Goat answered, " This was once the king of 
 
 beasts ; the fear of him was upon all that lived in 
 
 "CONVEYED IT TO THE VILLAGE." 
 
 the woods and in the wilderness. But he too often 
 boasted of his might, and became too proud. I 
 therefore dared him to fight a tiny creature of the 
 bush, and lo ! the boaster was slain." 
 " And how do you name the victor ? "
 
 40 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 "The Serpent." 
 
 " Ah ! you say true. Serpent is king over all, 
 except man," answered the woman. 
 
 " You are of a wise kind," answered the Goat. 
 "Serpent confessed to me that man was his 
 superior, and sent me to you that I might become 
 man's creature. Henceforth man shall feed me 
 with greens, tender tops of plants, and house and 
 protect me ; but when the feast-day comes, man 
 shall kill me, and eat of my flesh. These are the 
 words of Serpent." 
 
 The woman hearkened to all Goat's words, and 
 retained them in her memory. Then she unrobed 
 the Lion of his furry spoil, and conveyed it to the 
 village, where she astonished her folk with all 
 that had happened to her. From that day to this 
 the goat kind has remained with the families of 
 man, and people are grateful to the Serpent for 
 his gift to them ; for had not the Serpent com- 
 manded it to seek their presence, the Goat had re- 
 mained for ever wild like the antelope, its brother. 
 
 " Well done, Baruti," cried Chowpereh. " That 
 is a very good story, and it is very likely to be a 
 true one too. Wallahi, there is some sense in 
 these pagans after all, and I had thought that 
 their heads were very woodeny." It is needless 
 to say that the sentiments of Chowpereh were 
 generally shared, and that Baruti received the 
 new dress he so well deserved.
 
 THE QUEEN OF THE POOL 
 
 ASSIM was a sturdy 
 lad from the Basoko 
 country, and a chum 
 of Baruti. As yet 
 he had never related 
 to us a legend, 
 though he loved to 
 sit near the fire, and 
 listen to the tales 
 of the days of old. 
 This silence on his 
 part was at last remarked, and one night he was 
 urged by all of us to speak, because it was unfair 
 that those who frequented our open-air club should 
 be always ready to receive amusement, and yet 
 refuse to contribute their share to the entertain- 
 ment. This kind of argument pushed home, 
 brought him at last to admit that he owed the 
 party a debt in kind, and he said : 
 
 Well, friends, each man according to his nature, 
 though there are so many men in the world they 
 differ from one another as much as stones, no two 
 of which are exactly alike. Here is Baruti here.
 
 42 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 who never seems to tire of speech, while I find 
 more pleasure in watching his lips move up and 
 down, and his tongue pop out and in, than in using 
 my own. I cannot remember any legend, that is 
 the truth ; but I know of something which is not 
 fiction, that occurred in our country relating to 
 Izoka — a woman originally of Umane, the big 
 town above Basoko. Izoka, the Queen of the 
 Pool, as we call her, is alive now, and should you 
 ever pass by Uman6 again, you may ask any of 
 the natives if my words are true, and you will find 
 that they will certify to what I shall now tell you. 
 
 Izoka is the daughter of a chief of Umane whose 
 name is Uyimba, and her mother is called Tvvekay. 
 One of the young warriors called Koku lifted his 
 eyes towards her, and as he had a house of his 
 own which was empty, he thought Izoka ought to 
 be the one to keep his hearth warm, and be his 
 companion while he went fishing. The idea be- 
 came fixed in his mind, and he applied to her 
 father, and the dowry was demanded ; and, though 
 it was heavy, it was paid, to ease his longing after 
 her. 
 
 Now, Izoka was in every way fit to be a chiefs 
 wife. She was tall, slender, comely of person ; her 
 skin was like down to the touch, her kindly eyes 
 brimmed over with pleasantness, her teeth were 
 like white beads, and her ready laugh was such 
 that all who heard it compared it to the sweet
 
 THE QUE EN OF THE POOL 43 
 
 sounds of a flute which the perfect player loves to 
 make before he begins a tune, and men's moods 
 became merry when she passed them in the vil- 
 lage. Well, she became Koku's wife, and she left 
 her father's house to live with her husband. 
 
 At first it seemed that they were born for one 
 another. Though Koku was no mean fisherman, 
 his wife excelled him in every way. Where one 
 fish came into his net, ten entered into that of 
 Izoka, and this great success brought him abun- 
 dance. His canoe returned daily loaded with fish, 
 and on reaching home they had as much work to 
 clean and cure the fish as they could manage. 
 Their daily catch would have supported quite a 
 village of people from starving. They therefore 
 disposed of their surplus stock by bartering it for 
 slaves, and goats, and fowls, hoes, carved paddles, 
 and swords ; and in a short time Koku became 
 the wealthiest among the chiefs of Umane, through 
 the good fortune that attended Izoka in whatever 
 she did. 
 
 Most men would have considered themselves 
 highly favoured in having such fortunate wives, 
 but it was not so with Koku. He became a 
 changed man. Prosperity proved his bane. He 
 went no more with Izoka to fish ; he seldom 
 visited the market in her company, nor the fields 
 where the slaves were at work, planting manioc, 
 or weeding the plantain rows, or clearing the
 
 44 MT DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 jungle, as he used to do. He was now always 
 seen with his long pipe, and boozing with wretched 
 idlers on the plantain wine purchased with his 
 wife's industry ; and when he came home it was 
 to storm at his wife in such a manner that she 
 could only bow to it in silence. 
 
 When Koku was most filled with malice, he had 
 an irritating way of disguising his spitefulness with 
 a wicked smile, while his tongue expressed all sorts 
 of contrary fancies. He would take delight in 
 saying that her smooth skin was as rough as the 
 leaf with which we polish our spear-shafts, that she 
 was dumpy and dwarfish, that her mouth reminded 
 him of a crocodile's, and her ears of an ape's; 
 her legs were crooked, and her feet were like 
 hippopotamus hoofs, and she was scorned for even 
 her nails, which were worn to the quick with 
 household toil ; and he continued in this style to 
 vex her, until at last he became persuaded that it 
 was she who tormented him. Then he accused her 
 of witchcraft. He said that it was by her witch's 
 medicines that she caught so many fish, and he 
 knew that some day she would poison him. Now, 
 in our country this is a very serious accusation. 
 However, she never crossed her husband's humour, 
 but received the bitterness with closed lips. This 
 silent habit of hers made matters worse. For, the 
 more patience she showed, the louder his accusa- 
 tions became, and theworse she appeared in his
 
 THE QUEEN OF THE POOL 45 
 
 eyes. And indeed it is no wonder. If you make 
 up your mind that you will see naught in a wife 
 but faults, you become blind to everything else. 
 
 Her cooking also according to him was vile — 
 there was either too much palm oil or too little in 
 the herb-mess, there was sand in the meat of the fish, 
 the fowls were nothing but bones, she was said to 
 empty the chilli-pot into the stew, the house was not 
 clean, there were snakes in his bed — and so on and 
 so on. Then she threatened, when her tough pa- 
 tience quite broke down, that she would tell her 
 father if he did not desist, which so enraged him 
 that he took a thick stick, and beat her so cruelly 
 that she was nearly dead. This was too much to bear 
 from one so ungrateful, and she resolved to elope 
 into the woods, and live apart from all mankind. 
 
 She had travelled a good two days' journey 
 when she came in sight of a lengthy and wide pool 
 which was fed by many springs, and bordered by 
 tall, bending reeds ; and the view of this body of 
 water, backed by deep woods all round, appeared 
 to her so pleasing that she chose a level place near 
 its edge for a resting-place. Then she unstrapped 
 her hamper, and sitting down turned out the 
 things she had brought, and began to think of 
 what could be done with them. There was a 
 wedge-like axe which might also be used as an adze, 
 there were two hoes, a handy Basoko bill -hook, a 
 couple of small nets, a ladle, half-a-dozen small
 
 46 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 gourds full of grains, a cooking-pot, some small 
 fish-knives, a bunch of tinder, a couple of fire-sticks, 
 a short stick of sugar-cane, two banana bulbs, a 
 few beads, iron bangles, and tiny copper balls. As 
 she looked over all these things, she smiled with 
 satisfaction and thought she would manage well 
 enough. She then went into the pool a little way 
 and looked searchingly in for a time, and she 
 smiled again, as if to say "better and better." 
 
 Now with her axe she cut a hoe-handle, and in 
 a short time it was ready for use. Going to the 
 pool-side, she commenced to make quite a large 
 round hole. She laboured at this until the. hole 
 was as deep and wide as her own height ; then she 
 plastered the bottom evenly with the mud from 
 the pool-bank, and after that she made a great fire 
 at the bottom of the pit, and throughout the night 
 that followed, after a few winks of sleep, she 
 would rise and throw on more fuel. When the 
 next day dawned, after breaking her fast with a 
 few grains baked in her pot, she swept out all the 
 fire from the well, and wherever a crack appeared 
 in the baked bottom she filled it up carefully, and 
 she also plastered the sides all round smoothly, 
 and again she made a great fire in the pit, and 
 left it to burn all that day. 
 
 While the fire was baking the bottom and walls 
 of the well, she hid her hamper among a clump of 
 reeds, and explored her neighbourhood. During
 
 THE QUEEN OF THE POOL 47 
 
 her wanderings she found a path leading north- 
 ward, and she noted it. She also discovered many 
 nuts, sweet red berries, some round, others oval, 
 and the fruit which is a delight to the elephants ; 
 and loading herself with as many of these articles 
 as she could carry, she returned, and sat down by 
 the mouth of the well, and refreshed herself. The 
 last work of the day was to take out the fire, 
 plaster up the cracks in the bottom and sides, and 
 re-make the fire as great as ever. Her bed she 
 made not far from it, with her axe by her side. 
 
 On the next morning she determined to follow 
 the path she had discovered the day before, and 
 when the sun was well-nigh at the middle of the 
 sky, she came suddenly in view of a banana grove, 
 whereupon she instantly retreated a little and hid 
 herself. When darkness had well set, she rose, 
 and penetrating the grove, cut down a large bunch 
 of bananas, with which she hurried back along the 
 road. When she came to a stick she had laid 
 across the path, she knew she was not far from 
 the pool, and she remained there until it was 
 sufficiently light to find her way to the well. 
 
 By the time she arrived at her well it was in a 
 perfect state, the walls being as sound and well 
 baked as her cooking-pot. After half-filling it 
 with water, she roasted a few bananas, and made a 
 contented meal from them. Then taking her pot 
 she boiled some bananas, and with these she made
 
 48 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 a batter. She now emptied the pot, smeared the 
 bottom and sides of it thickly with this sticky 
 batter, and then tying a vine round the pot she let 
 it down into the pond. As soon as it touched the 
 ground, lo ! the minnows nocked greedily into the 
 vessel to feed on the batter. And on Izoka sud- 
 denly drawing it up she brought out several score 
 of minnows, the spawn of catfish, and some of the 
 young of the bearded fish which grow to such an 
 immense size in our waters. The minnows she 
 took out and dried to serve as food, but the young 
 of the cat and bearded fish she dropped into her 
 well. She next dug a little ditch from the well 
 to the pool, and after making a strong and close 
 netting of cane splinters across the mouth of the 
 ditch, she made another narrow ditch to let a thin 
 rillet of spring water supply the well with fresh 
 water. 
 
 Every day she spent a little time in building a 
 hut, in a cosy place surrounded by bush, which 
 had only one opening ; then she would go and 
 work a little at a garden wherein she had planted 
 the sugar-cane, which had been cut into three 
 parts, and the two banana bulbs, and had sowed 
 her millet, and her sesamum, and yellow corn 
 which she had brought in the gourds, and every 
 day she carefully fed her fish in the well. But 
 there were three things she missed most in her 
 loneliness, and these were the cries of an infant,
 
 THE QUEEN OF THE POOL 49 
 
 the proud cluck of the hen after she lays an egg, 
 and the bleating of a kid at her threshold. This 
 made her think that she might replace them by 
 something else, and she meditated long upon what 
 it might be. 
 
 Observing that there were a number of ground- 
 squirrels about, she thought of snares to catch 
 them. She accordingly made loops of slender but 
 strong vines near the roots of the trees, and across 
 their narrow tracks in the woods. And she suc- 
 ceeded at last in catching a pair. With other 
 vines rubbed over with bird-lime she caught some 
 young parrots and wagtails, whose wing feathers 
 she chopped off with her bill-hook. And one day, 
 while out gathering nuts and berries for her birds, 
 she came across a nest of the pelican, wherein were 
 some eggs ; and these she resolved to watch until 
 they were hatched, when she would take and rear 
 them. She had found full occupation for her mind, 
 in making cages for her squirrels and birds, and 
 providing them with food, and had no time at all 
 for grief. 
 
 Izoka, however, being very partial to the fish in 
 her well, devoted most of her leisure to feeding 
 them, and they became so tame, and intelligent that 
 they understood the cooing notes of a strange 
 song which she taught them, as though they were 
 human beings. She fed them plentifully with 
 banana-batter, so that in a few months they had 
 4
 
 50 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 grown into a goodly size. By-and-by, they became 
 too large for the well, and as they were perfectly 
 tame, she took them out, and allowed them to go 
 at large in the pool ; but punctually in the early 
 morning, and at noon and sunset, she called them 
 to her, and gave them their daily portion of food, 
 for by this time she had a goodly store of bananas 
 and grain from her plantation and garden. One 
 of the largest fish she called Munu, and he was so 
 intelligent and trustful in his mistress's hands that 
 he disliked going very far from the neighbourhood ; 
 and if she laid her two hands in the water, he 
 would rest contentedly in the hollow thus formed. 
 She had also strung her stock of shells and beads 
 into necklaces, and had fastened them round the 
 tails of her favorite fish. 
 
 Her other friends grew quite as tame as the fish, 
 for all kinds of animals learn to cast off their fears 
 of mankind in return for true kindness, and when 
 no disturbing shocks alarm them. And in this 
 lonely place, so sheltered by protecting woods, 
 where the wind had scarce power to rustle the 
 bending reed and hanging leaves, there was no 
 noise to inspire the most timid with fright. 
 
 If you try, you can fancy this young woman 
 Izoka sitting on the ground by the pool-side, sur- 
 rounded by her friends, like a mother by her off- 
 spring. In her arms a young pelican, on one 
 shoulder a chattering parrot, on the other a sharp
 
 THE QUEEN OF THE POOL 51 
 
 eyed squirrel, sitting on his haunches, licking his 
 fore-feet ; in her lap another playing with his 
 bushy tail, and at her feet the wagtails, wagging 
 friskily their hind parts and kicking up little 
 showers of dusty soil. Between her and the pool 
 a long-legged heron, who has long ago been snared, 
 and has submitted to his mistress's kindness, 
 and now stands on one leg, as though he were 
 watching for her safety. Not far behind her is 
 her woodland home, well stored with food and 
 comforts, which are the products of her skill and 
 care. Swifts and sand-martins are flying about, 
 chasing one another merrily, and making the place 
 ring with their pipings ; the water of the pool lies 
 level and unwrinkled, save in front of her, where 
 the fish sometimes flop about, impatient for their 
 mistress's visit. 
 
 This was how she appeared one day to the cruel 
 eyes of Koku her husband, who had seen the 
 smoke of her fire as he was going by the path 
 which led to the north. Being a woodman as well 
 as a fisher, he had the craft of such as hunt, and 
 he stealthily approached from tree to tree until 
 he was so near that he could see the beady eyes 
 of the squirrel on her shoulder, who startled her 
 by his sudden movements. It was strange how 
 quickly the alarm was communicated from one to 
 another. His brother squirrel peeped from one 
 side with his tail over his back like a crest, the
 
 52 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 parrot turned one eye towards the tree behind 
 which Koku stood, and appeared transfixed, the 
 heron dropped his other leg to the ground, uttered 
 his melancholy cry, Kwa-le, and dropped his tail 
 as though he would surge upward. The wagtails 
 stopped their curtseying, the pelicans turned their 
 long bills and laid them lazily along their backs, 
 looking fixedly at the tree ; and at last Izoka, 
 warned by all these signs of her friends, also turned 
 her head in the same direction, but she saw no one, 
 and as it was sunset she took her friends indoors. 
 
 Presently she came out again, and went to 
 the pool-side with fish-food, and cooed softly to 
 her friends in the water, and the fish rushed to her 
 call, and crowded around her. After giving them 
 their food, she addressed Munu, the largest fish, and 
 said, " I am going out to-night to see if I cannot 
 find a discarded cooking-vessel, for mine is broken. 
 Beware of making friends with any man or 
 woman who cannot repeat the song I taught 
 you," and the fish replied by sweeping his tail to 
 right and left, according to his way. 
 
 Izoka, who now knew the woods by night as 
 well as by day, proceeded on her journey, little 
 suspecting that Koku had discovered her, and her 
 manner of life and woodland secrets. He waited a 
 little time, then crept to the pool-side, and repeated 
 the song which she had sung, and immediately 
 there was a great rush of fish towards him, at
 
 THE QUEEN OF THE POOL 53 
 
 the number and size of which lie was amazed. 
 By this he perceived what chance of booty there 
 was here for him, and he sped away to the path 
 to the place where he had left his men, and he 
 cried out to them, "Come, haste with me to the 
 woods by a great pool, where I have discovered 
 loads of fish." 
 
 His men were only too glad to obey him, and 
 by midnight they had all arrived at the pool. 
 After stationing them near him in a line, with 
 their spears poised to strike, Koku sang the song 
 of Izoka in a soft voice, and the great and small 
 fish leapt joyfully from the depths where they 
 were sleeping, and they thronged towards the 
 shore, flinging themselves over each other, and 
 they stood for awhile gazing doubtfully up at the 
 line of men. But soon the cruel spears flew from 
 their hands, and Munu, the pride of Izoka, was 
 pierced by several, and was killed and dragged on 
 land by the shafts of the weapons which had slain 
 him. Munu was soon cut up, he and some others 
 of his fellows, and the men, loading themselves 
 with the meat, hastily departed. 
 
 Near moraine; Izoka returned to her home with 
 a load of bananas and a cooking-vessel, and after 
 a short rest and refreshment, she fed her friends — 
 the ground squirrels, the young pelicans, the par- 
 rots and herons, and scattered a generous supply 
 for the wagtails, and martins, and swifts ; then
 
 54 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 hastened with her bounties to the pool-side. But, 
 alas ! near the water's edge there was a sight 
 which almost caused her to faint — there were 
 tracks of many feet, bruised reeds, blood, scales, 
 and refuse of fish. She cooed softly to her friends ; 
 
 " MUNU, THE PRIDE OF IZOKA, WAS KILLED." 
 
 they heard her cry, but approached slowly and 
 doubtingly. She called out to Munu, " Munu-nu- 
 nu, oh, Munu, Munu, Munu ; " but Munu came 
 not, and the others stood w^ell away from the 
 shore, gazing at her reproachfully, and they would 
 not advance any nearer. Perceiving that they dis-
 
 TEE QUEEN OF THE POOL 55 
 
 trusted her, she threw herself on the ground and 
 wept hot teai*s, and wailing, " Oh ! Munu, Munu, 
 Munu, why do you doubt me ? " 
 
 When Izoka's grief had somewhat subsided she 
 followed the tracks through the woods until she 
 came to the path, where they were much clearer, 
 and there she discovered that those who had vio- 
 lated her peaceful home, had travelled towards 
 Umane. A suspicion that her husband must have 
 been of the number served to anger her still more, 
 and she resolved to follow the plunderers, and en- 
 deavour to obtain justice. Swiftly she sped on 
 the trail, and after many hours' quick travel she 
 reached Urnane" after darkness had fallen. This 
 favoured her purpose, and she was able to steal, 
 unperceived, near to the open place in front of her 
 husband's house, when she saw Koku and his 
 friends feasting on fish, and heard him boast of 
 his discovery of the fine fish in a forest pool. In 
 her fury at his daring villainy she was nearly 
 tempted to rush upon him and cleave his head 
 with her bill-hook, but she controlled herself, and 
 sat down to think. Then she made the resolution 
 that she would go to her father and claim his pro- 
 tection — a privilege she might long ago have used 
 had not her pride been wounded by the brutal 
 treatment her person had received at the hands of 
 Koku. 
 
 Her father's village was but a little distance
 
 56 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 away from Umane, and in a short time all the 
 people in it were startled by hearing the shrill 
 voice of one who was believed to be long ago dead, 
 crying out in the darkness the names of Uyimba 
 and Twekay. On hearing the names of their chief 
 and his wife repeatedly called, the men seized 
 their spears and sallied out, and discovered, to 
 their astonishment, that the long-lost Izoka was 
 amongst them once again, and that she was suffer- 
 ing from great and overpowering grief. They led 
 her to her father's door, and called out to Uyimba 
 and his wife Twekay to come out, and receive her, 
 saying that it was a shame that the pride of 
 Umane should be suffering like a slave in her 
 father's own village. The old man and his wife 
 hurried out, torches were lit, and Twekay soon re- 
 ceived her weeping daughter in her arms. 
 
 In our country we are not very patient in pres- 
 ence of news, and as everybody wished to know 
 Izoka's story, she was made to sit down on a 
 shield, and tell all her adventures since she had 
 eloped from Umane. The people listened in won- 
 der to all the strange things that were told ; but 
 when she related the cruelty of Koku, the men 
 rose to their feet all together, and beat their 
 shields with their spears, and demanded the pun- 
 ishment of Koku, and that Uyimba should lead 
 them there and then to Umane. They accordingly 
 proceeded in a body to the town, to Koku's house,
 
 THE QUEEN OF THE POOL 57 
 
 and as lie came out in answer to the call of one of 
 them, to ascertain what the matter was, they fell 
 upon him, and bound him hand and foot, and 
 carrying him to their superior chief's house they 
 put him to his trial. Many witnesses came for- 
 ward to testify against his cruel treatment of 
 Izoka, and of the robbery of the fish and of the 
 manner of it ; and the great chief placed Koku's 
 life in the power of Uyimba, whose daughter he 
 had wronged, who at once ordered Koku to be be- 
 headed, and his body to be thrown into the river. 
 The sentence was executed at the river-side with- 
 out loss of time. The people of Umane and 
 Uyimba's village then demanded that, as Izoka 
 had shown herself so clever and good as to make 
 birds, animals, and fish obey her voice, some mark 
 of popular favour should be given to her. Where- 
 upon the principal chief of Umane, in the name of 
 the tribe, ceded to her all rights to the Forest 
 Pool, and the wood and all things in it round 
 about as far as she could travel in half a day, 
 and also all the property of which Koku stood 
 possessed. 
 
 Izoka, by the favour of her tribe, thus became 
 owner of a large district, and mistress of many 
 slaves, and flocks, goats, and fowls, and all man- 
 ner of useful things for making a settlement by 
 the Pool. There is now a large village there, and 
 Izoka is well known in many lands near Umane
 
 58 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 and Basoko as the Queen of the Pool, and at last 
 accounts was still living, prosperous and happy; 
 but she has never been known to try marriage 
 again. 
 
 Kassim's story was greatly applauded, and he 
 became at once a favourite with the Zauzibaris. 
 
 " THE SENTENCE WAS EXECUTED WITHOUT LOSS OF TIME. 
 
 He was drawn towards the head man, and made 
 to sit down by him. One Zanzibari gave him a 
 handful of roasted peanuts, another gave him a 
 roasted banana, while a third touched up the fire ; 
 and the compliments he received were so many, 
 that for the time, as one could see, he was quite
 
 THE QUEEN OF THE POOL 59 
 
 vain. When a royal Dabwani cloth was spread 
 out for inspection, and finally flung over his shoul- 
 ders, we saw him cast a look at Baruti, which we 
 knew to mean, "Ah, ah, Baruti, other folk can 
 tell a story as well as you ! "
 
 THE ELEPHANT AND THE LION 
 
 T a camp on the Upper 
 
 Congo, in 1877, 
 Chakanja drew 
 near our fire as 
 story-telling was 
 about to begin, 
 and was immedi- 
 ately beset with 
 eager demands 
 for a tale from 
 him. Like a singer who always professes to have 
 a cold before he indulges his friends with a song, 
 Chakanja needed more than a few entreaties ; but 
 finally, after vowing that he never could remem- 
 ber anything, he consented to gratify us with the 
 legend of the Elephant and the Lion. 
 
 " Well," he answered, with a deep sigh, " if I 
 must, I must. You must know we Waganda are 
 fond of three things — To have a nice wife, a 
 pleasant farm, and to hear good news, or a lively 
 story. I have heard a great many stories in my 
 life, but unlike Kadu, my mind remembers them 
 not. Men's heads are not the same, any more
 
 THE ELEPHANT AND THE LION 61 
 
 than men's hearts are alike. But I take it that a 
 poor tale is better than none. It comes back to 
 me like a dream, this tale of the Elephant and 
 the Lion. I heard it first when on a visit to 
 Gabunga's ; but who can tell it like him ? If you 
 think the tale is not well told, it is my fault ; but 
 then, do not blame me too much, or I shall think 
 I ought to blame you to-morrow when it will be 
 your turn to amuse the party." 
 
 Now open your ears ! A huge and sour-tem- 
 pered elephant went and wandered in the forest. 
 His inside was slack for want of juicy roots and 
 succulent reeds, but his head was as full of dark 
 thoughts as a gadfly is full of blood. As he looked 
 this way and that, he observed a young lion asleep 
 at the foot of a tree. He regarded him for awhile, 
 then, as he was in a wicked mood, it came to him 
 that he might as well kill the lion, and he accord- 
 ingly rushed forward and impaled him with his 
 tusks. He then lifted the body with his trunk, 
 swung it about, and dashed it against the tree, and 
 afterwards kneeled on it until it became as shape- 
 less as a crushed banana pulp. He then laughed 
 and said, " Ha ! ha ! This is a proof that I am 
 strong. I have killed a lion, and people will 
 say proud things of me, and will wonder at my 
 strength." 
 
 Presently a brother elephant came up and 
 greeted him.
 
 62 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " See," said the first elephant, " what I have 
 done. It was I that killed him. I lifted him on 
 high, and lo, he lies like a rotten banana. Do you 
 not think that I am very strong ? Come, be frank 
 now, and give me some credit for what I have 
 done." 
 
 Elephant No. 2 replied, " It is true that you are 
 strong, but that was only a young lion. There are 
 others of his kind, and I have seen them, who 
 would give you considerable trouble." 
 
 " Ho, ho ! " laughed the first elephant. " Get 
 out, stupid. You may bring his whole tribe here, 
 and I will show you what I can do. Aye ! and to 
 your dam to boot." 
 
 " What ? My o^yn mother, too ? " 
 
 * Yes Go and fetch her if you like." 
 
 " Well, well," said No. 2, " you are far gone, 
 there is no doubt. Fare you well." 
 
 No. 2 proceeded on his wanderings, resolved 
 in his own mind that if he had an opportunity he 
 would send some one to test the boaster's strength. 
 No. 1 called out to him as he moved off — 
 
 " Away you go. Good-by to you." 
 
 In a little while No. 2 Elephant met a lion 
 and lioness, full grown, and splendid creatures, 
 who turned out to be the parents of the youngster 
 which had been slain. After a sociable chat with 
 them, he said : 
 
 "If you go further on along the path I came
 
 THE ELEPHANT AND THE LION 03 
 
 you will meet a kind of game which requires 
 killing badly. He has just mangled your cub." 
 
 Meantime Elephant No. 1, after chuckling to 
 himself very conceitedly, proceeded to the pool 
 near by to bathe and cool himself. At every step 
 he went you could hear his " Ha, ha, ha ! loh ! I 
 have killed a lion ! " While he was in the pool, 
 spurting the water in a shower over his back, he 
 suddenly looked up, and at the water's edge 
 beheld a lion and lioness who were regarding 
 him sternly. 
 
 " Well ! What do you want ? " he asked. 
 " Why are you standing there looking at me in 
 that way ? " 
 
 " Are you the rogue who killed our child ? " 
 they asked. 
 
 " Perhaps I am," he answered. " Why do you 
 want to know ? " 
 
 " Because we are in search of him. If it be 
 you that did it, you will have to do the same to 
 us before you leave this ground." 
 
 " Ho ! ho ! " laughed the elephant loudly. 
 "Well, hark. It was I who killed your cub. 
 Come now, it was I. Do you hear ? And if you 
 do not leave here mighty quick, I shall have to 
 serve you both in the same way as I served him." 
 
 The lions roared aloud in their fury, and 
 switched their tails violently. 
 
 " Ho, ho ! " laughed the elephant gaily. " This
 
 64 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 is grand. There is no doubt I shall run soon, 
 they make me so skeery," and he danced round 
 the pool and jeered at them, then drank a great 
 quantity of water and blew it in a shower over 
 them. 
 
 The lions stirred not, but kept steadfastly 
 gazing at him, planning how to make their attack. 
 . Perceiving that they were obstinate, he threw 
 another stream of water over the lions and then 
 backed into the deepest part of the pool, until 
 there was nothing seen of him but the tip of his 
 trunk. When he rose again the lions were still 
 watching him, and had not moved. 
 
 " Ho, ho ! " he trumpeted, " still there ? Wait 
 a little, I am coming to you." He advanced 
 towards the shore, but when he was close enough 
 the lion sire sprang into the air, and alighted on 
 the elephant's back, and furiously tore at the 
 muscles of the neck, and bit deep into the shoulder. 
 The elephant retreated quickly into the deepest 
 part of the pool, and submerged himself and his 
 enemy, until the lion was compelled to abandon 
 his back and begin to swim ashore. No sooner 
 had the elephant felt himself relieved, than he rose 
 to the surface, and hastily followed and seized the 
 lion with his trunk. Despite his struggles he was 
 pressed beneath the surface, dragged under his 
 knees, and trodden into the mud, and in a short 
 time the lion sire was dead.
 
 THE ELEPHANT AND THE LION 6? 
 
 The elephant laughed triumphantly, and cried, 
 " Ho, ho ! am I not strong, Ma Lion ? Did you 
 ever see the likes of me before ? Two of you ! 
 Young Lion and Pa Lion are now killed ! Come, 
 Ma Lion, had you not better try now, just to see 
 if you won't have better luck? Come on, old 
 woman, just once." 
 
 The lioness fiercely answered, while she re- 
 treated from the pool, " Rest where you are. I 
 am going to find my brother, and will be back 
 shortly." 
 
 The elephant trumpeted his scorn of her and her 
 kind, and seizing the carcase of her lord, flung it 
 on shore after her, and declared his readiness to 
 abide where he was, that he might make mash of 
 all the lion family. 
 
 In a short time the lioness had found her 
 brother, who was a mighty fellow, and full of fight. 
 As they advanced near the pool together, they 
 consulted as to the best means of getting at the 
 elephant. Then the lioness sprang forward to the 
 edge of the pool. The elephant retreated a short 
 distance into deeper water. The lioness upon this 
 crept along the pool, and pretended to lap the 
 water. The elephant moved towards her. The 
 lion waited his chance, and finally, with a great 
 roar, sprang upon his shoulders, and commenced 
 tearing away at the very place which had been 
 torn by lion sire.
 
 68 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 The elephant backed quickly into deep water as 
 he had done before, and submerged himself, but 
 the lion maintained his hold and bit deeper. The 
 elephant then sank down until there was nothing 
 to be seen but the tip of his trunk, upon which the 
 
 "DROVE ONE OF HIS TUSKS THROUGH HIS ADVERSARY'S BODY." 
 
 lion, to avoid suffocation, relaxed his hold and 
 swam vigorously towards shore. The elephant 
 rose up, and as the lion was stepping on shore, 
 seized him, and drove one of his tusks through his 
 adversary's body ; but as he was in the act, the 
 lioness sprang upon the elephant's neck, and bit
 
 THE ELEPHANT AND THE LION 69 
 
 and tore so furiously that he fell dead, and with 
 his fall crushed the dying lion. 
 
 Soon after the close of the terrible qombat, Ele- 
 phant No. 2 came up, and discovered the lioness 
 licking her chops and paws, and said — 
 
 " Hello, it seems there has been quite a quarrel 
 here lately. Three lions are dead, and here lies 
 one of my own kind, stiffening." 
 
 " Yes," replied lioness, gloomily, " the rogue 
 elephant killed my cub while the little fellow was 
 asleep in the woods. He then killed my husband 
 and brother, and I killed him ; but I do not think 
 the elephant has gained much by fighting with 
 us. I did not have much trouble in killing him. 
 Should you meet any friends of his, you may warn 
 them to leave the lioness alone, or she may be 
 tempted to make short work of them." 
 
 Elephant No. 2, though a patient person gener- 
 ally, was annoyed at this, and gave her a sudden 
 kick with one of his hind feet, which sent her 
 sprawling a good distance off, and asked — 
 
 " How do you like that, Ma Lion ? " 
 
 " What do you mean by that ? " demanded the 
 enraged lioness. 
 
 " Oh, because I hate to hear so much bragging." 
 
 " Do you also wish to fight ? " she asked. 
 
 " We should never talk about doing an impossi- 
 ble thing, Ma Lion," he answered. " I have trav- 
 elled many years through these woods, and I have
 
 70 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 never fought yet. I find that when a person minds 
 his own business he seldom comes to trouble, and 
 when I meet one who is even stronger than myself 
 I greet him pleasantly, and pass on, and I should 
 advise you to do the same, Ma Lion." 
 
 "You are saucy, Elephant. It would be well 
 for you to think upon your stupid brother there, 
 who lies so stark under your nose, before you 
 trouble with your insolence one who slew him." 
 
 " Well, words never yet made a plantation ; it 
 is the handling of a hoe that makes fields. See 
 here, Ma Lion, if I talked to you all day I could 
 not make you wise. I will just turn my back to 
 you. If you will bite me, you will soon learn how 
 weak you are." 
 
 The lioness, angered still more by the elephant's 
 contempt, sprang at his shoulders, and clung to 
 him, upon which he rushed at a stout tree, and 
 pressing his shoulders against it, crushed the 
 breath out of her body, and she ceased her 
 struggles. When he relaxed his pressure, the 
 body fell to the ground, and he knelt upon it, and 
 kneaded it until every bone was broken. 
 
 While the elephant was meditatively standing 
 over the body, and thinking what misfortunes 
 happen to boasters, a man came along, carrying a 
 spear, and seeing that the elephant was unaware 
 of his presence, he thought what great luck had 
 happened to him.
 
 THE ELEPHANT AND THE LION 73 
 
 Said he, " Ah, what fine tusks he has. I shall 
 be rich with them, and shall buy slaves and cattle, 
 and with these I will get a wife and a farm," say- 
 ing which he advanced silently, and when he was 
 near enough, darted his spear into a place behind 
 the shoulder. 
 
 The elephant turned around quickly, and on 
 beholding his enemy rushed after and overtook 
 him, and mauled him, until in a few moments he 
 was a mangled corpse. 
 
 Soon after a woman approached, and seeing 
 four lions, one elephant, and her husband dead, 
 she raised up her hands wonderingly and cried, 
 " How did all this happen ? " The elephant, hear- 
 ing her voice, came from behind a tree, with a spear 
 quivering in his side, and bleeding profusely. At 
 the sight of him the woman turned round to fly, 
 but the elephant cried out to her, " Nay, run not, 
 woman, for I can do you no harm. The happy 
 days in the woods are ended for all the tribes. 
 The memory of this scene will never be forgotten. 
 Animals will be henceforth at constant war one 
 with another. Lions will no more greet elephants, 
 the buffaloes will be shy, the rhinoceroses will live 
 apart, and man when he comes within the shadows 
 will think of nothing else than his terrors, and he 
 will fancy an enemy in every shadow. I am sorely 
 wounded, for thy man stole up to my side and 
 drove his spear into me, and soon I shall die."
 
 74 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 When she had heard these words the woman 
 hastened home, and all the villagers, old and 
 young, hurried into the woods, by the pool, where 
 they found four lions, two elephants, and one of 
 their own tribe lying still and lifeless. 
 
 The words of the elephant have turned out to 
 be time, for no man goes now-a-days into the 
 silent and deserted woods but he feels as though 
 something were haunting them, and thinks of 
 goblinry, and starts at every sound. Out of the 
 shadows which shift with the sun, forms seem 
 crawling and phantoms appear to glide, and we are 
 in a fever almost from the horrible illusions of 
 fancy. We breathe quickly and fear to speak, for 
 the smallest vibration in the silence would jar on 
 our nerves. I speak the truth, for when I am in 
 the woods near the night, there swims before my 
 eyes a multitude of terrible things which I never 
 see by the light of day. The flash of a fire-fly is a 
 ghost, the chant of a frog becomes a frightful roar, 
 the sudden piping of a bird signalises murder, and 
 I run. No, no ; no woods for me when alone. 
 
 And Chakanja rose to his feet and went to his 
 own quarters, solemnly shaking his head. But we 
 all smiled at Chakanja, and thought how terribly 
 frightened he would be if any one suddenly rose 
 from behind a dark bush and cried " Boo ! " to 
 him.
 
 KING GUMBI AND HIS LOST DAUGHTER 
 
 E were all gathered 
 about the fire as 
 usual, when Safeni, 
 the sage coxswain, 
 exclaimed, "See 
 here, boys ; do you 
 not think that for 
 once in a while it 
 would be well to 
 hear some legend 
 connected with men 
 and women ? I vote 
 that one of you who have amused us with tales 
 of lions and leopards, should search his memory, 
 and tell the company a brave story about some 
 son of Adam. Come, you Katembo, have the 
 Manyema no legends ! " 
 
 " Well, yes, we have ; but my ears have been so 
 open heretofore that my tongue has almost for- 
 gotten its uses, and I fear that after the smooth 
 and delightful tales of Kadu, you will not think 
 me expert in speech. However, and if you care to 
 hear of it, I can give you the legend of Gumbi,
 
 76 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 one of our kings in long-past days, and his 
 daughter." 
 
 " Speak, speak, Katembo," cried the company ; 
 " let us hear a Manyema legend to-night." 
 
 Katembo, after this general invitation, cleared 
 his throat, brought the soles of his feet nearer 
 the fire, and amid respectful silence spoke as 
 follows : — 
 
 It was believed in the olden time that if a king's 
 daughter had the misfortune to be guilty of ten 
 mistakes, she should suffer for half of them, and 
 her father would be punished for the rest. Now, 
 King Gumbi had lately married ten wives, and all 
 at once this old belief of the elders about troubles 
 with daughters came into his head, and he issued 
 a command, which was to be obeyed upon pain of 
 death, that if any female children should be born 
 to him they should be thrown into the Lualaba, 
 and drowned, for, said he, " the dead are beyond 
 temptation to err, and I shall escape mischief." 
 
 To avoid the reproaches of his wives, on account 
 of the cruel order, the king thought he would 
 absent himself, and he took a large following with 
 him and went to visit other towns of his country. 
 Within a few days after his departure there were 
 born to him five sons and five daughters. Four of 
 the female infants were at once disposed of accord- 
 ing to the king's command ; but when the fifth 
 daughter was born, she was so beautiful, and had
 
 KISO GUMBI AND IIIS LOST DAUGHTER 77 
 
 such great eyes, and her colour was mellow, so like 
 a ripe banana, that the chief nurse hesitated, and 
 when the mother pleaded so hard for her child's 
 life, she made up her mind that the little infant 
 should be saved. When the mother was able to 
 rise, the nurse hastened her away secretly by night. 
 
 In the morning the queen found herself in a 
 dark forest, and, being alone, she began to talk to 
 herself, as people generally do, and a grey parrot 
 with a beautiful red tail came flying along, and 
 asked, " What is it you are saying to yourself, O 
 Miami ? " 
 
 She answered and said, " Ah, beautiful little 
 parrot, I am thinking what I ought to do to save 
 the life of my little child. Tell me how I can save 
 her, for Gumbi wishes to destroy all his female 
 children." 
 
 The parrot replied, "I grieve for you greatly, 
 but I do not know. Ask the next parrot you see," 
 and he flew away. 
 
 A second parrot still more beautiful came flying 
 towards her, whistling and screeching merrily, and 
 the queen lifted her voice and cried — 
 
 " Ah, little parrot, stop a bit, and tell me how I 
 can save my sweet child's life ; for cruel Gumbi, 
 her father, wants to kill it." 
 
 " Ah, mistress, I may not tell ; but there is one 
 comes behind me who knows ; ask him," and he 
 also flew to his day's haunts.
 
 ?8 
 
 Mr dark companions 
 
 Then the third parrot was seen to fly towards 
 her, and he made the forest ring with his happy 
 whistling, and Miami cried out again — 
 
 •* U ,U.V»,. 
 
 'DELIVER IT TO ME,' ANSWERED THE PARROT." 
 
 "^^^M^ 
 
 " Oh, stay, little parrot, and tell me in what way 
 I can save my sweet child, for Gumbi, her father, 
 vows he will kill it." 
 
 " Deliver it to me," answered the parrot. " But
 
 KING OUMBI AND HIS LOST DAUGHTER 79 
 
 first let me put a small banana stalk and two 
 pieces of sugar-cane with it, and then I shall cany 
 it safely to its grandmamma." 
 
 The parrot relieved the queen of her child, and 
 flew through the air, screeching merrier than 
 before, and in a short time had laid the little 
 princess, her banana stalk, and two pieces of 
 sugar-cane in the lap of the grandmamma, who 
 was sitting at the door of her house, and said — 
 
 " This bundle contains a gift from your daughter, 
 wife of Gumbi. She bids you be careful of it, 
 and let none out of your own family see it, lest 
 she should be slain by the king. And to remem- 
 ber this day, she requests you to plant the banana 
 stalk in your garden at one end, and at the other 
 end the two pieces of sugar-cane, for you may 
 need both." 
 
 "Your words are good and wise," answered 
 granny, as she received the babe. 
 
 On opening the bundle the old woman dis- 
 covered a female child, exceedingly pretty, plump, 
 and yellow as a ripe banana, with large black eyes, 
 and such smiles on its bright face that the grand- 
 mother's heart glowed with affection for it. 
 
 Many seasons came and went by. No stranger 
 came round to ask questions. The banana 
 flourished and grew into a grove, and each sprout 
 marked the passage of a season, and the sugar- 
 cane likewise throve prodigiously as year after
 
 80 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 } r ear passed and the infant grew into girl- 
 hood. When the princess had bloomed into a 
 beautiful maiden, the grandmother had become 
 so old that the events of long ago appeared to 
 her to be like so many dreams, but she still 
 worshipped her child's child, cooked for her, 
 waited upon her, wove new grass mats for her 
 bed, and fine grass cloths for her dress, and every 
 night before she retired she washed her dainty 
 feet. 
 
 Then one day, before her ears were quite closed 
 by age, and her limbs had become too weak to bear 
 her about, the parrot who brought the child to her, 
 came and rested upon a branch near her door, and 
 after piping and whistling its greeting, cried out, 
 " The time has come. Gunibi's daughter must 
 depart, and seek her father. Furnish her with a 
 little drum, teach her a song to sing while she 
 beats it, and send her forth." 
 
 Then granny purchased for her a tiny drum, and 
 taught her a song, and when she had been fully 
 instructed she prepared a new canoe with food — 
 from the bananas in the grove, and the plot of 
 sugar-cane, and she made cushions from grass-cloth 
 ba^s stuffed with silk-cotton floss for her to rest 
 upon. When all was ready she embraced her 
 grand-daughter, and with many tears sent her away 
 down the river, with four women servants. 
 
 Granny stood for a long time by the river bank,
 
 KING QUMBI AND HIS LOST DAUGHTER 
 
 81 
 
 watching the little canoe disappear with the 
 current, then she turned and entered the doorway, 
 and sitting down closed her eyes, and began to 
 think of the pleasant life she had enjoyed while 
 serving Miami's child ; and while so doing she was 
 so pleased that she smiled, and as she smiled she 
 slept, and never woke again. 
 
 SENT HER A WAV DOWN THE RIVER. 
 
 But the princess, as she floated down and 
 bathed her eyes, which had smarted with her 
 grief, began to think of all that granny had taught 
 her, and began to sing in a fluty voice, as she beat 
 her tiny drum —
 
 82 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 1 List, all you men, 
 
 To the song I sing. 
 
 I am Gumbi's child, 
 
 Brought up in the wild; 
 
 And home I return, 
 
 As you all will learn, 
 
 When this my little drum 
 
 Tells Gumbi I have come, come, come.' 
 
 The sound of her drum attracted the attention 
 of the fishermen who were engaged with their nets, 
 and seeing a strange canoe with only five women 
 aboard floating down the river, they drew near to 
 it, and when they saw how beautiful the princess 
 was, and noted her graceful, lithe figure clad in 
 robes of fine grass-cloths, they were inclined to lay 
 their hands upon her. But she sang again — 
 
 ' I am Gumbi's child, 
 
 Make way for me ; 
 
 I am homeward bound, 
 
 Make way for me.' 
 
 Then the fishermen were afraid and did not 
 molest her. But one desirous of being- the first to 
 cany the news to the king, and obtain favour and 
 a reward for it, hastened away to tell him that 
 his daughter was corning to visit him. 
 
 The news plunged King Gumbi into a state of 
 wonder, for as he had taken such pains to destroy 
 all female children, he could not imagine how he 
 could be the father of a daughter. 
 
 Then he sent a quick-footed and confidential 
 slave to inquire, who soon returned and assured
 
 KING OUMBI AND HIS LOST DAUGHTER 83 
 
 him that the girl who was coming to him was his 
 own true daughter. 
 
 Then he sent a man who had grown up with 
 him, who knew all that had happened in his court ; 
 and he also returned and confirmed all that the 
 slave had said. 
 
 Upon this he resolved to go himself, and when 
 he met her he asked — 
 
 " Who art thou, child ? " 
 
 And she replied, " I am the only daughter of 
 Gumbi." 
 
 " And who is Gumbi ? " 
 
 " He is the king of this country," she replied. 
 
 " Well, but I am Gumbi myself, and how canst 
 thou be my daughter ? " he asked. 
 
 " I am the child of thy wife, Miami, and after I 
 was born she hid me that I might not be cast into 
 the river. I have been living with grandmamma, 
 who nursed me, and by the number of banana 
 stalks in her garden thou mayest tell the number of 
 the seasons that have passed since my birth. One 
 day she told me the time had conie, and she sent 
 me to seek my father; and I embarked in the 
 canoe with four servants, and the river bore me 
 to this land." 
 
 "Well," said Gumbi, "when I return home I 
 shall question Miami, and I shall soon discover the 
 truth of thy story ; but meantime, what must I do 
 for thee?"
 
 84 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 "My grandmamma said that thou must sacri- 
 fice a goat to the meeting of the daughter with the 
 father," she replied. 
 
 Then the king requested her to step on the 
 shore, and when he saw the flash of her yellow 
 feet, and the gleams of her body, which were like 
 shining bright gum, and gazed on the clear, 
 smooth features, and looked into the wondrous 
 black eyes, Gumbi's heart melted and he was filled 
 with pride that such a surpassingly beautiful 
 creature should be his own daughter. 
 
 But she refused to set her feet on the shore until 
 another goat had been sacrificed, for her grand- 
 mother had said ill-luck would befall her if these 
 ceremonies were neglected. 
 
 Therefore the king commanded that two goats 
 should be slain, one for the meeting with his 
 daughter," and one to drive away ill-luck from 
 before her in the land where she would first rest 
 her feet. 
 
 When this had been done, she said, "Now, 
 father, it is not meet that thy recovered daughter 
 should soil her feet on the path to her father's 
 house. Thou must lay a grass cloth along the 
 ground all the way to my mother's door." 
 
 The king thereupon ordered a grass cloth to 
 be spread along the path towards the women's 
 quarters, but he did not mention to which door- 
 way. His daughter then moved forward, the king
 
 KING OVMBI AND MS LOST DAUGHTER 
 
 85 
 
 by her side, until they came in view of all the 
 king's wives, and then Grumbi cried out to them — 
 "One of you, I am told, is the mother of this 
 girl. Look on her, and be not ashamed to own her, 
 for she is as perfect as the egg. At the first sight 
 of her I felt like a man filled with pleasantness, so 
 
 "MIAMI WAS ILL AND WEAK AND SAT AT THE DOOR." 
 
 let the mother come forward and claim her, and 
 let her not destroy herself with a lie." 
 
 Now all the women bent forward and longed to 
 say, " She is mine, she is mine ! " but Miami, who 
 was ill and weak, sat at the door, and said — 
 
 " Continue the matting to my doorway, for as I
 
 86 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 feel my heart is connected with her as by a cord, 
 she must be the child whom the parrot earned to 
 my mother with a banana stalk and two pieces of 
 sugar-cane." 
 
 " Yes, yes, thou must be my own mother," cried 
 the princess ; and when the grass cloth was laid 
 even to the inside of the house, she ran forward, 
 and folded her arms around her. 
 
 When Gumbi saw them together he said, 
 " Truly, equals always come together. I see now 
 by many things that the princess must be right. 
 But she will not long remain with me, I fear, for 
 a king's daughter cannot remain many moons 
 without suitors." 
 
 Now though Gumbi considered it a trifle to de- 
 stroy children whom he had never seen, it never 
 entered into his mind to hurt Miami or the prin- 
 cess. On the contrary, he was filled with a glad- 
 ness which he was never tired of talking about. 
 He was even prouder of his daughter, whose lovely 
 shape and limpid eyes so charmed him, than of all 
 his tall sons. He proved this by the feasts he 
 caused to be provided for all the people. Goats 
 were roasted and stewed, the fishermen brought 
 fish without number, the peasants came loaded 
 with weighty bunches of bananas, and baskets of 
 yams, and manioc, and pots full of beans, and 
 vetches, and millet and corn, and honey and palm- 
 oil, and as for the fowls — who could count them ?
 
 KING GUMBI AND HIS LOST DAUGHTER 87 
 
 The people also had plenty to drink of the juice 
 of the palm, and thus they were made to rejoice 
 with the king in the return of the princess. 
 
 It was soon spread throughout Manyema that no 
 woman was like unto Gumbi's daughter for beauty. 
 Some said that she was of the colour of a ripe 
 banana, others that she was like fossil gum, others 
 like a reddish oil-nut, and others again that her 
 face was more like the colour of the moon than 
 anything else. The effect of this reputation was 
 to bring nearly all the young chiefs in the land as 
 suitors for her hand. Many of them would have 
 been pleasing to the king, but the princess was 
 averse to them, and she caused it to be made 
 known that she would marry none save the young 
 chief who could produce matako (brass rods) by 
 polishing his teeth. The king was very much 
 amused at this, but the chiefs stared in surprise 
 as they heard it. 
 
 The king mustered the choicest young men of 
 the land, and he told them it was useless for any 
 one to hope to be married to the princess unless 
 he could drop brass rods by rubbing his teeth. 
 Though they held it to be impossible that any one 
 could do such a thing, yet every one of them 
 began to rub his teeth hard, and as they did so, 
 lo ! brass rods were seen to drop on the ground 
 from the mouth of one of them, and the people 
 gave a great shout for wonder at it.
 
 88 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 The princess was then brought forward, and as 
 the young chief rose to his feet he continued to 
 rub his teeth, and the brass rods were heard to 
 tinkle as they fell to the ground. The marriage 
 was therefore duly proceeded with, and another 
 round of feasts followed, for the king was rich in 
 flocks of goats, and sheep, and in well-tilled fields 
 and slaves. 
 
 But after the first moon had waned and gone, 
 the husband said, " Come, now, let us depart, for 
 Gumbi's land is no home for me." 
 
 And unknown to Gumbi they prepared for 
 flight, and stowed their canoe with all things 
 needful for a long journey, and one night soon 
 after dark they embarked, and paddled down the 
 river. One day the princess, while she was seated 
 on her cushions, saw a curious nut floating near 
 the canoe, upon which she sprang into the river to 
 obtain it. It eluded her grasp. She swam after 
 it, and the chief followed her as well as he was 
 able, crying out to her to return to the canoe, as 
 there were dangerous animals in the water. But 
 she paid no heed to him, and continued to swim 
 after the nut, until, when she had arrived opposite 
 a village, the princess was hailed by an old 
 woman, who cried, " Ho, princess, I have got what 
 thou seekest. See." And she held the nut up in 
 her hand. Then the princess stepped on shore, 
 and her husband made fast his canoe to the bank.
 
 KINO OUMBI AND HIS LOST DAUGHTER 89 
 
 " Give it to me," demanded the princess, holding 
 out her hand. 
 
 " There is one thing thou must do for me before 
 thou canst obtain it." 
 
 " What is that ? " she asked. 
 
 "Thou must lay thy hands upon my bosom to 
 cure me of my disease. Only thus canst thou 
 have it," the old woman said. 
 
 The princess laid her hands upon her bosom, and 
 as she did so the old woman was cured of her 
 illness. 
 
 " Now thou mayest depart on thy journey, but 
 remember what I tell thee. Thou and thy 
 husband must clino; close to this side of the river 
 until thou comest abreast of an island which is in 
 the middle of the entrance to a o-reat lake. For 
 the shore thou seekest is on this side. Once there 
 thou wilt find peace and rest for many years. But 
 if thou o-oest to the other side of the river thou 
 wilt be lost, thou and thy husband." 
 
 Then they re-embarked, and the river ran 
 straight and smooth before them. After some 
 days they discovered that the side they were on 
 was uninhabited, and that their provisions were 
 exhausted, but the other side was cultivated, and 
 possessed many villages and plantations. For- 
 getting the advice of the old woman, they crossed 
 the river to the opposite shore, and they admired 
 the beauty of the land, and joyed in the odours
 
 90 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 that came from the gardens and the plantations, 
 and they dreamily listened to the winds that 
 crumpled and tossed the great fronds of banana, 
 and fancied that they had seen no sky so blue. 
 And while they thus dreamed, lo ! the river 
 current was bearing them both swiftly along, and 
 they saw the island which was at the entrance to 
 the great lake, and in an instant the beauty of the 
 land which had charmed them had died away, and 
 they now heard the thunderous booming of waters, 
 and saw them surging upward in great sweeps, and 
 one great wave curved underneath them, and they 
 were lifted up, up, up, and dropped down into the 
 roaring abyss, and neither chief nor princess was 
 ever seen again. They were both swallowed up in 
 the deep. 
 
 " Is that all ? " asked Safeni, who had been 
 listening breathlessly to the story. 
 
 "That is all," replied Katembo. 
 
 " Why, what kind of a story is this, that finishes 
 in that way ? " 
 
 " It is not mine," answered Katembo. " The 
 telling of it has been according to the words I 
 heard, and it is not good to alter a tale." 
 
 " Then what is the object of such a story ? " 
 demanded Safeni, in an irritable tone. 
 
 " Why, to warn people from following their incli- 
 nations. Did not the girl find her father? Did 
 not her father welcome her, and pardon the mother
 
 KING QUMBI AND HIS LOST DAUGHTER <jl 
 
 for very joy ? Was not her own choice of a hus- 
 band found for her ? Was not the young chief for- 
 tunate in possessing such a beautiful wife ? Why 
 should they have become discontented \ Why 
 not have stayed at home instead of wandering into 
 strange lands of which they knew nothing ? Did 
 not the old woman warn them of what would hap- 
 pen, and point to them how they might live in 
 peace once again ? But it was all to no purpose. 
 We never know the value of anything until we 
 have lost it. Ruin follows the wilful always. 
 They left their home and took to the river, the 
 river was not still, but moved on, and as their 
 heads were already full of their own thoughts, 
 they could not keep advice. But Katembo has 
 ended."
 
 THE STORY OF MARANDA* 
 
 [ASTER," said Ba- 
 ruti, "I have been 
 trying hard to re- 
 call some of the 
 other legen,ds I 
 used to hear when 
 I was very small, 
 and I now recollect 
 one, which is not 
 very long, about 
 Maranda, a wife of one of the Basoko warriors, 
 called Mafala." 
 
 Maranda 1 s father was named Sukila, and he lived 
 in the village of Chief Busaudiya. Sukila owned 
 a fine large canoe and many paddles, which he had 
 carved with his own hand. He possessed also sev- 
 eral long nets which he himself also made, besides 
 spears, knives, a store of grass-cloths, and a few 
 slaves. He was highly respected by his country- 
 men, and sat by the chief's side in the council 
 place. 
 
 *A Basoko Legend, republished from the "Fortnightly Magazine" 
 by the courtesy of the Editor and Proprietors.
 
 THE STORY OF MAR AN DA 93 
 
 As the girl grew to be fit for marriage, Mafala 
 thought she would suit him as a wife, and went 
 and spoke of it to Sukila, who demanded a slave 
 girl, six long paddles ornamented with ivory caps, 
 six goats, as many grass-cloths as he had fingers 
 and toes, a new shield, two axes, and two field- 
 hoes. Mafala tried to reduce the demand, and 
 walked backwards and forwards many times to 
 smoke pipes with Sukila, and get him to be less 
 exacting. But the old man knew his daughter 
 was worth the price he had put upon her, and that 
 if he refused Mafala, she would not remain long 
 without a suitor. For a girl like Maranda is not 
 often seen among the Basokos. Her limbs were 
 round and smooth, and ended in thin, small hands 
 and feet. The young men often spoke about Ma- 
 randa's light, straight feet, and quick-lifting step. 
 A boy's arm could easily enclose the slim waist, 
 and the manner in which she carried her head, 
 and the supple neck and the clear look in her eyes 
 belonged to Maranda only. 
 
 Mafala, on the other hand, was curiously unlike 
 her. He always seemed set on something, and the 
 lines between the eyebrows gave him a severe face, 
 not pleasant to see, and you always caught some- 
 thing in his eyes that made you think of the glitter 
 which is in a serpent's eye. 
 
 Perhaps that was one reason why Sukila did not 
 care to have him for his daughter's husband. At
 
 94 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 any rate, lie would not abate his price one grass- 
 cloth, and at last it was paid, and Maranda passed 
 over from her father's house into that of her 
 husband. 
 
 Soon after the marriage Maranda was heard to 
 cry out, and it was whispered that she had learned 
 much about Mafala in a few days, and that blows 
 as from a rod had been heard. Half a moon 
 passed away, and then all the village knew that 
 Maranda had fled to Busandiya's house, because of 
 her husband's ill-treatment. Now the custom in 
 such a case is that the father keeps his daughter's 
 dowry, and if it be true that a wife finds life with 
 her husband too harsh to be borne, she may seek 
 the chiefs protection, and the chief may give her 
 to another husband who will treat her properly. 
 
 But before the chief had chosen the man to 
 whom he would give her, Mafala went to a croco- 
 dile — for it turned out that he was a Mganga, a 
 witch-man who had dealings with reptiles on land, 
 as well "as with the monsters of the river, — and he 
 bargained with it to catch her as she came to the 
 river to wash, and carry her up to a certain place 
 on the river bank where there was a tall tree with 
 a large hole in it. 
 
 The crocodile bided his chance, and one morning, 
 when Maranda visited the water, he seized her by 
 the hand, and swept her onto his back, and car- 
 ried her to the hiding-place in the hollow tree,
 
 THE STORY OF MARANDA 95 
 
 He then left her there, and swam down opposite 
 the village, and signalled to Mafala that he had 
 performed his part of the bargain. 
 
 On the crocodile's departure Maranda looked 
 about the hole, and saw that she was in a kind of 
 pit, but a long way up the hollow narrowed like 
 the neck of a gourd, and she could see foliage and 
 
 " SWAM DOWN OPPOSITE THE VILLAGE.'' 
 
 a bit of sky. She determined to climb up, and 
 though she scratched herself very much, she finally 
 managed to reach the very top, and to crawl out- 
 side into the air. The tree was very large and 
 lofty, and the branches spread out far, and they 
 were laden with the heavy fruit of which ele- 
 phants are so fond.* At first she thought that she 
 
 * The jackfruit.
 
 96 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 could not starve because of so many of these big 
 fruit ; then, as they were large and heavy, she con- 
 ceived the idea that they might be useful to defend 
 herself, and she collected a great number of them, 
 and laid them in a heap over some sticks she had 
 laid across the branches. 
 
 By-and-by Mafala came, and discovered her high 
 up among the foliage, and after jeering at her, 
 began to climb the tree. But when he was only 
 half-way up, Maranda lifted one of the ponderous 
 fruit and flung it on his head, and he fell to the 
 ground with his senses all in a whirl and his back 
 greatly bruised. When he recovered he begged 
 the crocodile to help him, and he tried to climb 
 up, but when he had ascended but a little way, 
 Maranda dropped one of the elephant fruit fairly 
 on his snout, which sent him falling backwards. 
 Mafala then begged two great serpents to ascend 
 and bring her down, but Maranda met them with 
 the heavy fruit one after another, and they were 
 glad to leave her alone. Then the man departed to 
 seek a leopard, but while he was absent Maranda, 
 from her tree, saw a canoe on the river with two 
 young fishermen in it, and she screamed loudly 
 for help. The fishermen paddled close ashore and 
 found that it was Sukila's daughter, the wife of 
 Mafala, who was alone on a tall tree. They waited 
 long enough to hear her story, and then returned 
 to the village to obtain assistance.
 
 THE STORY OF MAR ANT) A 97 
 
 Busandiya was much astonished to hear the 
 fishermen's news, and forthwith sent a war-canoe 
 full of armed men, led by the father, Sukila, to 
 rescue her. By means of rattan-climbers they con- 
 trived to reach her, and to bring her down safely. 
 While some of the war-party set out to discover 
 Mafala, the others watched for the crocodile and 
 the two serpents. In a short time the cruel man 
 was seen and caught, and he was brought to the 
 river-side, bound with green withes. His legs and 
 his arms were firmly tied together, and, after the 
 Basoko had made Maranda repeat her story from 
 the beginning, and Sukila had told the manner of 
 the marriage, they searched for great stones, which 
 they fastened to his neck ; and, lifting him into 
 the war-canoe, they paddled into the middle of the 
 stream, where they sang a death-chant ; after 
 which they dropped Mafala overboard and he was 
 never heard of more. That is all there is of the 
 story of Maranda.
 
 THE STORY OF KITINDA AND HER 
 WISE DOG 
 
 N another night Ba- 
 ruti, whose memory 
 was freshened by 
 the reward which 
 followed a story 
 worthy of being 
 written in the Mas- 
 ter's book, told us 
 about Kitinda and 
 her wise dog, so 
 well indeed that by 
 common consent he 
 was acclaimed one 
 of the best among 
 the story-tellers. 
 But it was not so well rehearsed to me while I 
 had my pencil in hand as he had delivered it at 
 the camp fire. It bothered him to be asked to 
 dictate it a little slower to me, and he showed 
 marked signs of inattention when told to repeat a 
 sentence twice over. All I can flatter myself is 
 that it contains the sense of what was said. 
 
 Kitinda, a woman of the Basoko, near the Aru-
 
 THE STORY OF KITINDA AKD HER WTSE DOG 99 
 
 wimi river, possessed a dog who was remarkable 
 for his intelligence. It was said that he was so 
 clever that strangers understood his motions as 
 well as though he talked to them ; and that Ki- 
 tinda, familiar with his ways and the tones of his 
 whines, his yelps, and his barks, could converse 
 with him as easily as she could with her husband. 
 
 One market-day the mistress and her dog agreed 
 to go together, and on the road she told him all 
 she intended to do and say in disposing of her 
 produce in exchange for other articles which she 
 needed in her home. Her dog listened with sym- 
 pathy, and then, in his own manner, he conveyed 
 to her how great was his attachment to her, and 
 how there never was such a friend as he could be ; 
 and he begged her that, if at any time she was in 
 distress, she would tell him, and that he would 
 serve her with all his might. " Only," he said, 
 "were it not that I am afraid of the effects of 
 being too clever, I could have served you oftener 
 and much more than I have done." 
 
 " What do you mean ? " said Kitinda. 
 
 " Well, you know, among the Basoko, it is sup- 
 posed, if one is too clever, or too lucky, or too rich, 
 that it has come about through dealings in witch- 
 craft, and people are burned in consequence. I do 
 not like the idea of being burned — and therefore I 
 have refrained often from assisting you because I 
 feared you could not contain your surprise, -and
 
 100 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 would chat about it to the villagers. Then some 
 day, after some really remarkable act of cleverness 
 of mine, people would say, ' Ha ! this is not a dog. 
 No dog could have done that ! He must be a 
 demon — or a witch in a dog's hide ! ' and of course 
 they would take me and burn me." 
 
 " Why, how very unkind of you to think such 
 things of me ! When have I chatted about you ? 
 Indeed I have too many things to do, my house- 
 work, my planting and marketing so occupy me, 
 that I could not find time to gossip about my 
 dos;." 
 
 " Well, it is already notorious that I am clever, 
 and I often tremble when strangers look at and 
 admire me for fear some muddle-headed fellow will 
 fancy that he sees something else in me more than 
 unusual intelligence. What would they say, how- 
 ever, if they really knew how very sagacious I 
 am? The reputation that I possess has only come 
 through your affection for me, but I assure you 
 that I dread this excess of affection lest it should 
 end fatally for you and for me." 
 
 " But are you so much cleverer than you have 
 already shown yourself ? If I promise that I will 
 never speak of you to any person again, will you 
 help me more than you have done, if I am in 
 distress ? " 
 
 " You are a woman, and you could not prevent 
 yourself talking if you tried ever so hard."
 
 the Story of kitinda and her wise dog 101 
 
 " Now, look you here, my dog. I vow to you 
 that no matter what you do that is strange, I wish 
 I may die, and that the first animal I meet may 
 kill me if I speak a word. You shall see now 
 that Kitinda will be as good as her word." 
 
 " Very well, I will take you at your word. I 
 am to serve you every time you need help, and if 
 you speak of my services to a soul, you are willing 
 to lose your life by the first animal you may 
 meet." 
 
 Thus they made a solemn agreement as they 
 travelled to market. 
 
 Kitinda sold her palm oil and fowls to great 
 advantage that day, and in exchange received 
 sleeping-mats, a couple of carved stools, a bag of 
 cassava flour, two large well-baked and polished 
 crocks, a bunch of ripe bananas, a couple of good 
 plantation hoes, and a big strong basket. 
 
 After the marketing was over she collected her 
 purchases together and tried to put them into the 
 basket, but the bio; crocks and carved stools were 
 a sore trouble to her. She could put the flour 
 and hoes and the bananas on top with the mats 
 for a cover very well, but the stools and the crocks 
 were a great difficulty. 
 
 Her dog in the meantime had been absent, and 
 had succeeded in killing a young antelope, and had 
 dragged it near her. He looked around and saw 
 that the market was over, and that the people had
 
 lo2 my dark companions 
 
 returned to their own homes, while his mistress 
 had been anxiously planning how to pack her 
 property. 
 
 He heard her complain of her folly in buying 
 such cumbersome and weighty things^and ask her- 
 self how she was to reach home with them. 
 
 Pitying her in her trouble, the dog galloped 
 away and found a man empty-handed, before whom 
 he fawned and whose hands he licked, and being 
 patted he clung to his cloth with his teeth and 
 pulled him gently along — wagging his tail and 
 looking very amiable. He continued to do this 
 until the man, seeing Kitinda fretting over her 
 difficulty, understood what was wanted, and of- 
 fered to carry the stools and crocks at each end of 
 his long staff over his shoulders for a few of the 
 ripe bananas and a lodging. His assistance was 
 accepted with pleasure, and Kitinda was thus 
 enabled to reach her home, and on the way was 
 told by the man how it was that he had happened 
 to return to the market-place. 
 
 Kitinda was very much tempted there and then 
 to dilate upon her dog's well-known cleverness, but 
 remembered in time her promise not to boast of 
 him. When, however, she reached the village, and 
 the housewives came out of their houses, burning 
 to hear the news at the market, in her eagerness to 
 tell this one and then the other all that had hap- 
 pened to her, and all that she had seen and heard,
 
 THE STORY OF KITINDA AND HER WISE DOG 103 
 
 she forgot her vow of the morning, and forthwith 
 commenced to relate the last wonderful trick of 
 her dog in dragging a man back to the market- 
 place to help her when she thought that all her 
 profit in trade would be lost, and when she was 
 just about to smash her nice crocks in her rage. 
 
 " HE TURNED, AND RAN INTO THE WOODS 
 
 The dog listened to her narrative, viewed the 
 signs of wonder stealing over the women's faces, 
 heard them call out to their husbands, saw the men
 
 104 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 advancing eagerly towards them, saw them all look 
 at him narrowly, heard one man exclaim, " That 
 cannot be a dog ! it is a demon within a dog's hide. 
 He " 
 
 But the dog had heard enough. He turned, 
 and ran into the woods, and was never more seen 
 in that village. 
 
 The next market-day came round, and Kitinda 
 took some more palm oil and a few fowls, and left 
 her home to dispose of them for some other do- 
 mestic needs. When about half way, her dog 
 came out of the wood, and after accusing her of 
 betraying him to her stupid countrymen, thus re- 
 turning evil for good, he sprang upon her and tore 
 her to pieces.
 
 THE STORY OF THE PRINCE WHO 
 INSISTED ON POSSESSING THE MOON 
 
 IR," said Baruti, one 
 evening, " another 
 story came to my 
 mind to-day wliicli 
 \v r as told to me a 
 long time ago by an 
 old man among the 
 Basoko. I doubt 
 whether you will 
 like it, but since 
 you wish to hear 
 another legend of 
 my country you 
 shall have the story as it was told to me." 
 
 The country now inhabited by the Basoko tribe 
 was formerly known as Bandimba. A king called 
 Bahanga was its sole ruler. He possessed a house- 
 ful of wives, but all his children were unfortunately 
 of the female sex, which he considered to be a great 
 grievance, and of which he frequently complained. 
 His subjects, on the other hand, were blessed with 
 more sons than daughters, and this fact increased
 
 106 M? DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 the king's grief, and made him envy the meanest 
 of his subjects. One day, however, he married 
 Baniana, the youngest daughter of his principal 
 chief, and finally he became the father of a male 
 child, and was very happy, and his people rejoiced 
 in his happiness. 
 
 The prince grew up to be a marvel of strength 
 and beauty, and his father doted on him so much, 
 that he shared his power with the boy in a curious 
 manner. The king reserved authority over all the 
 married people, while the prince's subjects consisted 
 of those not yet mated. It thus happened that the 
 prince ruled over more people than his father, 
 for the children were, of course, more numerous 
 than the parents. But with all the honour con- 
 ferred upon him the prince was not happy. The 
 more he obtained, the more he wished to possess. 
 His eyes had but to see a thing to make him desire 
 its exclusive possession. Each day he preferred one 
 or more requests to his father, and because of his 
 great love for him, the king had not the heart to 
 refuse anything to him. Indeed, he was persuaded 
 to bestow so many gifts upon his son that he 
 reserved scarcely anything for himself. 
 
 One day the prince was playing with the youth 
 of his court, and after the sport retired to the 
 shade of a tree to rest, aud his companions sat 
 down in a circle at a respectful distance from him. 
 He then felt a gush of pride stealing over him as he
 
 STORY OF THE PRINCE AND THE MOON 10? 
 
 thought of his great power, at the number and 
 variety of his treasures, and he cried out boastfully 
 that there never was a boy so great, so rich and so 
 favoured by his father, as he had become. " My 
 father," said he, " can deny me nothing. I have 
 only to ask, and it is given unto me." 
 
 Then one little slender boy with a thin voice 
 said, " It is true, prince. Your father has been 
 very good to you. He is a mighty king, and he is 
 as generous as he is great. Still, I know of one 
 thing that he cannot give you — and it is certain 
 that you will never possess it." 
 
 " What thing is that which I may not call my 
 own, when I see it — and what is it that is not in 
 the king's power to give me ? " asked the prince, in 
 a tone of annoyance. 
 
 " It is the moon," answered the little boy ; " and 
 you must confess yourself that it is beyond the 
 king's power to give that to you." 
 
 " Do you doubt it ? " asked the prince. " I say 
 to you that I shall possess it, and I will go now 
 and claim it from my father. I will not give him 
 any peace until he gives it to me." 
 
 Now it so happens that such treasures as are 
 already ours, we do not value so much as those 
 which we have not yet got. So it was with this 
 spoiled prince. The memory of the many gifts of 
 his father faded from his mind, and their value 
 was not to be compared with this new toy — the
 
 i08 M* bAttk COMPANIONS 
 
 moon — which he had never thought of before and 
 which he now so ardently coveted. 
 
 He found the king discussing important matters 
 with the old men. 
 
 " Father," said he, " just now, while I was with 
 my companions I was taunted because I did not 
 have the moon among my toys, and it was said 
 that it was beyond your power to give it to me. 
 Now, prove this boy a liar, and procure the moon 
 for me, that I may be able to show it to them, and 
 glory in your gift." 
 
 " What is it you say, my son, you want the 
 moon ? " asked the astonished king. 
 
 " Yes. Do get it for me at once, won't you ? " 
 
 " But, my child, the moon is a long way up. 
 How shall we be ever able to reach it ? " 
 
 " I don't know ; but you have always been good 
 to me, and you surely would not refuse me this 
 favour, father?" 
 
 "I fear, my own, that we will not be able to 
 give you the moon." 
 
 " But, father, I must have it ; my life will not be 
 worth living without it. How may I dare to again 
 face my companions after my proud boast before 
 them of your might and goodness? There was but 
 one thing that yonder pert boy said I might not 
 have, and that was the moon. Now my soul is 
 bent upon possessing this moon, and you must 
 obtain it for me or I shall die."
 
 STORY OF THE PRINCE AND THE MOON 109 
 
 "Nay, my son, speak not of death. It is an ngly 
 word, especially when connected with my prince 
 and heir. Do you not know yet that I live only 
 for your sake ? Let your mind be at rest. I will 
 collect all the wise men of the land together, and 
 ask them to advise me. If they say that the moon 
 can be reached and brought down to us, you shall 
 have it." 
 
 Accordingly the great state drum was sounded 
 for the general palaver, and a score of criers went 
 through the towns beating their little drums as they 
 went, and the messengers hastened all the wise men 
 and elders to the presence of the king. 
 
 When all were assembled, the king announced 
 his desire to know how the moon could be reached, 
 and whether it could be shifted from its place in 
 the sky and brought down to the earth, in order 
 that he might give it to his only son the prince. 
 If there was any wise man present who could in- 
 form him how this could be done, and would 
 undertake to bring it to him, he would give the 
 choicest of his daughters in marriage to him and 
 endow him with great riches. 
 
 When the wise men heard this strange proposal, 
 they were speechless with astonishment, as no one 
 in the Basoko Land had ever heard of anybody 
 mounting into the air higher than a tree, and to 
 suppose that a person could ascend as high as the 
 moon was, they thought, simple madness. Respect
 
 110 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 for the king, however, held them mute, though 
 what their glances meant was very clear. 
 
 But while each man was yet looking at his 
 neighbour in wonder, one of the wise men, who 
 appeared to be about the youngest present, rose to 
 his feet and said : 
 
 " Long life to the prince and to his father, the 
 king ! We have heard the words of our king, Ba- 
 hanga, and they are good. I — even I — his slave, 
 am able to reach the moon, and to do the king's 
 pleasure, if the king's authority will assist me." 
 
 The confident air of the man, and the ring of 
 assurance in his voice made the other wise men, 
 who had been so ready to believe the king and 
 prince mad, feel shame, and they turned their 
 faces to him curiously, more than half willing 
 to believe that after all the thing was possible. 
 The king also lost his puzzled look, and appeared 
 relieved. 
 
 "Say on. How may you be able to perform 
 what you promise ? " 
 
 " If it please the king," answered the man, 
 boldly, " I will ascend from the top of the high 
 mountain near the Cataract of Panga, But I shall 
 first build a high scaffold on it, the base of which 
 shall be as broad as the mountain top, and on that 
 scaffold I will build another, and on the second I 
 shall build a third, and so on and so on until my 
 shoulder touches the moon."
 
 STORY OF THE PRINCE AND THE MOON \\\ 
 
 "But is it possible to- reach the moon in this 
 manner ? " asked the king doubtingly. 
 
 "Most certainly, if I were to erect a sufficient 
 number of scaffolds, one above another, but it 
 will require a vast quantity of timber, and a great 
 army of workmen. If the king commands it, the 
 work will be done." 
 
 " Be it so, then," said the king. " I place at 
 your service every able-bodied man in the king- 
 dom." 
 
 "Ah, but all the men in your kingdom are not 
 sufficient, O king. All the grown-up men will be 
 wanted to fell the trees, square the timber and 
 bear it to the works ; and every grown-up woman 
 will be required to prepare the food for the work- 
 men ; and every boy must carry water to satisfy 
 their thirst, and bark rope for the binding of the 
 timbers; and every girl, big and little, must be 
 sent to till the fields to raise cassava for food. 
 Only in this manner can the prince obtain the 
 moon as his toy." 
 
 "I say, then, let it be done as you think it 
 ought to be done. All the men, women, and chil- 
 dren in the kingdom I devote to this service, that 
 my only son may enjoy what he desires." 
 
 Then it was proclaimed throughout the wide 
 lands of the Bandimba that all the people should 
 be gathered together to proceed at once with the 
 work of obtaining the moon for the king's son.
 
 112 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 And the forest was cut down, and while some of 
 the workmen squared the trees, others cut deep 
 holes in the ground, to make a broad and sure 
 base for the lower scaffold; and the boys made 
 thousands of rope coils to lash the timbers 
 together, out of bark, fibre of palm, and tough 
 grass ; and the girls, big and little, hoed up the 
 ground and planted the cassava shrubs and cut- 
 
 "THE women kneaded the bread." 
 
 tings from the banana and 
 the corn ; and the women 
 
 cooked the 
 
 greens, 
 
 and 
 
 for food for the workmen, 
 people were made to slave 
 that a spoiled boy might 
 toy. 
 
 In a few days the first scaffolding stood up as 
 
 the plantain, and sowed 
 kneaded the bread and 
 roasted green bananas 
 And all the Bandimba 
 hard every day in order 
 have the moon for his
 
 STORY OF THE PRINCE AND THE MOON 113 
 
 high as the tallest trees, in a few weeks the struct- 
 ure had grown until it was many arrow-flights in 
 height, in two months it was so lofty that the top 
 could not be seen with the naked eye. The fame 
 of the wonderful wooden tower that the Bandimba 
 were building was carried far and wide ; and the 
 friendly nations round about sent messengers to 
 see and report to them what mad thing the Ban- 
 dimba were about, for rumour had spread so many 
 contrary stories among people that strangers did 
 not know what to believe. Some said it was true 
 that all the Bandimba had become mad ; but some 
 of those who came to see with their own eyes, 
 laughed, while others began to feel anxious. All, 
 however, admired the bigness, and wondered at 
 the height of the tower. 
 
 In the sixth month the top of the highest 
 scaffold was so high that on the clearest day 
 people could not see half-way up; and it was said 
 to be so tall that the chief engineer could tell the 
 day he would be able to touch the moon. 
 
 The work went on, and at last the engineer 
 passed the word down that in a few days more it 
 would be finished. Everybody believed him, and 
 the nations round about sent more people to be 
 present to witness the completion of the great 
 tower, and to observe what would happen. In 
 all the land, and the countries adjoining it, there 
 was found only one wise man who foresaw, if the
 
 114 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 moon was shifted out of its place what damage 
 would happen, and that probably all those foolish 
 people in the vicinity of the tower would be 
 destroyed. Fearing some terrible calamity, he 
 proposed to depart from among the Bandimba 
 before it should be too late. He then placed his 
 family in a canoe, and, after storing it with 
 
 IN THE N1UHT FLOATED DOWN THE ARUWIMI. 
 
 sufficient provisions, he embarked, and in the 
 night he floated down the river Aruwimi and into 
 the big river, and continued his journey night and 
 day as fast as the current would take him — far, 
 far below any lands known to the Bandimba. 
 A week later, after the flight of the wise man
 
 sto&t op the prince and the moon 115 
 
 and his family, the chief engineer sent down 
 word to the king that he was ready to take the 
 moon down. 
 
 " It is well," replied the king from below. " I 
 will ascend, that I may see how you set about it." 
 
 Within twenty days the king reached the 
 summit of the tower, and, standing at last by 
 the side of the engineer, he laid his hand upon 
 the moon, and it felt exceedingly hot. Then he 
 commanded the engineer to proceed to take it 
 down. The man put a number of cool bark coils 
 over his shoulder and tried to dislodge it ; but, as 
 it was firmly fixed, he used such a deal of force 
 that he cracked it, and there was an explosion, the 
 fire and sparks from which scorched him. The 
 timber on which the king and his chiefs were 
 standing began to burn, and many more bursting 
 sounds were heard, and fire and melted rock ran 
 down through the scaffolding in a steady stream, 
 until all the woodwork was ablaze, and the flames 
 soared upward among the uprights and trestles of 
 the wood in one vast pile of fire ; and every man, 
 woman, and child was utterly consumed in a 
 moment. And the heat was so great that it 
 affected the moon, and a large portion of it 
 tumbled to the earth, and its flowing hot materials 
 ran over the ground like a great river of fire, so 
 that most of the country of the Bandimba was 
 burnt to ashes. On those who were not smothered
 
 116 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 by the smoke, nor burnt by the fire, and who fled 
 from before the burning river, the effect was 
 very wonderful. Such of them as were grown 
 up, male and female, were converted into gorillas, 
 and all the children into different kinds of long- 
 tailed monkeys. 
 
 The old man who told me this story ended by 
 saying to us, who listened with open mouth to his 
 words : 
 
 " Friends, if you doubt the truth of what I have 
 said, all you have to do is to look at the moon 
 when it is full, and you may then see on a clear 
 night a curious dark portion on its face, which often 
 appears as though there were peaky mountains in 
 it, and often the dark spots are like some kind of 
 horned animals ; and then again, you will often 
 fancy that on the moon you see the outlines of a 
 man's face, but those dark spots are only the holes 
 made in the moon by the man who forced his shoul- 
 ders through it. By this you will know that I have 
 not lied unto you. Now ever since that dreadful 
 day when the moon burst and the Bandimba coun- 
 try was consumed, parents are not in the habit of 
 granting children all they ask for, but only such 
 things as their age and experience warn them are 
 good for their little ones. And when little chil- 
 dren will not be satisfied by such things, but fret 
 and pester their parents to give them what they 
 know will be harmful to them, then it is a custom
 
 STORY OF THE PRINCE AND THE MOON 119 
 
 with all wise people to take the rod to them, to 
 drive out of their heads the wicked thoughts." 
 
 " But, Baruti," said a Zanzibari who believed 
 the story, for had he not often viewed the dark 
 spots on the moon, " what became of Bahanga and 
 the little prince ? " 
 
 " Why, after the engineer of the works, the first 
 who died were the king and the prince whose folly 
 had brought ruin on the land."
 
 HOAV KIMYERA BECAME KING OF 
 UGANDA* 
 
 r ADU was a native 
 lad of Ugand a, 
 who having made 
 blood - brotherhood 
 with a young Zan- 
 zibari of his own 
 age, asked permis- 
 sion to join our ex- 
 pedition of 1874- 
 77. He survived 
 the perils of the 
 descent of the Congo, and in 1879 enlisted again, 
 and served faithfully another term of three years 
 in Africa. He afterwards joined Mr. H. H. John- 
 ston on his visit to Kilimanjaro, and proved him- 
 self as devoted to him as he had been for seven 
 years to me. It was while road-making along the 
 banks of the Congo, after becoming thoroughly 
 conversant with the Zanzibari vernacular, that he 
 entertained us with his remarkable legends. Next 
 
 * Republished from the "Fortnightly" through the kindness of 
 its Editor and Proprietors.
 
 HOW KIMYERA BECAME KING OF UGANDA 121 
 
 to his countryman Sabadu he was the most enter- 
 taining. 
 
 One of the first tales he related to us was about 
 Kimyera, a king of Uganda, who by his exploits 
 in hunting deserves to be called the Nimrod of 
 that country. It ran as follows : — 
 
 Many ages ago'Uni reigned as king over 
 Unyoro, a great country which lies to the north 
 and west of Uganda, One day he took to wife 
 Wanyana, a woman of the neighbouring kingdom, 
 who on the first night she had been taken into the 
 inner harem manifested a violent aversion for his 
 person. At that time a man named Kalimera, who 
 was a dealer in cattle, was visiting the court, and had 
 already resided some months there as an honoured 
 guest of the king, on account of his agreeable 
 manners, and his accomplishments on the flute. 
 During his stay he had not failed to note the 
 beauty of the young women who were permitted to 
 crowd around him while he played ; but it had long 
 been observed that he had been specially attracted 
 by the charms of Wanyana. It was whispered by 
 a few of the more maliciously disposed among the 
 women that a meeting had taken place, and that 
 an opportunity had been found by them to inform 
 each other of their mutual passion. However that 
 may be, King Uni, surprised at the dislike which 
 she manifested towards him, forbore pressing her 
 for the time ? trustfully believing that her senti-
 
 122 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 rnents would change for the better after a more 
 intimate acquaintance with him. Meantime he 
 built for her a separate apartment, and palisaded 
 its court closely around with thick cane. His 
 visits were paid to her on alternate days, and each 
 time he brought some gift of Jbead or bark cloth, 
 or soft, furry hide, in the hope of winning her 
 favour. 
 
 In time she discovered that she was pregnant, 
 and, fearing King Uni's wrath, she made a compact 
 with him that if he would abstain from visiting 
 her for one month she would repay his kindness 
 with all affection. Uni gladly consented to this 
 proposal, and confined his attentions to sending 
 his pages with daily greetings and gifts. Mean- 
 time she endeavoured through her own servants 
 to communicate with Kalimera, her lover, but, 
 though no effort on her part was wanting, she 
 could gain no news of him, except a report that 
 soon after she had entered the harem of Uni, 
 Kalimera had disappeared. 
 
 In a few days she was delivered of a fine male 
 child, but as she would undoubtedly be slain by 
 the king if the child was discovered, she departed 
 by night with it, and laid it, clad in fur adorned 
 with fine bead-work, at the bottom of a potter's 
 pit. She then hastened to a soothsayer in the 
 neighbourhood, and bribed him to contrive in some 
 way to receive and rear her child until he could be
 
 HOW KIMYERA BECAME KING OF UGANDA 123 
 
 claimed. Satisfied with his assurance that the 
 child would be safe, Wanyana returned to her 
 residence at the court in the same secret manner 
 that she had left it. 
 
 Next morning Mugema, the potter, was seen pass- 
 ing the soothsayer's door, and was hailed by the 
 great witch-finder. 
 
 " Mugema," said he, " thy pots are now made of 
 rotten clay. They are not at all what they used 
 to be. They now crumble in the hand. Tell me 
 why is this ? " 
 
 " Ah, doctor, it is just that. I thought to bribe 
 thee to tell me, only I did not wish to disturb 
 thee." 
 
 " It is well, Mugema ; I will tell thee why. 
 Thou hast an enemy who wishes evil to thee, but 
 I will defeat his projects. Haste thou to thy pit, 
 and whatever living thing thou findest there, keep 
 it, and rear it kindly. While it lives thou art safe 
 from all harm." 
 
 Wondering at this news, Mugema departed from 
 the soothsayer's house, and proceeded to the pit 
 where he obtained his clay. Peering softly over 
 the edge of the pit, he saw a bundle of bark cloth 
 and fur. From its external appearance he could 
 hot guess what this bundle might contain, but, 
 fearing to disturb it by any precipitate movement, 
 he silently retreated from the pit, and sped away 
 to tell his wife, as he was in duty bound, and
 
 124 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 obtain her advice and assistance, for the wife in all 
 such matters is safer than the man. His wife on 
 hearing this news cried out at him, saying : 
 
 " Why, what a fool thou art ! Why didst thou 
 not do as the soothsayer commanded thee ? Come, 
 I will go with thee at once, for my mind is trou- 
 bled with a dream which I had last night, and this 
 thing thou tellest me may have a weighty meaning 
 for us both." 
 
 Mugema and his wife hurried together towards 
 the clay -pit, and as her husband insisted on it, she 
 crept silently to its edge to look down. At that 
 moment the child uttered a ciy and moved the 
 clothes which covered it. 
 
 " Why, it is a babe," cried the woman ; " just 
 as I found it in my dream. Hurry, Mugema. 
 Descend quickly, and bring it up to me ; and take 
 care not to hurt it." 
 
 Mugema wondered so much at his wife's words 
 that he almost lost his wits, but being pushed into 
 the pit he mechanically obeyed, and brought up the 
 bundle and its living occupant, which he handed 
 to his wife without uttering a word. 
 
 On opening the bundle there was discovered 
 the form of a beautiful and remarkably lusty child, 
 of such weight, size, and form, that the woman 
 exclaimed : 
 
 " Oh ! Mugema, was ever anybody's luck like 
 this of ours ? My very heart sighed for a child
 
 MOW KIMYERA BECAME KINO OF UGASDA 125 
 
 that I could bring up to be our joy, and here the 
 good spirits have given us the pick of all the 
 world. Mugema, thy fortune is made." 
 
 " But whose child is it ? " asked Mugema, 
 suspiciously. 
 
 "How can I tell thee that? Hadst thou not 
 brought the news to me of it being in the pit, I 
 should have been childless all my life. The sooth- 
 sayer who directed thee hither is a wise man. He 
 knows the secret, I warrant him. But come, 
 Mugema, drop these silly thoughts. What sayest 
 thou ? shall we rear the child, or leave it here to 
 perish ? " 
 
 " All right, wife. If it prove of joy to thee, I 
 shall live content." 
 
 Thus it was that the child of Wanyana found 
 foster-parents, and no woman in Unyoro could be 
 prouder of her child than Mugema's wife came to 
 be of the foundling. The milk of woman, goat, and 
 cow was given to him, and he throve prodigiously ; 
 and when Mugema asked the soothsayer what 
 name would be fittest for him, the wise man said : 
 
 " Call him Kimyera — the mighty one." 
 
 Some months after this, when Kimyera was 
 about a year old, Wanyana came to the potter's 
 house to purchase pots for her household, and 
 while she was seated in the porch selecting the 
 soundest among them, she heard a child crying 
 within.
 
 126 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " Ah, has thy wife had a child lately ? I did not 
 observe or hear when I last visited thee that she 
 was likely to become a mother." 
 
 " No, princess," replied Mugema ; " that is the 
 cry of a child I discovered in the clay-pit about a 
 year ago." 
 
 Wanyana's heart gave a great jump, and for a 
 moment she lost all recollection of where she was. 
 Recovering herself with a great effort, she bade 
 Musrema tell her all about the incident : but while 
 he related the story, she was busy thinking how 
 she might assure herself of his secrecy if she 
 declared herself to be the mother of the child. 
 
 Mugema, before concluding his story, did not 
 fail to tell Wanyana how for a time he had sus- 
 pected his wife of having played him falsely, and 
 that though he had no grounds for the suspicion 
 further than that the clay -pit was his own and the 
 child had been found in it, he was not quite clear 
 in his mind yet, and he would be willing to slave a 
 long time for any person who could thoroughly 
 disabuse his mind of the doubt, as, with that ex- 
 ception, his wife was the cleverest and best woman 
 in Unyoro. 
 
 Wanyana, perceiving her opportunity, said : 
 
 " Well, much as I affected not to know about 
 the child, I know whose child it is, and who placed 
 it in the pit." 
 
 " Thou, princess ! " he cried.
 
 MOW KIMYERA BECAME KINO OF UGANDA 12? 
 
 "Yes, and, if thou wilt take an oath upon the 
 great Muzimu to keep it secret, I will disclose the 
 name of the mother." 
 
 " Thou hast my assurance of secrecy upon the 
 condition that the child is not proved to be my 
 wife's. Whosoever else's it may be, matters not to 
 me ; the child was found, and is mine by right of 
 the finder. Now name the mother, princess." 
 
 " Wanyana ! " 
 
 " Thine ? " 
 
 " Even so. It is the offspring of fond love, and 
 Kalimera of Uganda is his father. The young 
 man belongs to one of the four royal clans of 
 Uganda, called the Elephant clan. He is the 
 youngest son of the late king of Uganda. To him, 
 on his father's death, fell his mother's portion, a 
 pastoral district rich in cattle not far from the fron- 
 tier of Unyoro. It was while he drove fat herds 
 here for sale to Uni that he saw and loved me, and 
 I knew him as my lord. Dreading the king's 
 anger, he fled, and I was left loveless in the power 
 of Uni. One night the child was born, and in the 
 darkness I crept out of the king's court, and bore 
 the babe to thy pit. To the wise man I confided 
 the secret of that birth. Thou knowest the rest." 
 
 " Princess, my wife never appeared fairer to me 
 than she does now, and I owe the clear eye to thee. 
 Rest in peace. My wife loves the babe, let her 
 nurse it until happier times, and I will guard it
 
 128 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 safe as though it were mine own. Ay, the babe, I 
 feel assured, will pay me well when he is grown. 
 The words of the wise man come home to me now, 
 and I see whereby good luck shall come to all. If 
 bone and muscle can make a king, Kimyera's future 
 is sure. But come in to see my wife, and to her 
 discretion and wisdom confide thy tale frankly." 
 
 Wanyana soon was hanging over her child, and, 
 amid tears of joy, she made Mugema's wife ac- 
 quainted with his birth, and obtained from her 
 earnest assurance that he would be tenderly cared 
 for, and her best help in any service she could 
 perform for Kimyera and his mother. 
 
 Great friendship sprang up between Princess 
 Wanyana and the potter Mugema and his wife, 
 and she found frequent excuses for visiting the 
 fast-crowing child. 
 
 Through the influence of the princess, the potter 
 increased in riches, and his herds multiplied ; and 
 when Kimyera was grown tall and strong, he was 
 entrusted by his foster-father with the care of the 
 cattle, and he gave him a number of strong youths 
 as assistants. With these Kimyera indulged in 
 manly games, until he became wonderfully dex- 
 terous in casting the spear, and drawing the bow, 
 and in wrestling. His swiftness exceeded that of 
 the fleetest antelope ; no animal of the plain could 
 escape him when he gave chase. His courage, 
 proved in the defence of his charge, became a
 
 HOW KIMYERA BECAME KING OF UGANDA 129 
 
 proverb among all who knew him. If the cry of 
 the herdsman warned him that a beast sought to 
 prey upon the cattle, Kimyera never lost time to 
 put himself in front, and, with spear and arrow, 
 he often became victor. 
 
 With the pride becoming the possessor of so 
 many admirable qualities, he would drive his herds 
 right through the corn-fields of the villagers, and 
 to all remonstrances he simply replied that the 
 herds belonged to Wanyana, favourite wife of Uni. 
 The people belonged to her also, as well as their 
 corn, and who could object to Wanyana's cattle 
 eating Wanyana's corn ? 
 
 As his reputation for strength and courage was 
 well known, the villagers then submissively per- 
 mitted him to do as he listed. 
 
 As he grew up in might and valour, Uni's re- 
 gards cooled towards Wanyana, and, as she was 
 not permitted that freedom formerly enjoyed by 
 her, her visits to Kimyera ceased. Mugema sym- 
 pathised with the mother, and contrived to send 
 Kimyera with pots to sell to the people of the 
 court, with strict charge to discover every piece 
 of news relating to the Princess Wanyana. The 
 mother's heart dilated with pride every time she 
 saw her son, and she contrived in various ways to 
 lengthen the interview. And each time he re- 
 turned to his home he carried away some gift from 
 Wanyana, such as leopard-skins, strings of beast
 
 130 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 claws, beads, and crocodile-teeth, girdles of white 
 monkey-skin, parcels of ground ochre, or cam- 
 wood, or rare shells, to show Mugema and his 
 wife. And often he used to say, "Wanyana 
 bade me ask you to accept this gift from her as a 
 token of her esteem," showing them similar 
 articles. 
 
 His mother's presents to him in a short time 
 enabled him to purchase two fine large dogs — one 
 was black as charcoal, which was named by him 
 Msigissa, or " Darkness," the other was white as 
 a cotton tuft, and called Sema-girnbi, or " Wood- 
 burr." You must know that it is because of the 
 dog Darkness, that the Baboon clan of Uganda 
 became so attached to black dogs, by which they 
 perpetuate the memory of Kimyera. 
 
 When he had become the owner of Darkness and 
 Wood-burr, he began to absent himself from home 
 for longer periods, leaving the herds in charge of 
 the herdsmen. With these he explored the plains, 
 and hills, and woods to a great distance from his 
 home. Sometimes he would be absent for weeks, 
 causing great anxiety to his kind foster-parents. 
 The further he went the more grew his passion to 
 know what lay beyond the furthest ridge he saw, 
 which, when discovered, he would be again 
 tempted to explore another that loomed in the 
 far distance before him. With every man he met 
 he entered into conversation, and obtained a
 
 110W KIMYERA BECAME KING OF UGANDA 131 
 
 various knowledge of things of interest relating to 
 the country, the people, and the chiefs. In this 
 manner before many months he had a wide know- 
 ledge of every road and river, village and tribe, 
 in the neighbouring lands. 
 
 On his return from these daring excursions, he 
 would be strictly questioned by Mugema and his 
 wife as to what he had been doing, but he evaded 
 giving the entire truth by rehearsing the hunting 
 incidents that attended his wanderings, so that they 
 knew not the lands he had seen, nor the distances 
 that he travelled. However, being uneasy in their 
 minds they communicated to Wanyana all that 
 was related to them and all they suspected. 
 Wanyana then sought permission to pay a visit 
 to the potter and his wife, and during the visit she 
 asked Kimyera, " Pray tell me, my son, whither 
 dost thou travel on these long journeys of thine 
 to seek for game ? " 
 
 " Oh ! I travel far through woods, and over 
 grassy hills and plains." 
 
 " But is it in the direction of sunrise, or sunset, 
 is it north or is it south of here ? " 
 
 To which he replied : " I seek game generally 
 in the direction whence the sun rises." 
 
 " Ah ! " said Wanyana. " In that way lies 
 Ganda, where thy father lives, and whence he 
 came in former days to exchange cattle for salt 
 and hoes."
 
 132 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " My father ! What may be my father's name, 
 mother ? " 
 
 " Kalimera." 
 
 " And where did he live ? " 
 
 " His village is called Willimera, and is near the 
 town of Bakka." 
 
 " Bakka ! I know the town, for in some of my 
 journeys I entered a long way into Uganda, and 
 have chased the leopard in the woods that border 
 the stream called Myanja, and over the plains 
 beyond the river many an antelope has fallen a 
 victim to my spear." 
 
 "It is scarcely credible, my son." 
 
 " Nay, but it is true, mother." 
 
 " Then thou must have been near Willimera in 
 that case, and it is a pity that thou shouldst not 
 have seen thy father, and been received by him." 
 
 A few days later Kimyera slung his knitted 
 haversack over his shoulder, and with shield, two 
 spears, and his faithful dogs Darkness and Wood- 
 burr, he strode out of the potter's house, and set 
 his face once more towards the Myanja river. At 
 the first village across the stream he questioned 
 the natives if they knew Willimera, and was told 
 that it was but eight hours east. The next day 
 he arrived, and travelled round the village, and 
 rested that night at the house of one of the herds- 
 men of Kalimera. He made himself very agree- 
 able to his host, and from him he received the
 
 HOW KIMYERA BECAME KINO OF UGANDA 133 
 
 fullest information of all matters relating to his 
 father. 
 
 The next day he began his return to Unyoro, 
 which he reached in two weeks. He told Mugema 
 and his foster-mother of his success, and they sent 
 a messenger to apprise Wanyana that Kimyera 
 had returned home. 
 
 KIMYERA SETTING OUT FOR UOANUA. 
 
 Wanyana, impatient to learn the news, arrived 
 that night at Mugema's house, and implored Kim- 
 yera to tell her all that he had heard and seen.
 
 134 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " In brief, it is this," replied Kimyera. " I now 
 know to a certainty where Kalimera lives. I have 
 gone round the village, I know how many natives 
 are in it, how many herds of cattle, and how many 
 herdsmen and slaves he has. Kalimera is well. 
 All these I learned from one of his chief herdsmen 
 with whom I rested a night. I came here straight 
 to let thee and my foster-parents know it." 
 
 " It is very well, my son. Now, Mugema, it is 
 time to move," she said to the potter. " Uni daily 
 becomes more intolerable to me. I never have yet 
 mated with him as his wife, and I have been true 
 to the one man who seemed to me to be the comeli- 
 est of his kind. Now that I know Kalimera lives, 
 my heart has gone to him, though my body is here. 
 Mugema, speak, my friend." 
 
 " Wanyana, my wit is slow and my tongue is 
 heavy. Thou knowest my circumstances. I have 
 one wife, but many cattle. The two cows, Namala 
 and Nakaombeh, thou gavest me first, I possess 
 still. Their milk has always been abundant and 
 sweet. Namala has sufficed to nourish Kimyera 
 into perfect lustiness and strength; Nakaombeh 
 gives more than will feed my wife and I. Let 
 Kimyera take his flute, his dogs, Darkness and 
 Wood-burr, his spears and shield ; Sebarija, my 
 cowherd, who taught Kimyera the flute, will also 
 take his flute and staff, and drive Namala and 
 Nakaombeh. My wife will carry a few furs, some
 
 HOW KIMYERA BECAME KING OF UGANDA 135 
 
 of the spoils won by Kimyera's prowess ; and, 
 lo ! I and my family will follow Wanyana." 
 
 " A true friend thou hast been to me and mine, 
 Mugema ! We will hence before dawn. In Willi- 
 mera thou shalt receive tenfold what thou leavest 
 here. The foundling of the clay-pit has grown tall 
 and strong, and at last he has found the way to 
 his father and his father's kindred." 
 
 And as Wanyana advised, the journey was 
 undertaken that night, and before the sun arose 
 Wanyana, Mugema and his wife, the slave Sebarija 
 driving the two cows, Namala and Nakaombeh, 
 were far on their way eastward, Kimyera and his 
 two dogs, Darkness and Wood-burr, preceding the 
 emigrants and guiding the way. 
 
 The food they took with them sustained them 
 for two days ; but on the third day they saw a 
 lonely buffalo, and Kimyera, followed by Mugema 
 and Sebarija, chased him. The buffalo was un- 
 commonly wild, and led them a long chase, far out 
 of sight of the two women. Then Mugema reflected 
 that they had done wrong in thus leaving the two 
 women alone, and called out to Sebarijo to hurry 
 back, and to look after the women and two cows. 
 Not long after, Darkness fastened his fangs in the 
 buffalo, until Wood-burr came up and assisted him 
 to bring it to the ground, and there they held him 
 until Kimyera gave him his death-stroke. The 
 two men loaded themselves with the meat, and
 
 136 my dark companions 
 
 returned to the place where they had left, but 
 alas ! they found no traces of the two women, nor 
 of Sebarija and the two cows. 
 
 Day after day Kimyera and Mugema hunted all 
 around the country for news of the missing party, 
 until, finally, to their great sorrow, they were 
 obliged to abandon the search, and came to the 
 conclusion that it was best for them to continue 
 their journey and trust to chance for the knowledge 
 they desired. 
 
 Near Ganda another buffalo was sighted by 
 Kimyera, and, bidding Mugema remain at the 
 first house he came to, he went after it with his 
 dogs. The buffalo galloped far, and near noon he 
 stood still under the shelter of a rock. Kimyera 
 bounded to the top, and, exerting all his strength, 
 he shot his spear clean through the back of the 
 animal. That rock is still shown to strangers as 
 the place where Kimyera killed the first game in 
 Uganda, and even the place where he stood may 
 be seen by the marks of his feet which were im- 
 pressed on it. While resting on the rock he saw 
 a woman pass near by with a gourd of water. He 
 called out to her, and begged for a drop to allay 
 his thirst. She smilingly complied, as the stran- 
 ger was comely and his manner pleasant. They 
 entered into conversation, during which he learned 
 that she belonged to Ganda, and served as maid 
 to Queen Naku, wife of Sebwana, and that Naku
 
 HOW KIMYERA BECAME KINO OF UGANDA 137 
 
 was kiud to strangers, and was famed for her 
 hospitality to them. 
 
 " Dost thou think she will be kind to me ? " 
 asked Kimyera. " I am a native of Unyoro, and I 
 am seeking a house where I may rest." 
 
 KIMYERA ASKFXO FOR WATER. 
 
 To which the maid replied : " It is the custom 
 of Naku, and, indeed, of all the princes of Ganda, 
 to entertain the stranger since, in the far olden 
 times, the first prince settled in this laud in which 
 he was a stransrer. But what may that be which 
 is secured in thy girdle ? " 
 
 " That is a reed flute on which I imitate when 
 alone the songs of such birds as sound sweetest to 
 me."
 
 138 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " And art thou clever at it ? " asked the maid. 
 
 " Be thou judge," he said ; and forthwith blew 
 on his flute until the maid marvelled greatly. 
 
 When he had ended, she clapped her hands 
 gaily and said : 
 
 " Thou wilt be more than welcome to Naku and 
 her people. Haste and follow me that I may show 
 thee to her, for thy fortune is made." 
 
 " Nay. I have a companion not far from here, 
 and I must not lose him. But thou mayest say 
 thou hast met a stranger who, when he has found 
 his friend, will present himself before Queen Naku 
 and Sebwana before sunset." 
 
 The maid withdrew and Kimyera rose, and cut- 
 ting a large portion of the meat he retraced his 
 steps, and sought and found Mugema, to whom he 
 told all his adventures. 
 
 After washing the stains of travel and refreshing 
 themselves, they proceeded into the village to the 
 residence of the queen and her consort Sebwana. 
 Naku was prepared by the favourable reports of 
 the maid to receive Kimyera kindly, but when she 
 saw his noble proportions and handsome figure she 
 became violently in love with him, and turning to 
 Sebwana she said : 
 
 " See now, we have guests of worth and breed- 
 ing. They must have travelled from a far land, 
 for I have heard of no tribe which could boast of 
 such a youth as this. Let us receive him and his
 
 nOW KIMYERA BECAME KING OF UGANDA 139 
 
 old friend nobly. Let a house close by our own 
 be made ready for his lodging, and let it be fur- 
 nished with abundance of food, with wine * and 
 milk, bananas and yams, water and fuel, and let 
 nothing be lacking* to show our esteem for them." 
 
 Sebwana gave orders accordingly and proceeded 
 to select a fit house as a lod<nno; for the quests. 
 
 Then Naku said : " I hear that thou art skilled 
 in music. If that is the instrument in thy girdle 
 with which thou hast delighted my maid, I should 
 be pleased to hear thee." 
 
 " Yes, Queen Naku, it is my flute ; and if my 
 music will delight thee, my best efforts are at thy 
 service." 
 
 Then Kimyera, kneeling on the leopard skins 
 placed for the convenience of himself and Mu- 
 gema, took out his flute, and after one or two 
 flourishes, poured forth such melodious sounds that 
 Naku, unable to keep her eyes open, closed them 
 and lay down with panting breasts, while her 
 senses were filled as it were with dreams of hap- 
 pier lands, and faces of brighter people than ever 
 she knew in real life. As he varied the notes, so 
 varied the gladsome visions of her mind. When 
 the music gently vibrated on her ears, her body 
 palpitated under the influence of the emotions 
 which swayed her ; when they became more enliv- 
 ened she tossed her arms about, and laughed con- 
 
 * Banana wine.
 
 140 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 vulsively ; and when the notes took a solemn tone, 
 she sighed and wept as though all her friends had 
 left her only their tender memory. Grieved that 
 Naku should suffer, Kimyera woke the queen 
 from her sorrowful condition with tones that soon 
 started her to her feet, and lo, all at once, those 
 who Avere present joined in the lively dance, and 
 nothing but gay laughter was heard from them. 
 Oh, it was wonderful what quick changes came 
 over people as they heard the flute of Kimyera. 
 When he ceased people began to look at one an- 
 other in a foolish and confused way, as though 
 something very strange had happened to them. 
 
 But Naku quickly recovered, and went to 
 Kimyera, smiling and saying: 
 
 " It is for thee to command, O Kimyera. To 
 resist thy flute would be impossible. Again wel- 
 come to Ganda, and we shall see if we cannot keep 
 thee and thy flute amongst us." 
 
 She conducted Kimyera and his foster-father 
 Mugema to their house. She examined carefully 
 the arrangements made by the slaves, and when 
 she found anything amiss she corrected it with 
 her own hands. Before she parted from them she 
 called Mugema aside, and questioned him further 
 respecting the youth, by which means she obtained 
 many interesting particulars concerning him. 
 
 On arriving at her own house she called all the 
 pages of the court to her, and gave orders that if
 
 BOW KIM YUBA BECAME KING OF UGANDA 141 
 
 Sebwana told them to convey such and such things 
 to the strangers next day, that none of them 
 should do so, but carry them to the rear court 
 where only women were admitted. 
 
 In consequence of this command Mugema and 
 Kimyera found themselves deserted next day, and 
 not one person went near them. Mugema there- 
 fore sought an interview the day after with Queen 
 Naku and said : 
 
 " The custom of this country seems strange to 
 us, Queen. On the first day we came thy 
 favours showered abundance on us, but on the next 
 not a single person showed his face to us. Had 
 we been in a wilderness we could not have been 
 more alone. It is possible that we may have 
 offended thee unknown to ourselves. Pray ac- 
 quaint us with our offence, or permit us to depart 
 at once from Ganda." 
 
 "Nay, Mugema, I must ask thee to be patient. 
 Food ye shall have in abundance, through my 
 women, and much more is in store for ye. But 
 come, I will visit the young stranger, and thou 
 shalt lead me to him." 
 
 Kimyera had been deep in thought ever since 
 he had parted from Naku, and he had not ob- 
 served what Mugema had complained of ; but on 
 seeing Naku enter his house, he hasted and laid 
 matting on the floor, and, covering it with leopard 
 skins, begged Naku to be seated on them. He
 
 142 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 brought fresh banana-leaves in his arras, and 
 spread them near her, on which he arranged meat 
 and salt, and bananas and clotted milk, and 
 kneeled before her like a ready servitor. 
 
 Naku observed all his movements, her admira- 
 tion for his person and graces of body becoming 
 stronger every minute. She peeled a mellow ba- 
 nana and handed it to him, saying, " Let Kirn- 
 yera taste and eat with me, and I will then know 
 that I am in the house of a friend." 
 
 Kimyera accepted the gift with thanks, and ate 
 the banana as though he had never eaten anything 
 so delicious in his life. Then he also peeled a 
 beautiful and ripe banana, and, presenting it to 
 her on a fragment of green leaf with both hands, 
 said to her : 
 
 " Queen Naku, it is the custom of my country 
 for the master of the house to wait upon his 
 guests. Wherefore accept, O Queen, this banana 
 as a token of friendship from the hands of Kim- 
 yera." 
 
 The queen smiled, bent forward with her eyes 
 fixed on his own, and took the yellow fruit, and 
 ate it as though such sweetness was not known in 
 the banana land of Ganda. 
 
 When she had eaten she said : 
 
 "List, Kimyera, and thou, Mugema, hearken 
 well, for I am about to utter weighty words. In 
 Ganda, since the death of my father, there has
 
 HOW KIMYERA BECAME KINO OF UGANDA 143 
 
 been no king. Sebwana is my consort by choice 
 of the elders of the land, but in name only. He 
 is really only my hate-hiro (Premier). But I am 
 now old enough to choose a king for myself, and 
 according to custom, I may do so. Wherefore I 
 make known to thee, Mugema, that I have already 
 chosen my lord and husband, and he by due right 
 must occupy the chair of my father, the old king 
 who is dead. I have said to myself since the day 
 before yesterday that my lord and husband shall 
 be Kimyera." 
 
 Both Kimyera and Mugema prostrated them- 
 selves three times before Naku, and, after the 
 youth had recovered from his confusion and sur- 
 prise, he replied : 
 
 " But, Queen Naku, hast thou thought what the 
 people will say to this ? May it not be that they 
 will ask, 'Who is this stranger that he should 
 reign over us ? ' and they will be wroth with me 
 and try to slay me ? " 
 
 " Nay. For thou art my father's brother's son, 
 as Mugema told me, and my father having left no 
 male heirs of his body, his daughter may, if she 
 choose, ally herself with a son of his brother. 
 Kalimera is a younger brother of my father. 
 Thou seest, therefore, that thou, Kimyera, hast a 
 right to the king's chair, if I, Naku, will it to 
 be so." 
 
 " And how, Naku, dost thou propose to act ? In
 
 144 MY DARK COMPANIONS . 
 
 thy cause my arm is ready to strike. Thou hast 
 but to speak." 
 
 " In this way. I will now leave thee, for I have 
 some business for Sebwana. When he has gone 
 I will then send for thee, and thou, when thou 
 comest to me, must say, ' Naku, I have come. 
 What can Kimyera do for Queen Naku ? ' And I 
 will rise and say, 'Kimyera, come and seat thyself 
 in thy father's brother's chair.' And thou wilt 
 step forward, bow three times before me, then six 
 times before the king's chair, and, with thy best 
 spear in hand and shield on arm, thou wilt pro- 
 ceed to the king's chair, and turning to the people 
 who will be present, say in a loud voice thus : • Lo, 
 people of Ganda, I am Kimyera, son of Kalimera, 
 by Wanyana of Unyoro. I hereby declare that 
 with her own free will I this day do take Naku, 
 my father's brother's daughter, to wife, and seat 
 myself in the king's chair. Let all obey, on pain 
 of death, the king's word.' " 
 
 " It is well, Naku ; be it according to thy wish," 
 replied Kimyera. 
 
 Naku departed and proceeded in search of 
 Sebwana ; and, when she found him, she affected 
 great distress and indignation. 
 
 " How is this, Sebwana ? I gave orders that 
 our guests should be tenderly cared for and sup- 
 plied with every needful thing. But I find, on 
 inquiring this morning, that all through yesterday
 
 HOW KIM VERA BECAME KINO OF UGANDA 145 
 
 they were left alone to wonder at our sudden dis- 
 regard for their wants. Haste, rny friend, and 
 make amends for thy neglect. Go to my fields 
 and plantations, collect all that is choicest for our 
 guests, lest, when they leave us, they will proclaim 
 our unkindness." 
 
 Sebwana was amazed at this charge of neglect, 
 and in anger hastened to find out the pages. But 
 the pages, through Naku's good care, absented 
 themselves, and could not be found ; so that old 
 Sebwana was obliged to depend upon a few 
 unarmed slaves to drive the cattle and carry the 
 choicest treasures of the queen's fields and planta- 
 tions for the use of the strangers. 
 
 Sebwana having at last left the town, Naku 
 returned to Kimyera, whom she found with a sad 
 and disconsolate aspect. 
 
 " Why, what ails thee, Kimyera ? " she asked. 
 " The chair is now vacant. Arm thyself and follow 
 me to the audience court." - 
 
 " Ah, Naku ! I but now remembered that as 
 yet I know not whether my mother and good 
 nurse are alive or dead. They may be waiting for 
 me anxiously somewhere near the Myanja, or their 
 bones may be bleaching on one of the great plains 
 we traversed in coming hither." 
 
 " Nay, Kimyera, my lord, this is not a time for 
 mourning. Bethink thee of the present needs first. 
 The chair of the king awaits thee. Rise, and 
 10
 
 146 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 occupy it, and to-morrow all Granda is at thy 
 service to find thy lost mother and nurse. Come, 
 delay not, lest Sebwana return and take vengeance 
 on us all." 
 
 " Fear not, Naku, it was but a passing fit of grief 
 which filled my mind. Sebwana must needs be 
 strong and brave to dispossess me when Naku is 
 on my side," saying which Kimyera dressed himself 
 in war-costume, with a crown of cock's tail feathers 
 on his head, a great leopard skin depending from 
 his neck down his back, a girdle of white monkey 
 skin round his waist, his body and face brilliantly 
 painted with vermilion and saffron. He then 
 armed himself with two bright shining spears of 
 great length, and bearing a shield of dried elephant 
 hide, which no ordinary spear could penetrate, he 
 strode after Queen Naku towards the audience 
 court in the royal palace. Mugema, somewhat 
 similarly armed, followed his foster-son. 
 
 As Kimyera strode proudly on, the great drum 
 of Ganda sounded, and its deep tones were heard 
 far and wide. Immediately the populace, who 
 knew well that the summons of the great drum 
 announced an important event, hastily armed 
 themselves, and filled the great court. Naku, the 
 queen, they found seated in a chair alongside of 
 the king's chair, which was now unfilled, and in 
 front of her was a tall young stranger, who pros- 
 trated himself three times before the queen. He
 
 KIMYERA CLAIMING THE THRONE OK OANDA.
 
 BOW KIMYERA BECAME KING OF UGANDA 149 
 
 was then seen bowing six times before the empty 
 king's chair. Rising to his feet, he stepped towards 
 it, and afterwards faced the multitude, who were 
 looking on wonderingly. 
 
 The young stranger, lifting his long spears and 
 raising his shield in an attitude of defence, cried 
 out aloud, so that all heard his voice : 
 
 " Lo, people of Ganda ! I am Kimyera, son of 
 Kalimera, by Wanyana of Unyoro. I hereby de- 
 clare that with her own free will I this day do 
 take Naku, my father's brother's daughter, to wife, 
 and seat myself in the king's chair. Let all obey, 
 on pain of death, the king's word." 
 
 On concluding this address, he stepped back a 
 pace, and gravely sat in the king's chair. A loud 
 murmur rose from the multitude, and the shafts of 
 spears were seen rising up, when Naku rose to her 
 feet, and said : 
 
 " People of Ganda, open your ears. I, Naku, 
 the legitimate queen of Ganda, hereby declare that 
 I have found my father's brother's son, and I, this 
 day, of my own free will and great love for him, do 
 take him for my lord and husband. By full 
 right Kimyera fills the king's chair. I charge 
 you all henceforth to be loyal to him, and him 
 only." 
 
 As she ended her speech the people gave a great 
 shout of welcome to the new king, and they waved 
 their spears, and clashed them against their
 
 150 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 shields, thus signifying their willing allegiance to 
 King Kiinyera. 
 
 The next day great bodies of strong men were 
 despatched in different directions for the king's 
 mother and his nurse, and for Sebarija and the two 
 cows, Namala and Nakaombeh. If alive they were 
 instructed to convey them with honour and care to 
 Ganda, and if any fatal misadventure had happened 
 to them, their remains were to be borne with all 
 due respect to the king. 
 
 Sebwana, meanwhile, had started for the planta- 
 tions, and hearing the thunder of the great drum, 
 divined that Naku had deposed him in favour of 
 the young stranger. To assure himself of the fact, 
 he sent a confidential slave to discover the truth of 
 the matter, while he sought a place where he could 
 await, unobserved, the return of his messenger. 
 When his slave came back to him he learned what 
 great event had occurred during his short absence, 
 and that his power had been given to another. 
 Knowing the fate attending those thus deposed, he 
 secretly retired to the district that had given him 
 birth, where he lived obscure and safe until he died 
 at a good old age. 
 
 After some days Sebarija and Mugema's wife, 
 and the two cows Namala and Nakaombeh, were 
 found by tbe banks of My an j a, near a rocky hill 
 which contained a cave, whither they had retired 
 to seek a dwelling-place until news could be found
 
 HOW KIMYERA BECAME KINO OF UGANDA 151 
 
 of Mugema and Kimyera. But Wanyana, the 
 king's mother, while gathering fuel near the cave 
 during the absence of Sebarija and the potter's 
 wife, had been fatally wounded by a leopard, before 
 her cries brought Sebarija to her rescue. A short 
 time after she had been taken into the cave she had 
 died of her wounds, and her body had been folded 
 in such furs and covering as her friends possessed, 
 that Kimyera, on his return, might be satisfied of 
 the manner of her death. 
 
 Kimyera, accompanied by his wife Naku and old 
 Mugema, set out from Gauda with a great escort 
 to receive the long-lost couple and the remains of 
 Wanyana. Mugema rejoiced to see his old wife 
 once more, though he deeply regretted the loss of 
 his friend the princess. As for the king, his grief 
 was excessive, but Naku, with her loving ways, 
 assisted him to bear his great misfortune. A 
 period of mourning, for an entire moon, was 
 enjoined on all the people, after which a great 
 mound was built at Kagoma over the remains of 
 the unfortunate princess, and Sebarija was duly 
 installed as keeper of the monument. Ever since 
 that day it has become the custom to bury the 
 queen-mothers near the grave of Wanyana, and to 
 appoint keepers of the royal cemetery in memory 
 of Sebarija, who first occupied that post. 
 
 While he lived Sebarija was honoured with a 
 visit, on the first day of every alternate moon,
 
 152 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 from Kimyera, who always brought with him a 
 young buffalo as a gift to the faithful cowherd. 
 During these days the king and Sebarija were 
 accustomed to play their flutes together as they 
 did in the old time, and their seats were on mats 
 placed on top of the mound, while the escort and 
 servants of the king and queen sat all round the 
 foot of it, and this was the manner in which Wan- 
 yana's memory was honoured during her son's life. 
 
 Kimyera finally settled with Queen Naku at 
 Birra, where he built a large town. Mugema and 
 his wife, with their two cows Namala and Naka- 
 ombeh, lived near the palace for many years, until 
 they died. 
 
 Darkness and Wood-burr accompanied the king 
 on many a hunt in the plains bordering the Myanja, 
 in the woods of Ruwambo, and along the lake- 
 lands which look towards Bussi ; and they in their 
 turn died and were honourably interred with many 
 folds of bark-cloth. Queen Naku, after giving 
 birth to three sons, died during the birth of her 
 fourth child, and was buried with great honour 
 near Birra, and finally, after living to a great old 
 age, the hunter king, Kimyera, died, mourned by 
 all his people.
 
 THE LEGEND OF THE LEOPARDESS 
 AND HER TWO SERVANTS, DOG AND 
 JACKAL 
 
 T^HE following legend 
 was also told by Kadu 
 as we approached Isan- 
 gila cataract. 
 
 Long ago, in the 
 early age of Uganda, 
 a leopardess, in 
 want of a ser- 
 vant to do chores 
 in her den, was 
 solicited by a 
 jackal to engage 
 him to perform that duty. As Jackal had a very 
 suspicious appearance, with his ears drawn back, 
 and his furtive eyes, and a smile which always 
 seemed to be a leer, the Leopardess consulted with 
 Dog, whom she had lately hired as her steward, as 
 to the propriety of trusting such a cunning-looking 
 animal. 
 
 Dog trotted out to the entrance of the den to 
 examine the stranger for himself, and, after close 
 inspection of him, asked Jackal what work he
 
 154 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 could do. Jackal replied humbly and fawningly, 
 and said that he could fetch water from the brook, 
 collect fuel, sweep out the house, and was willing, 
 if necessary, to cook now and then, as he was not 
 a novice in the art of cooking ; and, looking at 
 Leopardess, " I am very fond of cubs, and am very 
 clever in nursing them." Mistress Leopardess, 
 on hearing this, seemed to be impressed with the 
 abilities of Jackal, and, without waiting for the 
 advice of Dog, engaged him at once, and said : 
 
 " Jackal, you must understand that my custom 
 is to feed my servants well. What is left from 
 my table is so abundant that I have heard no 
 complaints from any who have been with me. 
 Therefore you need fear no starvation, but while 
 you may depend upon being supplied with plenty 
 of meat, the bones must not be touched. Dog 
 shall be your companion, but neither he nor any- 
 one else is permitted to touch the bones." 
 
 " I shall be quite content, Mistress Leopardess. 
 Meat is good enough for me, and for good meat 
 you may depend upon it I shall give good work." 
 
 The household of Mistress Leopardess was com- 
 pleted ; she suffered no anxiety, and enjoyed her- 
 self in her own way. The chase was her great 
 delight. The forest and plains were alive with 
 game, and each morning at sunrise it was her cus- 
 tom to set out for the hunt, and scarcely a day 
 passed but she returned with sufficient meat to
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 155 
 
 fatten her household. Dog and Jackal expressed 
 themselves delighted with the luscious repasts 
 which they enjoyed, and a sleek roundness wit- 
 nessed that they fared nobly. But as it frequently 
 happens with people who have everything they 
 desire, Dog, in a short while, became more nice 
 and fastidious in his tastes. He hankered after 
 the bones which were forbidden him, and was 
 heard to sigh deeply whenever Mistress Leopardess 
 collected the bones and stored them in the interior, 
 and his eyes became filled with tears as he eyed 
 the rich morsels stowed away. His feelings at 
 last becoming intolerable, he resolved to appeal to 
 his mistress one day, as she appeared to be in a 
 more amiable mood than usual, and said : 
 
 " Mistress, thanks to you, the house is always 
 well supplied with meat, and none of your servants 
 have any reason to think that they will ever suffer 
 the pangs of hunger ; but, speaking for myself, 
 mistress mine, I wish for one thing more, if you 
 will be so good as to grant it." 
 
 " And what may that be, greedy one ? " asked 
 Leopardess. 
 
 " Well, you see, mistress, I fear you do not un- 
 derstand the nature of dogs very well. You must 
 know dogs delight in marrow, and often prefer it 
 to meat. The latter by itself is good, but how- 
 ever plentiful and good it may be, without an 
 occasional morsel of marrow it is apt to pall.
 
 156 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Dogs also love to sharpen their teeth on bones 
 and screw their tongues within the holes for the 
 sake of the rich juice. By itself, marrow would 
 not fatten my ribs; but meat with marrow is 
 most delectable. Now, good mistress, seeing that 
 I have been so faithful in your service, so docile 
 and prompt to do your bidding, will you not be 
 gracious enough to let me gnaw the bones and 
 extract the marrow ? " 
 
 " No," roared Leopardess decisively, " that is 
 positively forbidden ; and let me warn you that 
 the day you venture to do so, a strange event 
 will happen suddenly, which shall have most 
 serious consequences to you and to all in this 
 house. 
 
 " And you, Jackal, bear what I say well in 
 mind," she continued, turning to that servile sub- 
 ordinate. 
 
 " Yes, mistress ; I will, most certainly. Indeed, 
 I do not care very greatly for bones," said Jackal, 
 "and I hope my friend and mate, Dog, will 
 remember, good mistress, what you say." 
 
 " I hear, mistress," replied Dog, " and since it is 
 your will, I must needs obey." 
 
 The alarming words of Leopardess had the effect 
 of compelling Dog and Jackal for awhile to desist 
 from even thinking of marrow, and the entreaty 
 of Dog appeared to be forgotten by Leopardess, 
 though Jackal was well aware, by the sparkles in
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 157 
 
 the covetous eyes of Dog when any large bone was 
 near him, how difficult it was for hiui to resist the 
 temptation. Day after day Leopardess sallied out 
 from her den, and returned with kids, goats, sheep, 
 antelopes, zebra, and often a young giraffe ; and one 
 day she brought a great buffalo to her household, 
 and cubs and servants came running to greet her, 
 and praise her successful hunting. 
 
 On this day Dog undertook to prepare the 
 dinner. The buffalo-meat was cooked in exquisite 
 fashion, and when it was turned out of the great 
 pot, steaming and trickling over everywhere with 
 juice, Dog caught sight of a thigh-bone and yellow 
 marrow glistening within. The temptation to steal 
 it was too great to resist. He contrived to drop 
 the bone back again into the pot, furnished the 
 tray quickly with the meat, and sent Jackal with 
 it to Leopardess, saying that he would follow with 
 the kabobs and stew. As soon as Jackal had o-one 
 out of the kitchen, Dog whipped the bone out of 
 the pot and slyly hid it ; then, loading stew and 
 kabobs on a tray, he hurried after Jackal, and began 
 officiously bustling about, fawning upon Leopard- 
 ess, stroking the cubs as he placed them near 
 their mamma around the smoking trays, scolding 
 Jackal for his laziness, and bidding him hurry up 
 with the steaks. All of which, of course, was due 
 to his delight that he had a rare treat in store for 
 himself snugly hidden away.
 
 158 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Leopardess was pleased to bestow a good many 
 praises upon Dog's cooking, and the cubs even 
 condescended to smile their approval for the ex- 
 cellent way in which their wants were sup- 
 plied. 
 
 Towards evening Mistress Leopardess went out 
 again, but not before reminding Jackal of his 
 duties towards the cubs, and bidding him, if it- 
 were late before she returned, on no account to 
 leave them alone in the dark. Dog smilingly 
 followed his mistress to the door, wishing her, in 
 the most fawning manner, every success. When 
 he thought that his mistress was far enough, and 
 Jackal quite occupied with the cubs, Dog hastened 
 to the kitchen, and, taking up his bone, stole out 
 of the house, and carried it to a considerable dis- 
 tance off. When he thought he was safe from 
 observation, he lay down, and, placing the bone 
 between his paws, was about to indulge his craving 
 for marrow, when lo ! the bone was seen to fly 
 away back to the den. Wondering at such a 
 curious event, furious at his disappointment, and 
 somewhat alarmed as he remembered Leopardess's 
 warning words, he rushed after it, crying : 
 
 " Jackal, Jackal ! shut the door ; the bone is 
 coining. Jackal, please shut the door." 
 
 Jackal fortunately was at the door, squatting 
 on his haunches, having just arrived there from 
 nursing the cubs, and saw the bone coming straight
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 159 
 
 towards him, and Dog galloping and crying out to 
 shut the door. Quickly perceiving that Dog had 
 at last allowed his appetite to get the better of his 
 duty, and having, truth to say, a fellow-feeling for 
 his fellow-servant, Jackal closed the door just in 
 time, for in about a second afterwards the bone 
 struck the door with a tremendous force, dinting 
 it deeply. 
 
 Then Jackal turned to Dos;, on recovering; from 
 his astonishment, and angrily asked, "Oh, Dog, 
 do you know what you are doing? Have you 
 no sense ? You came near beincr the death of 
 me this time. I'll tell you what, my friend, if 
 Mistress Leopardess hears of this, your life is 
 not worth a feather." 
 
 " Now don't, please, good Jackal — don't say any- 
 thing of it this time. The fright I have had is 
 quite sufficient to keep me from touching a bone 
 again." 
 
 "Well, I am sure I don't wish you any harm, 
 but for your life's sake do not be so dull as to 
 forget the lesson you have learned." 
 
 Soon after Leopardess returned with a small 
 antelope for the morrow's breakfast, and cried out 
 to Jackal, as was usual with her on returning from 
 the hunt : 
 
 " Now, my Jackal, bring the cubs hither ; my 
 dugs are so heavy. How are the little ones i " 
 
 " Ah, very well, ma'am : poor little dears, they
 
 1G0 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 have been in a sweet sleep ever since you went 
 out." 
 
 A few days later, Leopardess brought a fat 
 young zebra, and Jackal displayed his best skill 
 in preparing it for dinner. Dog also assisted with 
 wise suggestions in the preparation of certain 
 auxiliaries to the feast. When all was ready, Dog 
 laid the table, and as fast as Jackal brought the 
 various dishes, Dog arranged them in the most 
 tempting manner on fresh banana leaves, spread 
 over the ample plateau. Just before sitting down 
 to the meal, Leopardess heard a strange noise with- 
 out, and bounded to the door, growling angrily at 
 being disturbed. Dog instantly seized the oppor- 
 tunity of her absence to extract a great bone from 
 one of the trays, and stowed it in a recess in the 
 wall of the passage leading from the kitchen. 
 Presently Leopardess came back, and when the 
 cubs were brought the meal was proceeded with 
 in silence. When they had all eaten enough, the 
 good effect of it was followed by commendations 
 upon the cooking, and the juicy flavour of the 
 meat, and how well Jackal had prepared every- 
 thing. Neither was Dog forgotten by the mistress 
 and her young ones, and he was dismissed with the 
 plenteous remnants of the feast for himself and 
 mate, with the courteous hope that they would 
 find enough and to spare. 
 
 In the afternoon Leopardess, having refreshed
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 161 
 
 herself with a nap, sallied out once more, enjoining 
 Jackal, as she was going out of the den, to be 
 attentive to her little ones during her absence. 
 
 While his friend Jackal proceeded towards the 
 cubs, Dog surreptitiously abstracted his bone from 
 the cavity in the passage wall, and trotted out 
 unobserved. When he had arrived at a secluded 
 place, he lay down, and, seizing the bone between 
 his paws, was about to give it a preliminary lick, 
 when again, to his dismay and alarm, the bone 
 flew up and away straight for the door. Dog 
 loped after it as fast as his limbs could carry him, 
 crying out : 
 
 " Oh, Jackal, Jackal, good Jackal ! Shut the 
 door. Hurry up. Shut the door, good Jackal." 
 
 Again Jackal heard his friend's cry, and sprang 
 up to close the door, and the instant he had done 
 so the bone struck it with dreadful force. 
 
 Turning to the crestfallen and panting Dog, 
 Jackal said sternly : " You are a nice fellow, you 
 are. I well see the end of you. Now listen, this 
 is the last time that I shall help you, my friend. 
 The next time you take a bone you will bear the 
 consequences, so look out." 
 
 " Come, Jackal, now don't say any more ; I will 
 not look at a bone again, I make you a solemn 
 promise." 
 
 " Keep to that, and you will be safe," replied 
 
 Jackal. 
 
 u
 
 1G2 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Poor Dog, however, was by no means able to 
 adhere to his promise, for a few days afterwards 
 Leopardess brought a fat young eland, and he 
 found an opportunity to abstract a fine marrow- 
 bone before serving his generous mistress. Late in 
 the afternoon, after dinner and siesta, Leopardess, 
 before going out, repeated her usual charge to 
 Jackal, and while the faithful servant retired to his 
 nursing duties, greedy Dog sought his bone, and 
 stole out to the forest with it. This time he went 
 further than usual. Jackal meanwhile finding the 
 cubs indisposed for sleep, led them out to the door 
 of the den, where they frisked and gambolled about 
 with all the liveliness of cubhood. Jackal was 
 sitting at a distance from the door when he heard 
 the cries of Dog. "Oh, Jackal, Jackal, good 
 Jackal ! Shut the door quickly. Look out for the 
 bone. It is coming. Shut the door quickly." 
 
 " Ha, ha ! friend Dog ! At it again, eh ? " said 
 the Jackal. " It is too late, too late, Doggie dear, 
 the cubs are in the doorway." He looked up, how- 
 ever, saw the bone coining with terrific speed ; he 
 heard it whiz as it flew close over his head, and 
 almost immediately after it struck one of the cubs, 
 killing it instantly. 
 
 Jackal appeared to quickly realise the conse- 
 quences of Dog's act, and his own carelessness, and 
 feeling that henceforth Leopardess's den would be 
 no home for him, he resolved to escape. Just
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 163 
 
 then Dog came up, and when he saw the dead cub 
 he set up a piteous howl. 
 
 " Aye," said Jackal. " You fool, you begin to 
 see what your greed has brought upon us all. 
 Howl on, my friend, but you will howl differently 
 when Mistress Leopardess discovers her dead cub. 
 Bethink yourself how all this will end. Our mighty 
 mistress, if she catches you, will make mincemeat 
 of you. Neither may I stay longer here. My 
 home must be a burrow in the wild wood, or in the 
 rocky cave in future. What will you do ? " 
 
 " I, Jackal ? I know not yet. Go, if you will, 
 and starve yourself. I trust to find a better home 
 than a cramped burrow, or the cold shelter of a 
 cave. I love warmth, and kitchen fires, and the 
 smell of roast meats too well to trust myself to the 
 chilly covert you propose to seek, and my coat is 
 too fine for rough outdoor life." 
 
 " Hark ! " cried Jackal, " do you hear that ? That 
 is the mistress's warning note ! Fare you well, 
 Doggie. I shall dream of you to-night lying stark 
 under the paw of the Leopardess." 
 
 Jackal waited to say no more, but fled from the 
 scene, and from that day to this Jackal has been 
 a vagabond. He loves the darkness, and the twi- 
 light. It is at such times you hear his yelp. He 
 is very selfish and cowardly. He has not courage 
 enough to kill anything for himself, but prefers 
 to wait — licking his chops — until the lion or the
 
 164 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 leopard, who lias struck the game, has gorged him- 
 self. 
 
 As for Dog he was sorely frightened, but after a 
 little deliberation he resolved to face the matter 
 out until he was certain of the danger. He con- 
 veyed the cubs, living and dead, quickly within, 
 and then waited with well-dissembled anxiety the 
 coming of his mistress. 
 
 Leopardess shortly arrived, and was met at the 
 door by the obsequious Dog with fawning welcome. 
 
 " Where is Jackal ? " asked Leopardess as she 
 entered. 
 
 " I regret to say he has not returned yet from a 
 visit which he said he was bound to pay his friends 
 and family, whom he had not seen for so long," 
 replied Dog. 
 
 u Then you go and bring my little ones to me. 
 Poor little dears, they must be hungry by this, and 
 my milk troubles me," commanded the mistress. 
 
 Dog departed readily, thinking to himself, "I 
 am in for it now." He soon returned, bearing one 
 of the cubs, and laid it down. 
 
 " Bring the other one, quickly," cried Leopardess. 
 
 " Yes, ma'am, immediately," he said. 
 
 Dog took the same cub up again, but in a brief 
 time returned with it. The cub, already satisfied, 
 would not touch the teat. 
 
 " Go and bring the other one, stupid," cried 
 Le >[>ardess, observing that it would not suck.
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SER VANTS 167 
 
 "This is the other one, mistress," he replied. 
 
 " Then why does it not suck ? " she asked. 
 
 " Perhaps it has not digested its dinner." 
 
 " Where is Jackal ? Has he not yet returned ? 
 Jackal ! " she cried. " Where are you, Jackal ? " 
 
 From the jungle out-doors Jackal shrilly yelped, 
 " Here I am, mistress ! " 
 
 " Come to me this instant," commanded Leop- 
 ardess. 
 
 " Coming, mistress, coming," responded Jackal's 
 voice faintly, for at the sound of her call he had 
 been alarmed and was trotting off. 
 
 " Why, what can be the matter with the brute, 
 trifling with me in this manner ? Here, Dog, take 
 this cub to the crib." 
 
 Dog hastened to obey, but Leopardess, whose 
 suspicions had been aroused, quietly followed him 
 as he entered the doorway leading into the inner 
 recess of the house where the crib was placed. 
 Having placed the living near the dead cub in the 
 crib, Dog turned to leave, when he saw his dreaded 
 mistress in the doorway, gazing with fierce dis- 
 tended eyes, and it flashed on him that she had 
 discovered the truth, and fear adding speed to his 
 limbs he darted like an arrow between her legs, 
 and rushed out of the den. With a loud roar of 
 fury Leopardess sprang after him, Dog running 
 for dear life. His mistress was gaining upon him, 
 when Dog turned aside, and ran round the trees.
 
 168 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Again Leopardess was rapidly drawing near, when 
 Dog shot straight away and increased the distance 
 between them a little. Just as one would think 
 Dog had no hope of escaping from his fierce mis- 
 tress, he saw a wart-hog's burrow, into which he 
 instantly dived. Leopardess arrived at the hole in 
 the ground as the tail of Dog disappeared from 
 her sight. Being too large of body to enter, she 
 tore up the entrance to the burrow, now and then 
 extending her paw far within to feel for her vic- 
 tim. But the burrow was of great length, and 
 ran deep downwards, and she was at last obliged 
 to desist from her frantic attempts to reach the 
 runaway. 
 
 Reflecting awhile, Leopardess looked around and 
 saw Monkey near by, sitting gravely on a branch 
 watching her. 
 
 " Come down, Monkey," she imperatively com- 
 manded, " and sit by this burrow and watch the 
 murdering slave who is within, while I procure 
 materials to smoke him out." 
 
 Monkey obeyed, and descending the tree, took 
 his position at the mouth of the burrow. But it 
 struck him that should Dog venture out, his 
 strength would be unable to resist him. He there- 
 fore begged Leopardess to stay a moment, while 
 he went to bring a rock with which he could block 
 the hole securely. When this was done Leopardess 
 said, " Now stay here, and do not stir until I
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 169 
 
 return ; I will not be long, and when I come I will 
 fix him." 
 
 Leopardess, leaving the burrow in charge of 
 Monkey, commenced to collect a large quantity of 
 dry grass, and then proceeded to her house to pro- 
 cure fire wherewith to light it, and suffocate Dog 
 Avith the smoke. 
 
 Dog, soon after entering the burrow had turned 
 himself round and faced the hole, to be ready for 
 all emergencies. He had heard Leopardess give 
 her orders to Monkey, had heard Monkey's plans 
 for blockading him, as well as the threat of 
 Leopardess to smoke him out. There was not 
 much hope for him if he stayed longer. 
 
 After a little while he crept close to the rock 
 that blocked his exit, and whispered : 
 
 " Monkey, let me out, there's a good fellow." 
 
 " It may not be," replied Monkey. 
 
 " Ah, Monkey, why are you so cruel ? I have 
 not done any harm to you. Why do you stand 
 guard over me to prevent my escape ? " 
 
 " I am simply obeying orders, Dog. Leopardess 
 said, ' Stay here and watch, and see that Dog does 
 not escape ; ' and I must do so or harm will come 
 to. me, as you know." 
 
 Then said Dog, " Monkey, I see that you have a 
 cruel heart, too, though I thought none but the 
 Leopard kind could boast of that. May you feel 
 some day the deep despair I feel in my heart.
 
 170 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Let me say one word more to you before I die. 
 Put your head close to me that you may 
 hear it." 
 
 Monkey, curious to know what the^ last word 
 could be about, put his face close between the 
 rock and the earth and looked in, upon which 
 Dog threw so much dust and sand into his cun- 
 ning eyes as almost to blind him. 
 
 Monkey staggered back from the entrance, and 
 
 "DOG fled like the wind.' 
 
 while knuckling his eyes to rub the sand out, Dog 
 put his fore-feet against the rock and soon rolled 
 it away. Then, after a hasty view around, Dog 
 fled like the wind from the dangerous spot. 
 
 Monkey, after clearing his eyes from the dirt 
 thrown in them, and reviewing his position, began 
 to be concerned as to his own fate. It was not 
 long before his crafty mind conceived that it 
 would be a good idea to place some soft nuts
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 1 71 
 
 within the burrow, and roll back the stone into 
 its place. 
 
 When Leopardess returned with the fire she 
 was told that Dog was securely imprisoned within, 
 upon which she piled the grass over the burrow 
 and set fire to it. 
 
 Presently a crackling sound was heard within. 
 
 " What can that be ? " demanded Leopardess. 
 
 " That must surely be one of Dog's ears that 
 you heard exploding," replied Monkey. 
 
 After a short time another crackling sound was 
 heard. 
 
 " And what is that ? " asked Leopardess. 
 
 "Ah, that must be the other ear of course," 
 Monkey answered. 
 
 But as the fire grew hotter and the heat in- 
 creased within there were a great many of these 
 sounds heard, at which Monkey laughed gleefully 
 and cried : 
 
 " Ah ha ! do you hear ? Dog is splitting to 
 pieces now. Oh, he is burning up finely ; every 
 bone in his body is cracking. Ah, but it is a 
 cruel death, though, is it not ? " 
 
 " Let him die," fiercely cried Leopardess. " He 
 killed one of my young cubs — one of the loveliest 
 little fellows you ever saw." 
 
 Both Leopardess and Monkey remained at the 
 burrow until the fire had completely died out, then 
 the first said :
 
 172 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " Now, Monkey, bring me a long stick with a 
 hook at the end of it, that I may rake Dog's bones 
 out and feast my eyes upon them." 
 
 Monkey hastened to procure the stick, with 
 which the embers were raked out, when Leopard- 
 ess exclaimed : 
 
 " What a queer smell this is ! It is not at all 
 like what one would expect from a burnt dog." 
 
 " Ah," replied Monkey, " Dog must be completely 
 burnt by this. Of that there can be no doubt. 
 Did you ever burn a dog before that you know the 
 smell of its burnt body so well ? " 
 
 " No," said the Leopardess ; " but this is not 
 like the smell of roast meat. Rake out all the 
 ashes that I may see the bones and satisfy my- 
 self." 
 
 Monkey, compelled to do as he was commanded, 
 put in his stick, and drew out several half-baked 
 nuts, the shells of which were cracked and gaping 
 open. These Leopardess no sooner saw than she 
 seized Monkey, and furiously cried : 
 
 " You wretch, you have deceived and trifled with 
 me ! You have permitted the murderer of my cub 
 to escape, and your life shall now be the forfeit for 
 his." 
 
 " Pardon, mighty Leopardess, but let me ask 
 how do you propose to slay me ? " 
 
 " Why, miserable slave, how else should I kill 
 you but with one scratch of my claws \ "
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 1?3 
 
 " Nay, then, great Queen, my blood will fall on 
 your head and smother you. It is better for your- 
 self that you should toss me up above that thorny 
 bough, so that when I fall upon it the thorns may 
 penetrate my heart and kill me." 
 
 No sooner had Monkey ended, than fierce 
 Leopardess tossed Monkey upward as he had 
 directed ; but the latter seized the bough and sat 
 up, and from this he sprang upward into another 
 still higher, and thence from branch to branch and 
 from tree to tree until he was safe from all possible 
 pursuit. 
 
 Leopardess perceived that another of her in- 
 tended victims had escaped, and was furious with 
 rage. 
 
 " Come down this instant," she cried to Monkey, 
 hoping he would obey her. 
 
 " Nay, Leopardess. It has been told me, and 
 the forest is full of the report, that your cruelty 
 has driven from you Jackal and Dog, and that 
 they will never serve you again. Cruel people 
 never can reckon upon friends. I and my tribe, 
 so long servants to you, will henceforth be 
 strangers to you. Fare you well." 
 
 A great rustling was heard in the trees overhead 
 as Monkey and his tribe migrated away from the 
 district of the cruel Leopardess who, devoured 
 with rage, was obliged to depart with not one of. 
 her vengeful thoughts gratified.
 
 1?4 MY DAttK COMPANIONS 
 
 As she was returning to her den, Leopardess 
 bethought herself of the Oracle, who was her 
 frieud, who would no doubt, at her solicitations, 
 reveal the hiding-places of Jackal and Dog. She 
 directed her steps to the cave of the Oracle, who 
 was a nondescript practising witchcraft in the 
 wildest part of the district. 
 
 To this curious being she related the story of 
 the murder of her cub by Jackal and Dog, and 
 requested him to inform her by what means she 
 could discover the criminals and wreak her venge- 
 ance on them. 
 
 The Oracle replied, "Jackal has gone into the 
 wild wood, and he and his family henceforward 
 will always remain there, to degenerate in time 
 into a suspicious and cowardly race. Dog has fled 
 to take his shelter in the home of man, to be his 
 companion and frieud, and to serve man against 
 you and your kind. But lest you accuse me of 
 ill-will to you, I will tell you how you may catch 
 Dog if you are clever and do not allow your 
 temper to exceed your caution. Not far off is a 
 village belonging to one of the human tribes, near 
 which there is a large ant-hill, where moths every 
 morning flit about in the sunshine of the early 
 day. About the same time Dog leaves the village 
 to sport and gambol and chase the moths. If you 
 can find a lurking-place not far from it, where you 
 can lie silently in wait, Dog may be caught by
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 175 
 
 you in an unwary moment while at his daily play. 
 I have spoken." 
 
 Leopardess thanked the Oracle and retired 
 brooding over its advice. That night the moon 
 was very clear and shining bright, and she stole 
 out of her den, and proceeding due west as she was 
 directed, in a few hours she discovered the village 
 and the ant-hill described by the Oracle. Near the 
 mound she also found a thick dense bush, which 
 was made still more dense by the tall wild grass 
 surrounding it. In the depths of this she crouched, 
 waiting for morning. At dawn the village wherein 
 men and women lived was astir, and at sunrise the 
 gates were opened. A little later Dog signalled 
 himself by his well-known barks as he came out 
 to take his morning's exercise. Unsuspicious of the 
 presence of his late dread mistress he bounded up 
 the hill and began to circle around, chasing the 
 lively moths. Leopardess, urged by her anger, 
 did not wait until Dog, tired with his sport, would 
 of his own accord stray among the bushes, but 
 uttering a loud roar sprang out from her hiding- 
 place. Dog, warned by her voice, which he well 
 knew, put his tail between his legs and rushed 
 through the open gates and alarmed his new 
 masters, who came pouring from their houses with 
 dreadful weapons in their hands, who chased her, 
 and would have slain her had she not bounded over 
 the fence. Thus Leopardess lost her last chance
 
 ire 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 of revenging the death of her cub ; but as she was 
 creeping homeward her mortification was so great 
 that she vowed to teach her young eternal hostility 
 towards Dog and all his tribe. Dog also, convinced 
 that his late mistress was oue who nourished an 
 implacable resentment when offended, became more 
 
 "came pouring from their houses with dreadful weapons. 
 
 cautious, and a continued life with his new mas 
 ters increased his attachment for them. When 
 he finally married, and was blessed with a progeny, 
 he taught his pups various arts by which they 
 might ingratiate themselves more and more with 
 the human race. He lived in comfort and affluence
 
 THE LEOPARDESS AND HER TWO SERVANTS 177 
 
 to a good old age, and had the satisfaction to see his 
 family grow more and more in the estimation of 
 their generous masters, until dogs and men became 
 inseparable companions. 
 
 Leopardess and her cub removed far away from 
 the house associated with her misfortune, but 
 though Time healed the keen sore of her bereave- 
 ment by blessing her annually with more cubs, her 
 hate for Dog and his kind was lasting and continues 
 to this day. And thus it was that the friendly 
 fellowship which reigned between the forest ani- 
 mals during the golden age of Uganda was broken 
 for ever. 
 
 For proof of the truth of what I have said con- 
 sider the matter in your own minds. Regard the 
 Ape who, upon the least alarm springs up the tree, 
 and stays not until he has secured himself far from 
 reach. Think of the Jackal in his cheerless solitude 
 deep in the bowels of the earth, or in the farthest 
 rocky recess that he can discover, ever on the 
 watch against some foe, too full of distrust to have 
 a friend, the most selfish and cowardly of the for 
 est community. The Leopard is the enemy at all 
 times, night and day, of every animal, unless it be 
 the lion and the elephant. As for the Dog, where 
 is the man who is not acquainted with his fidelity 
 his courage in time of danger, his watchful care of 
 his interests by night, and his honest love for the 
 family which feeds him ? My story is here ended, 
 12
 
 A SECOND VERSION OF THE LEOPARD 
 AND THE DOG STORY 
 
 IARBOKO, who was 
 originally from 
 Unyoro, a couutry 
 which lies to the 
 north of Uganda, and 
 had been employed as 
 a page by Mtesa, king 
 of Uganda, protested 
 that his version of 
 how the dog became 
 estranged from the 
 leopard, his chum, was 
 nearer the truth than 
 that given by Kadu. Perceiving that he was in- 
 clined to contribute to our amusement, for a reason 
 of his own, we ranged ourselves around the camp 
 fire in the usual way and prepared to listen to 
 another version of a legend which is popular 
 among most of the tribes dwelling in the Lake 
 Region.
 
 LEOPARD AND DOG STORY, SECOND VERSION 179 
 
 How the Dog outwitted the Leopard* 
 
 In the early time there was a dog and a leopard 
 dwelling together in a cave like chums. They 
 shared and fared alike. Exact half of everything 
 and equal effort were the terms upon which they 
 lived. Many and many a famous raid among the 
 flocks and fowls in the human villages they made. 
 The leopard was by far the strongest and boldest, 
 and was most successful in catching prey. Dog 
 lived so well on the spoils brought home by his 
 friend that he became at last fat and lazy, and he 
 began to dislike going out at night in the rain and 
 cold dew, and to hide this growing habit from 
 Leopard he had to be very cunning. He always 
 invented some excuse or another to explain why 
 he brought nothing to the common larder, and 
 finally he hit upon a new plan of saving himself 
 from the toil and danger. 
 
 Just before dusk one day, Leopard and Dog 
 were sociably chatting together, when Leopard 
 said that he intended that night to catch a fine 
 fat black goat which he had observed in the near- 
 est village to their den. He had watched him 
 getting fatter every day, and he was bent upon 
 bringing him home. 
 
 * Republished from the " Fortnightly Magazine " with the permis- 
 sion of the Editor and Proprietors.
 
 180 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 "Black is it?" cried Dog. "That is strange, 
 for that is also the colour of the one I purposed to 
 catch to-night." 
 
 The two friends slept until most of the night 
 was gone, but when there were signs that morning 
 was not far off they silently loped away to their 
 work. 
 
 They parted at the village which Leopard had 
 selected to rob, Dog whispering " Good luck " to 
 him. Dog trotted off a little way and sneaked 
 back to watch his friend. 
 
 Leopard stealthily surveying the tall fence, saw 
 one place which he could leap over, and at one 
 spring was inside the village. Snuffing about, he 
 discovered the goat-pen, forced an entrance, and 
 seizing his prize by the neck, drew it out. He 
 then flung it over his shoulders, and with a mighty 
 leap landed outside the fence. 
 
 Dog, who had watched his chance, now cried out 
 in an affected voice, " Hi, hi — wake up ! Leopard 
 has killed the goat. There he is. Ah, ah ! Kill 
 him, kill him ! " 
 
 Alarmed at the noise made, and hearing a rustle 
 in the grass near him, Leopard was obliged to 
 abandon his prize, and to save his own life, dropped 
 the goat and fled. 
 
 Dog, chuckling loudly at the success of his ruse, 
 picked the dead goat up, and trotted home to the 
 den with it.
 
 LEOPARD AND DOG STORY, SECOND VERSION 183 
 
 " Oh, see, Leopard ! " cried he, as he reached the 
 entrance, " what a fat goat I've got at my village. 
 Is it not a heavy one ? But where is yours ? Did 
 you not succeed after all ? " 
 
 " Oh ! I was alarmed by the owners in the 
 village, who pursued me and yelled out, ' Kill him, 
 kill him ! ' and there was something rustling in the 
 grass close by, and I thought that I was done for ; 
 but I dropped the goat and ran away. I dare say 
 they have found the animal by this, and have 
 eaten our meat. Never mind, though, better 
 luck next time. I saw a fine fat white goat 
 in the pen, which I am sure to catch to-morrow 
 night." 
 
 "Well, I am very sorry, but cheer your heart. 
 You shall have an equal share with me of this. 
 Let us bestir ourselves to cook it." 
 
 They gathered sticks and made a fire, and began 
 to roast it. When it was nearly ready Dog went 
 outside, and took a stick and beat the ground, and 
 whined out : 
 
 " Oh ! please, I did not do it. It was Leopard 
 that killed the goat. Oh ! don't kill me. It was 
 Leopard who stole it." 
 
 Leopard, hearing these cries and the blows of 
 the stick, thought to himself : " Ah ! the men have 
 followed us to our den, and are killing Dog ; then 
 they will come and kill me if I do not run." He 
 therefore ran out and escaped.
 
 184 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Dog, on seeing him well away, coolly returned 
 to the den and devoured the whole of the meat, 
 leaving only the bones. 
 
 After a long time Leopard returned to the den, 
 and found Dog moaning piteously. " What is the 
 matter, my friend ? " he asked. 
 
 " Ah ! oh ! don't touch me ; don't touch me, I 
 beg of you. I am so bruised and sore all over ! 
 Ah ! my bones ! They have half killed me," 
 moaned Dog. 
 
 " Poor fellow ! Well, lie still and rest. There 
 is nothing like rest for a bruised body. I will get 
 that white goat the next time I try." 
 
 After waiting two or three days, Leopard 
 departed to obtain the white goat. Dog sneaked 
 after him, and served his friend in the same way, 
 bringing the w^hite goat himself, and bragging how 
 he had succeeded, while pretending to pity Leopard 
 for his bad luck. 
 
 Three times running Dog served him with the 
 same trick, and Leopard was much mortified at 
 his own failure. Then Leopard thought of the 
 Muzimu — the oracle Avho knows all things, and 
 gives such good advice to those who are unfortu- 
 nate and ask for his help — and he resolved, in his 
 distress, to seek him. 
 
 In the heart of the tall, dark woods, where the 
 bush is most dense, where vines clamber over 
 the clumps, and fold themselves round and round
 
 LEOPARD AND DOG STORY, SECOND VERSION 185 
 
 the trees, and hang in long coils by the side of a 
 cool stream, the Muzimu resided. 
 
 Leopard softly drew near the sacred place and 
 cried, " Oh ! Muzimu, have pity on me. I am 
 almost dying with hunger. I used to be bold and 
 strong, and successful, but now, of late, though I 
 catch my prey as of old, something always hap- 
 pens to scare me away, and I lose the meat I have 
 taken. Help me, O Muzimu, and tell how my 
 good luck may return." 
 
 After a while the Muzimu answered in a deep 
 voice, " Leopard, your ill-luck comes from your 
 own folly. You know how to catch prey, but it 
 takes a dos; to know how to eat it. Go ; watch 
 your friend, and your ill-luck will fly away." 
 
 Leopard was never very wise, though he had 
 good eyes, and was swift and brave, and he 
 thought over what the Muzimu said. He could 
 not understand in what way his good luck would 
 return by watching his friend, but he resolved to 
 follow the advice of the Muzimu. 
 
 The next night Leopard gave out that he was 
 going to seize a dun-coloured goat, and Dog said, 
 " Ah ! that is what I mean to do too. I think a 
 dun-coated goat so sweet." 
 
 The village was reached, a low place was found 
 in the palings, and Leopard, as quick as you could 
 wink, was over and among the goats. With one 
 stroke he struck his victim dead, threw it over his
 
 186 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 shoulders, and, with a flying leap, carried it out- 
 side. Dog, who was hiding near the place, in a 
 strange voice cried, " Ah ! here he is — the thief of 
 a Leopard ! Kill him ! kill him ! " 
 
 Leopard turning his head around, saw him in 
 the grass and heard him yelp, " Awu-ou-ou ! 
 Awu-ou-ou ! Kill him ! kill him ! " dropped the 
 goat for an instant and said, " Ah, it is you, my 
 false friend, is it ? Wait a bit, and I will teach you 
 how you may steal once too often." With eyes 
 like balls of lire, he rushed at him, and would have 
 torn him into pieces, but Dog's instinct told him 
 that the game he had been playing was up, and 
 burying his tail between his hind legs, he turned 
 and fled for dear life. Round and round the village 
 he ran, darting this way and that, until, finding his 
 strength was oozing out of him, he dashed finally 
 through a gap in the fence, straight into a man's 
 house and under the bed, where he lay gasping 
 and panting. Seeing that the man, who had been 
 scared by his sudden entry, was about to take his 
 spear to kill him, he crawled from under the bed 
 to the man's feet, and licked them, and turned on 
 his back imploring mercy. The man took pity on 
 him, tied him up, and made a pet of him. Ever 
 since Dog and Man have been firm friends, but 
 a mortal hatred has existed between Dog and 
 Leopard. Dog's back always bristles straight up 
 when his enemy is about, and there is no truer
 
 LEOPARD AND DOG STORY, SECOND VERSION 187 
 
 warning of the Leopard's presence than that given 
 by Dog — while Leopard would rather eat a dog 
 than a goat any day. That is the way — as I heard 
 it in Unyoro — that the chumship between Leopard 
 and Dog was broken up.
 
 THE LEGEND OF THE CUNNING TER- 
 RAPIN AND THE CRANE 
 
 HE following story of the 
 cunning Terrapin and 
 the Crane established 
 K a d u ' s reputation 
 among us, and the 
 Zanzibaris were never 
 so amused as on this 
 evening. 
 
 "Master," began 
 Kadu, after we had 
 made ourselves com- 
 fortable before a bright and crackling fire, " some 
 men say that animals do not reason, and cannot 
 express themselves, but I should like to know 
 how it is that we perceive that there is great 
 cunning in their actions, as though they calculated 
 beforehand how to act, and what would be the 
 result. We Waganda think animals are very 
 clever. We observe the cock in the yard, and the 
 hen with her chickens ; the leopard, as he is about 
 to pounce on his prey ; the lion, as he is about to 
 attack ; the crocodile, as he prepares for his rush ;
 
 THE CUNNING TERRAPIN AND THE CRANE 189 
 
 the buffalo in the shade, as he awaits the hunter; 
 the elephant, as he stands at attention; and we 
 say to ourselves, how intelligent they are ! Our 
 legends are all founded on these things, and we 
 interpret the actions of animals from having seen 
 their methods ; and I think men placed in the same 
 circumstances could not have acted much better. 
 It may appear to you, as though we were telling 
 you mere idle tales to raise a laugh. Well, it may 
 be very amusing to hear and talk about them, but 
 it is still more amusing to watch the tricks of 
 animals and insects, and our old men are fond of 
 quoting the actions of animals to teach us, while 
 we are children, what we ought to do. Indeed, 
 there is scarcely a saying but what is founded upon 
 something that an animal was seen to do at one 
 time or another. 
 
 " Now the story that I am about to relate, is a 
 very old one in Uganda. I heard it when a child, 
 and from the fact that a Terrapin was said to be so 
 cunning, I have never liked to ill-treat a Terrapin, 
 and every time I see one, the story comes to my 
 mind in all its freshness." 
 
 A Terrapin and a Crane were one time travelling 
 together very sociably. They began their conver- 
 sation by the Terrapin asking : 
 
 " How is your family to-day, Miss Crane ? " 
 
 " Oh, very well. Mamma, who is getting old, 
 complains now and then, that's all."
 
 190 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " But do you know that it strikes me that she is 
 very fat ? " said Terrapin. " Now a thought has 
 just entered my head, which I beg to propose to 
 you. My mother, too, is ailing, and I am rather 
 tired of hearing her complaints day after day ; but 
 she is exceedingly lean aud tough, though there 
 is plenty of her. I wonder what you will say to 
 my plan ? We are both hungry. So let us go and 
 kill your mother, and eat her ; and to-morrow, you 
 will come to me, and we will kill my mother. 
 We thus shall be supplied with meat for some 
 days." 
 
 Replied the Crane, " I like the idea greatly, and 
 agree to it. Let us go about it at once, for hunger 
 is an exacting mistress, and the days of fasting are 
 more frequent than those of fulness." 
 
 The matricides turned upon their tracks, and, 
 arriving at the house of Mrs. Crane, the two cruel 
 creatures seized upon Mamma Crane, and put her 
 to death. They then plucked her clean, and 
 placed her body in the stew-pot, and both Terrapin 
 and Crane feasted. 
 
 Terrapin then crawled home, leaving Crane to 
 sleep, and the process of digestion. But, alas ! 
 Crane soon became very ill. Whether some qualms 
 of conscience disturbed digestion or not, I cannot 
 say, but she passed a troublesome night, and for 
 several days afterwards she did not stir from her 
 house.
 
 THE CUNNING TERRAPIN AND THE CRANE 191 
 
 Terrapin, on reaching the house of its mamma, 
 which was in the hollow of a tree, cried out : 
 
 " Tu-no-no-no ! " upon which Mrs. Terrapin said, 
 " Oh, that is my child," and she let down a cord, 
 to which young Terrapin made himself fast, and 
 was assisted to the nest where the parent had 
 already prepared a nice supper for him. 
 
 Several days later, Terrapin w r as proceeding 
 through the woods to the pool where he was ac- 
 customed to bathe, when at the water-side he met 
 Miss Crane apparently quite spruce and strong 
 again. 
 
 She hailed Terrapin and said, " Oh, here you 
 are, at last. I have been waiting to see you for 
 some time." 
 
 " Yes," replied Terrapin, " here I am, and you 
 — how do you feel now ? My neighbours told me 
 you were very ill." 
 
 " I am all right again," said Miss Crane, " but I 
 think my old ma disagreed with me, and I was 
 quite poorly for some days ; but I am now anxious 
 to know when you are going to keep your part of 
 the bargain which we made." 
 
 "What — you mean about the disposing of my 
 old ma ? " 
 
 " Yes, to be sure," answered Crane, " I feel quite 
 hungry." 
 
 " Well, well. Bargains should always be kept, 
 for if the blood-oath be broken misfortune fol-
 
 192 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 lows. Your mother's death rests on my head, and 
 I mean to return your hospitality with interest, 
 otherwise, may my shell be soon empty of its ten- 
 ant. Stay here awhile and I will bring her." 
 
 So saying, Terrapin departed, and crept to where 
 he had secretly stowed a quantity of india-rubber, 
 in readiness for the occasion. After taking out 
 quite a mass of it, he returned to the pond, where 
 Miss Crane stood on one leg, expectant and wink- 
 ing pleasantly. 
 
 " I fear, sister Crane," said Terrapin, as he laid 
 his burden down, " that you will find my old ma 
 tough. She turned out to be much leaner than I 
 anticipated. There is no more fat on her bones, 
 than there is on my back. But now, fall to, and 
 welcome. There is plenty there. I am not hungry 
 myself, as I have just finished my dinner." 
 
 Miss Crane, with her empty stomach, was not 
 fastidious, and stepped out eagerly to the feast so 
 faithfully provided, and began to tear away at 
 what Terrapin had brought. The rubber, how- 
 ever, stretched by the greedy Crane, suddenly flew 
 from her foot, and rebounding, struck her in the 
 face a smart blow. 
 
 " Oh ! oh ! " cried Crane, confused with the blow. 
 " Your old ma is most tough." 
 
 "Yes, she is. I suspected she would prove a 
 little tough," answered Terrapin, with a chuckle. 
 " But don't be bashful. Eat away, and welcome."
 
 THE CUNNING TERRAPIN AND THE CRANE 193 
 
 Again Miss Crane tugged at the rubber to tear 
 it, but the more it was stretched, the more severe 
 were the shocks she received, and her left eye was 
 almost blinded. 
 
 " Well, I never," exclaimed Miss Crane. " She is 
 too tough altogether." 
 
 " Try again," cried Terrapin. " Try again ; little 
 by little, it is said, a fly eats a cow's tail. You will 
 get a rare and tender bit in time." 
 
 Miss Crane thus pressed, did so, and seizing a 
 piece lay back, and drew on it so hard that when 
 the rubber at last slipped, it bounded back with, 
 such force, that she was sent sprawling to the 
 ground. 
 
 " Why, what is the matter ? " asked Terrapin, 
 pretending to be astonished. "She is tough, I 
 admit ; but loh ! our family are famous for tough- 
 ness. However, the tougher it is, the longer it 
 lasts on the stomach. Try again, sister Crane ; I 
 warrant you will manage it next time." 
 
 " Oh, bother your old ma. Eat her yourself. I 
 have had enough of that kind of meat." 
 
 " You give it up, do you ? " cried Terrapin. 
 " Well, well, it is a pity to throw good meat away. 
 Maybe, if I keep it longer it will get tenderer by 
 and by." 
 
 They thus parted, Terrapin bearing his share 
 of rubber away in one direction, and Miss Crane 
 sadly disgusted, striding grandly off in another, 
 13
 
 194 MY BARK COMPANIONS 
 
 but looking keenly about for something to satisfy 
 her hunger. 
 
 When she had gone a great distance a parrot 
 flew across her path, and perching on a branch 
 near her, cried out, " Oh, royal bird, say since when 
 has rubber become the food of the bird-king's 
 family?" 
 
 " What do you mean, Parrot ? " she asked. 
 
 " Well, I saw you tearing at a piece of rubber 
 just now, and when you marched off Terrapin 
 carried it away, and I heard him say — because he 
 .has a habit of speaking his thoughts aloud — Oh, 
 how stupid my sister Crane is ! She thinks my ma 
 is dead. Ho, ho, ho ! what a stupid ! And all 
 the way he chuckled and laughed as though he 
 was filled with plantain wine." 
 
 " Is his ma not dead then ? " asked Miss Crane. 
 
 " Dead ! Not a bit of it," replied Parrot. " I saw 
 old Ma Terrapin but a moment ago as I flew by 
 her tree, waiting for her son, and the cord is 
 ready for his cry of ' Tu-no-no-no. Ano-no-no. 
 We-no-no-no ! ' " 
 
 " Ah, Parrot, your words are good. When we 
 know what another is saying behind our backs, we 
 discover the workings of his heart. The words of 
 Terrapin are like the bush that covers the trap. 
 Good-by, Parrot. When we next meet, we shall 
 have another story to tell." 
 
 On the next day, Terrapin observed Miss Crane
 
 THE CUNNING TERRAPIN AND THE CRANE 195 
 
 approaching his house, and he advanced a little 
 way to meet her. 
 
 " Well, sister Crane, I hope you are all right this 
 morning ? " he asked. 
 
 " Oh yes, so so, brother Terrapin. But you must 
 excuse me just now; I've heard bad news from my 
 family. A brother and sister of mine are suddenly 
 taken ill, and I am bound to go and visit them," 
 answered Crane. 
 
 " Ah, Miss Crane, that reminds me of my own 
 brother and sister, who are much younger than I 
 am, but very soft and tender. What do you say 
 now to making another bargain ? " asked Terrapin 
 with a wink. 
 
 " You are very good, Terrapin. I will think of 
 it as I go along. I shall be back before noon to- 
 morrow, and we will talk of a trade then." They 
 were very civil to one another as they parted. 
 Terrapin went for his usual walk to the pond, Miss 
 Crane proceeded to visit her family, but muttered : 
 
 " Ha, ha, Terrapin, you are great at a trade ; 
 but you will not make another with me in a hurry 
 till our first one is squared." 
 
 After she had gone a little w r ay she turned sud- 
 denly round and came back to the foot of Terra- 
 pin's tree, and cried, 
 
 " Tu-no-no-no. Ano-no-no-no. We-no-no-no ! " 
 
 "Ah, that is my child's voice," said Ma Terrapin 
 to herself, and let down the cord.
 
 106 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Miss Crane caught hold and climbed up towards 
 the nest. Ma Terrapin craned her neck out far to 
 welcome her child, but before she could discover 
 by what means little Terrapin had changed its 
 dress, Miss Crane struck Ma Terrapin with her 
 long sharp bill in the place where the neck joins 
 the shoulder, and in a short time Ma Terrapin was 
 as dead as Miss Crane's own mother. 
 
 The body was rolled from the nest, and it 
 went falling down, and Miss Crane slid quickly 
 after it. 
 
 In a quiet place screened by thick bushes Miss 
 Crane made a great fire, with w T hich Ma Terrapin's 
 thick shell was cracked. She then scooped out the 
 flesh, and carried it to her own home, and stowed 
 it in a big black pot. 
 
 On the next day as Miss Crane was standing on 
 one leg by the pond, with her head half buried in 
 her feathers, who should come along but Terrapin, 
 crying bitterly, and saying, " Ah, my ma is dead. 
 My old ma has been killed. Who will assist me 
 now ? " 
 
 Miss Crane affected to be asleep, but heard every 
 word. When, however, Terrapin was near, she 
 woke up suddenly and said, cheerfully, 
 
 " Ah ! it is Terrapin, my little brother Terrapin. 
 How do you do to-day ? " 
 
 Now r as Terrapin had already slain his mother, 
 according to his own confession, it struck him that
 
 THE CUNNING TERRAPIN A.\D THE CRANE 19) 
 
 it would not do to accuse Miss Crane of the mur- 
 der, because by doing so lie would expose his 
 breach of faith with her, but the scent of the 
 roasted flesh of Ma Terrapin came strong just 
 then, and he knew that it was Crane who, discov- 
 ering his trick, had killed her. 
 
 He managed, however, to reply briskly : 
 
 " Sissy, dear, I am but tolerable. But how is 
 your family to-day ? " 
 
 "My brother and sister are much improved, 
 Terrapin. They are both as fat as tallow. By- 
 the-bye, what about that trade you proposed to 
 me ? " 
 
 " I am ready, Miss Crane, for a trade any day. 
 When shall it be?" 
 
 " No time so good as the present, and if you jog- 
 along to the other end of the pond, I will fix my 
 house here, and soon catch up with you." 
 
 Terrapin professed great delight, and toddled 
 along ; but when he had gone a little way his bad 
 habit of thinking aloud came on him, and he was 
 heard to say : — 
 
 " My poor ma ! my poor ma is dead ! O you 
 wicked Crane ! I know by the scent of the meat 
 that you have killed my ma. What can I do 
 now ? " 
 
 Miss Crane knew then that she had been dis- 
 covered, and she began to think that it was time 
 to remove to another district, for Terrapin had
 
 iyg J/f DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 many friends in the woods, such as rabbits, jack- 
 als, lions, and serpents, and if Terrapin moaned 
 so loud, all the people of the woods would know 
 what she had done, and many would no doubt 
 assist him to punish her. Casting about in 
 her mind for the best place, she remembered 
 an extremely tall tree which was not far from 
 Terrapin's house, a very lofty clean-shafted tree, 
 on the top of which she would be safe from 
 surprise. 
 
 Thither she hastily removed her belongings, and 
 soon established herself comfortably. She had also 
 provided herself with a store of strong sticks to be 
 used as weapous in case of necessity. 
 
 Terrapin meanwhile crawled along, moaning 
 loudly his lamentations. Suddenly Rabbit popped 
 out of the woods, and stood in his path. He soon 
 was made aware of Terrapin's bereavement, and 
 strongly sympathised with him. Terrapin related 
 the story in such a way that made Miss Crane 
 appear to be a murderess, against whom the people 
 of the woods should take vengeance. 
 
 " Then," said Rabbit, " that must be Miss Crane, 
 who is building her house on the very top of that 
 tall tree near your place." 
 
 " Is she ? " asked Terrapin. " I did not know 
 that. She was to have met me here; but I see 
 she knows that she is detected, and is already 
 taking measures to protect herself. But, Rabbit,
 
 THE CUNNING TERRAPIN AND THE CRANE 199 
 
 you who are always wise, tell me how I may 
 avenge myself ? " 
 
 "There is only one way that I know of," 
 answered Rabbit, dubiously. " Go to the Soko 
 (Gorilla ?), but he is a hard dealer who will make 
 you pay handsomely for his help. Soko is the 
 king of the ape kind. If you pay him well, he 
 will fasten a cord to Crane's nest, up which you 
 can climb when she is absent. Once there, lie 
 quietly, and when she alights seize her." 
 
 The plan pleased Terrapin immensely, and pos- 
 sessing a comfortable property upon the loss of his 
 mother, he thought he had sufficient to purchase 
 Soko's assistance. 
 
 Through the good offices of Rabbit negotiations 
 were entered into with Soko, who agreed for a 
 potful of good nuts, ten bunches of ripe bananas, 
 one hundred eggs, and sundry other trifles, to hang 
 a stout rattan climber to Crane's nest, long enough 
 to reach the ground. 
 
 The royal bird was soon informed of the con- 
 spiracy against her by the Parrot, who loves to 
 carry tales, and Miss Crane resolved to be absent 
 from home while Soko was fastening the climber, 
 but commissioned her friend the Parrot to observe 
 the proceedings, and to report to her when Soko 
 had completed his task. 
 
 Soko performed his part expeditiously. Terra- 
 pin tested the strength of the rattan, and had to
 
 200 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 confess that Soko had earned his pay, and Rabbit 
 accompanied Terrapin and Soko to Terrapin's house 
 to see the Soko receive his commission. 
 
 As they departed Parrot flew to inform Miss 
 Crane, who immediately returned to her house to 
 await her enemy. 
 
 Not long after Terrapin came to the foot of 
 Crane's tree and commenced to climb up. He had 
 nearly reached the top when Miss Crane stood up 
 and delivered such a thwacking blow on Terrapin's 
 back that it caused him to loose his hold and fall 
 to the ground. When Terrapin recovered his 
 senses, he heard Miss Crane cry out — 
 
 " Ha ! brother Terrapin, that was a nasty fall. 
 You remember the rubber, don't you ? There is 
 nothing like the advice you gave me. Try again, 
 Terrapin, my brother. Try again." 
 
 " You killed my ma, did you not ? " asked Ter- 
 rapin. 
 
 " I thought you told me that you had killed her 
 according to agreement. Then how can you say 
 that I killed her ? " asked Miss Crane. 
 
 " That was not my ma I gave you. It was only 
 a lump of rubber." 
 
 " Ho, ho ! You confess it then ? Well, we are 
 now quits. You induced me to kill my ma, and 
 as you could not keep your part of the bargain, 
 I saved you the trouble. My ma was as much to 
 me as your ma was to you. We have both lost
 
 " SOKO PERFORMED HIS PART EXPEDITIOUSLY."
 
 THE CUNNING TERRAPIN AND THE CRANE 203 
 
 our ma's now. So let us call it even, and be 
 friends a^ain." 
 
 Terrapin hesitated, but the memory of his ma's 
 loss soon produced the old bitterness, and he be- 
 came as unforgiving as ever. Miss Crane must, 
 however, be persuaded that the matter was for- 
 given, otherwise he would never have the oppor- 
 tunity to avenge his ma's death. 
 
 " All right, Crane," he answered ; " but let me 
 come up, and embrace you over it, or do you de- 
 scend and let us shake hands." 
 
 " Come up, by all means, Terrapin. I am always 
 at home to friends," said Miss Crane. 
 
 Terrapin upon this began to climb, but as he 
 was ascending he foolishly began to think aloud 
 again, and he was heard saying — 
 
 " Oh, yes, sister Crane. Just wait a little, and 
 you will see. He, he, he ! " 
 
 Miss Crane, who was quietly listening, heard 
 Terrapin's chuckle and muttering, and prepared to 
 receive him properly. When he was within reach, 
 she cried, " Hold hard, Terrapin," and at once pro- 
 ceeded to shower mighty blows on his back, then 
 laid the stick on his feet so sharply that, to protect 
 them, he had to withdraw them into his shell, in 
 doing which he lost his hold and fell to the ground 
 with such force that to anything but a terrapin 
 the great fall would have been instantly fatal. 
 
 " Try again, Terrapin ; try again, my brother.
 
 204 JT DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Another time and you will succeed," cried Miss 
 Crane, mockingly. 
 
 Terrapin slowly recovered his faculties from the 
 second fall, and exclaimed, " Ah, Crane, Crane. If 
 I heed you a second time, call me fool. Yesterday 
 and to-day you triumphed, to-morrow will be my 
 turn." 
 
 " Kwa-le, hwa-le" Miss Crane shrilly cried. " My 
 tree will stand to-morrow where it stood to-day. 
 You know the way to it ; if not, your hate will 
 find it." 
 
 Terrapin toddled away upon this to seek the 
 Lion, to whom, when he had found him, he pleaded 
 so powerfully that the Lion pitied him greatly, 
 and answered, " I may not help you in this matter, 
 for I was not made to climb trees. Go you, and 
 tell Jackal your story, and he will be able to 
 advise you." 
 
 Acting on the friendly advice, Terrapin sought 
 out the Jackal, to whom he repeated his lament- 
 able tale. The Jackal rewarded him with a sym- 
 pathetic sigh, and said, " Friend Terrapin, my teeth 
 are sharp and my feet are swift, but, though I am 
 so happily endowed, I have no wings to fly. Go 
 and seek Elephant. His strength is so great that 
 perhaps he will be able to pull the tree down for 
 you." 
 
 Terrapin proceeded on his way to search out the 
 Elephant, and, after much patient travel, discov-
 
 '"HOLD HARD, TERRAPIN!
 
 THE CUNNING TERRAPIN AND THE CRANE 20? 
 
 ered him brooding; under a thick shade. To him 
 at once Terrapin unburdened his breast of its load 
 of grief, and appealed piteously for his assistance. 
 
 " Little Terrapin," replied the kindly Elephant, 
 " your tale is dour. But though I am strong, 
 there are some things that I cannot do. Miss 
 Crane's house is built on one of the biggest trees 
 of the forest, and it would require two score of 
 elephants to drag it down. It is wisdom, and not 
 strength, that you need. Go you and seek Serpent, 
 and he will assist you." 
 
 Thence Terrapin went to seek Serpent, and, 
 after long seeking, found him coiled, in many shin- 
 ing folds, in the fork of a sturdy tree. 
 
 " Ah, Serpent," he cried, " you are a kinsman of 
 mine, and I have long sought you. I am in dire 
 distress, my friend," and he proceeded to inveigh 
 against Miss Crane passionately, and concluded by 
 invoking his assistance. 
 
 " Help me this day," cried Terrapin, " and you 
 shall be my father and my mother, and all my 
 nearest relations in one." 
 
 "It is well," replied the Serpent, in his slow, 
 deliberate manner. " Miss Crane shall die, and 
 here I make a pact with you. There shall be no 
 enmity for all future time between your family 
 and mine. Go now, and rest in peace, for the fate 
 of Crane is fixed." 
 
 In the darkness of the night Serpent roused
 
 208 
 
 MY DARK COMPANION'S 
 
 himself from his sleep and, uncoiling himself, 
 descended the tree and glided noiselessly along the 
 ground towards Miss Crane's tree. The tall clean 
 
 '• POOR MISS CRANE WAS FAST ASLEEP. 
 
 shaft could not arrest those spiring movements, 
 and the Serpent steadily ascended until he gained 
 the fork. Thence, by an almost imperceptible
 
 THE CUNNING TERRAPIN AND THE CRANE 209 
 
 motion, he advanced towards tlie nest. Poor Miss 
 Crane was fast asleep, dreaming of the fall of 
 Terrapin, while the Serpent folded his extremity 
 around a stout branch and stood up prepared to 
 strike. Quick as one could wink the Serpent 
 flung himself upon the bird-queen, and in a 
 moment she lay crushed and mangled. Then, 
 seizing her body with his jaws, the Serpent slid 
 down the shaft of the tree and sought Terrapin's 
 house, and laid her remains before him. Terrapin 
 was overjoyed, and invited Serpent to share with 
 him the dainty feast which the body of Miss 
 Crane supplied. 
 
 From that day to this Serpent and Terrapin 
 have remained close friends, and neither has ever 
 been known to break the solemn agreement that 
 was made between them on that day that Ter- 
 rapin solicited the help of Serpent against the 
 bird-queen. 
 
 14
 
 THE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 
 WHO CONQUERED ALL THE GREAT 
 ANIMALS 
 
 HAVE done my 
 very best to trans- 
 late this story as 
 closely as possible 
 in order to give 
 the faithful sense 
 of what Avas said, 
 yet I despair of 
 rendering: the little 
 touches and flour- 
 ishes which Kadu 
 knew so well how to give with voice, gesture, and 
 mobile face. 
 
 " Friends and freemen," he said, when we were 
 all in listening attitude, " if a son of man knows 
 how to show anger, I need not tell you who are 
 experienced in travel and in the nature of beasts, 
 that the animals of the wilds also know how to 
 show their spite and their passions." The legend 
 of Kibatti runs upon this. 
 
 On a day ages ago the great animals of the
 
 THE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 211 
 
 world, consisting of the elephant, the rhinoceros, 
 the buffalo, the lion, the leopard, and hyena, 
 assembled in council in the midst of a forest not 
 far from a village on the frontier of Uganda. The 
 elephant being acknowledged by general consent 
 as the strongest, presided on the occasion. 
 
 Waving his trunk, and trumpeting to enjoin 
 silence, he said : " Friends, we are gathered together 
 to-day to consider how we may repay in some 
 measure the injuries daily done to us and our kin 
 by the sons of men. Not far from here is situated 
 a village, whence the vicious two-footed animals 
 issue out to make war upon all of us, who possess 
 double the number of feet they have. Without 
 warning of hostility or publishing of cause, they 
 deliberately leave their conical nests, day by day, 
 with fellest intent against an}^ of us whom they 
 may happen to meet during the shining of the sun. 
 Wherefore we are met upon common grounds to 
 devise how we may retaliate upon them the wanton 
 outrages they daily perpetrate upon our unfortu- 
 nate kind. Personally, I have many injuries to the 
 elephants of my tribe to remember, and which I am 
 not likely to forget. It was only a week ago that 
 a promising child of my sister fell into a deep pit, 
 and was impaled on a short stake set in the bottom 
 of it ; and but a few days before my youngest 
 brother fell head-foremost into a horribly deep 
 excavation that was dug, and which was artfully
 
 212 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 concealed by leaves and grass, whereby none but 
 those, like myself, experienced in their guileful 
 arts, could have escaped. Ye have all, I daresay, 
 been similarly persecuted, and have deep injuries 
 to revenge. I wait to hear what ye propose. 
 Brother Rhinoceros, thou art the next to me in 
 bigness and strength, speak." 
 
 " Well, brother Elephant and friends, the words 
 we have heard are true. The son of man is, of all 
 creatures that I know, the most wanton in offence 
 against us of the four-footed tribes. Not a day 
 passes but I hear moan and plaint from some 
 sufferer. Not long ago, a cousin, walking quietly 
 through a wood not far from here, caught his foot 
 in a vine that lay across the path, and almost 
 immediately after a hardened and pointed stake 
 was precipitated from above deep into the jointure 
 of the neck with the spine, which killed him 
 instantly, of course. I have, by wonderful good 
 luck, escaped thus far, but it may be my fate to fall 
 to-morrow through some foul practice. Wherefore, 
 I think it were well that we set about doing what 
 we decide to do instanter. I propose that early in 
 the morning, before a glint of sunshine be seen, we 
 set upon the piratical nest and utterly destroy it. 
 I am so loaded with hate of them, that I could dis- 
 pose of the half of the rascals myself, before they 
 could recover their wits. But if any of ye here has 
 a better plan, I lend my ears to the hearing of it,
 
 TEE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 213 
 
 my heart to the approval of it, and my strength 
 and fury to the doing of it, without further speech. 
 I have spoken." 
 
 " Now, friend Lion," said the Elephant, turning 
 solemnly to him, "it is thy turn, and say freely 
 what thy wit conceives in this matter. Thy cour- 
 age we all know, and none of us doubt that thy 
 mind is equal to it." 
 
 "Truly, friend Elephant, and ye others, the 
 business we are met to consider is pressing. The 
 sons of men are crafty, and their guile is beyond 
 measure. The four-footed tribes have much cause 
 of grievance against me and mine. However, none 
 can accuse me or my family of having taken undue 
 advantage of those whom we meditate striking. 
 We always give loud warning, as you all know, and 
 afterwards strike ; for if we did not do this, few 
 of even the strongest would escape our vengeance. 
 But these pestilent, two-footed beasts — -by net, trap, 
 falling stake, pit, or noose — are unceasing in their 
 secret malice, and there is no safety in the plain, 
 bush, or rock-fastness against their wiles. For 
 what I and my kin do there is good motive — that 
 of providing meat for ourselves and young ; but it 
 passes my wit to discover what the son of man 
 can want with all he destroys. Even our bones — 
 as, for instance, thy long teeth, O Elephant — they 
 carry away with them, and even mine. I have 
 seen the younglings of mankind dangle the teeth of
 
 214 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 my sister round their necks, and my hide appears 
 to be so precious that the king of the village wears 
 it over his dirty black loins. Thy tribe, O Ele- 
 phant, have not much cause of complaint against 
 me, and thou, Rhinoceros, it would tax thy memory 
 to accuse me of aught against thy family. Brother 
 Leopard will hold me and mine guiltless of harm 
 to him ; so also must my cousin Hyena. Friend 
 Buffalo and our family have sometimes a sharp 
 quarrel, but there is no malice in it, I swear. 
 Whereas the son of man, friends, is the common 
 enemy of us all — it is either our flesh, or our fur, 
 or our hide, or our teeth that he is wanting, and 
 his whole thought is bent upon destruction pure 
 and simple. If ye would follow me, I would glory 
 in leading ye even now against the community, and 
 I give ye my word that few would escape my paw 
 and claw. However, as our object is to destroy 
 all, that none may escape, I agree with my friend 
 Rhinoceros that night-time at its blackest is safest. 
 Wherefore believe me that I am so sharp set for 
 revenge, and I feel so hollow, that nothing but the 
 half of all of them will satisfy my thirst for their 
 blood. I have ended my say." 
 
 " Now, friend Leopard, thou hadst better follow 
 thy cousin, and we will feel obliged to thee for the 
 benefit of thy advice," said the Elephant. 
 
 Leopard gave his tail a quick twirl, and licked 
 his chops and spoke :
 
 THE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 217 
 
 " All that ye, my friends and cousin, have said, 
 I heartily agree and bear witness to. The spite of 
 the son of man towards us is limitless. It is re- 
 markable, too, for its cold-bloodedness and lack 
 of passion. We have our own quarrels in the 
 woods — as ye all know— and they are sharp and 
 quick while they last, but there is no premeditation 
 or malignity in what we do to one another ; but 
 Man, to whom we would rather give a wide berth, 
 if possible, pursues each of us as if his existence 
 depended upon the mere slaying, though I observe 
 that he has abundance of fruit, which ought to 
 satisfy any reasonable being of the ape tribe. 
 Wherefore, as I have many sharp reasons for re- 
 taliation on him for his countless offences against 
 me and my kin, I gladly attended this council, and 
 I will go as far as any of ye, and further if I can, 
 to return some of this spite on him and his tribe. 
 I propose that night at its darkest is best for our 
 plan. While the human folk are indulging in 
 dreams of slaughter of us, I vote that we turn 
 their dreams into action against themselves. The 
 elephant, and rhinoceros, and buffalo are strong; 
 let each lead his tribe to attack, overturn, and 
 trample down their nests. We, with our families, 
 will range round and slaughter every one that 
 escapes them. Those are my words." 
 
 " Now, friend Buffalo, what say est thou ? " de- 
 manded the Elephant. " Thou art a staunch friend
 
 218 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 and stout foe. We cannot but listen with respect 
 to such an one as thyself." 
 
 "Ah, friend Elephant, and ye chiefs of tribes, 
 every sentiment of hostility against the vile and 
 spiteful sons of man that ye have expressed finds 
 an echo in my inwards. If wrong has been done 
 to any here, magnify that wrong tenfold in order 
 that ye may understand the intensity of the hate I 
 bear the remorseless destroyers of my kith and kin. 
 Ask me not how I would slay them, my fury is 
 so great that I am unfit to devise. Do ye the 
 devising, and give the method to me. All I can 
 think of now is the pleasure I shall feel when my 
 horns are warmed in the bodies of the base and 
 treacherous creatures who have murdered wife, 
 brother, sister, and child of mine, besides a count- 
 less number of my kindred by lance and line, spear 
 and snare, sword and stake, trick and trap. I will 
 lead my herd into the midst of the vicious com- 
 munity with a joy that only my hate can match. 
 That is all I have to say." 
 
 " Now, my good friend Hyena. Thou art the 
 only one left whose sentiments are as yet unknown. 
 Speak, and let us hear wisdom from thee in this 
 matter." 
 
 The Hyena uttered a mocking laugh, and said : 
 " Mv kind friends and cousins : The nisdit suits me 
 well, for I am in my element then. I may say that 
 I have a large family which is always hungry. It
 
 THE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 219 
 
 will be a laughing matter to them indeed to hear 
 of your good purpose. It has been long delayed, 
 this signal measure of just vengeance upon those 
 who have outdone in cold cruelty all that genera- 
 tions of the four-footed tribe of the fiercest kind 
 have done. Bird and beast, from the smallest to 
 the greatest, have fallen victims to man's lust for 
 destruction. True, my kind are often indebted to 
 man for bones and refuse, but what we have eaten 
 has been sorely against his good will ; and we there- 
 fore owe him no gratitude. The young of the 
 human community will be juicy morsels for my 
 tribe, when the signal is given for the attack. 
 With all my heart I say let it be to-night. I have 
 said my say." 
 
 The Elephant then said : " Friends, chiefs of the 
 most powerful tribes of the forest, let it be to- 
 night, as ye say. Let each go and muster his 
 forces, and let the attack be in the following 
 manner. Half-way betwixt dawn and midnight I 
 will lead my troop from the Uganda side. The 
 Rhinoceros will lead his from the Katonga side. 
 The Buffalo will range his tribe along that side 
 facing Unyoro. Behind my troop the Hyena and 
 his families shall follow to finish those who may 
 be but bruised by our heavy hoofs. Let Leop- 
 ard place his fellows and kin in rear of the Rhi- 
 noceros troop. Lion and his great tribe are 
 needed in rear of Buffalo's forces, for they are apt
 
 220 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 in their fury to overlook the crafty bipeds. Our 
 object is to make a complete job of it. The sooner 
 we part now, the fitter each will be for the perfect 
 consummation of his long-deferred revenge." 
 
 It was well past midnight when the four-footed 
 forces were gathered around the doomed village, 
 and, at the shrill trumpet-note of the King Ele- 
 phant, the several chiefs led their respective troops 
 at the charge. The elephants tore on resistlessly, 
 trampling down the doomed cages of the human 
 folk flat and level with the ground. The rhino- 
 ceros and his host pushed on with noses low 
 down, and tossed the human nests as we would 
 kick an empty egg-basket ; the buffaloes bellowed 
 in unison, and, closing their eyes, threw themselves 
 upon the huts, and gored everything within reach 
 of their horns. Then the fierce carnivora, all ex- 
 citement at the prospect of the bloody feast, 
 roared, snarled, and laughed as they tore the 
 mangled victims piecemeal. Ah, poor village, and 
 poor people ! In a short time the dreaming souls 
 dreamed no more, but were gone past recall into 
 the regions where dreams are unknown — all ex- 
 cepting one clever boy named Kibatti, and his 
 parents, who survived the calamity. These hap- 
 pened to live in a tiny hut close hidden by a grove 
 of bananas on the edge of the forest, and Kibatti 
 about midnight had been disturbed in his sleep 
 by a pressure on his stomach which woke him,
 
 THE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 221 
 
 and denied him further sleep. He therefore sat 
 sorrowing over the red embers of his fire, when 
 he heard the hollow tramp of large animals, and 
 pricking his ears, he heard trampling in another 
 direction; whereupon his suspicions that some- 
 thing unusual was about to happen grew on him, 
 so that he woke his parents, and bade them listen 
 to the rumbling sounds that could be heard by 
 such experienced hunters all around them. 
 
 " Father, come, delay not ! make mother rise at 
 once. This night my sleep has been broken as a 
 warning to me that mischief is brewing. Let us 
 ascend the big tree near by and observe." 
 
 " Child, you are right," said his father, after 
 listening a moment ; " the demons of the wilder- 
 ness are gathered against the village, for human 
 enemies make no such stir as this. We will ascend 
 the great tree at once." 
 
 Thereupon he drew his wife out. 
 
 Kibatti wriggled himself through the burrow 
 under the milk-weed hedge into the banana-grove, 
 and having gained its deep shadows, raced for the 
 great tree, closely followed by his parents. A 
 large vine hung pendant, and up this vine Kibatti 
 climbed, his mother after him, the old man last. 
 Not a moment too soon, for just then the trumpet- 
 note of the King Elephant was heard, and after- 
 wards such a concert of noises that neither Kibatti 
 nor his aged father had ever heard the like before.
 
 222 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 In the starlight they saw the huge forms of all 
 kinds of furious animals pass and repass below 
 them ; but clinging closely to the shelter of the 
 giant limbs of the tree, they, from their safe perch, 
 witnessed the dreadful ending of their friends and 
 relatives. 
 
 When he fully realized the catastrophe and its 
 completeness, Kibatti suggested to his parents 
 that they should ascend to the very highest fork, 
 lest they should be observed in the morning, and 
 on climbing up they found a snug hiding-place far 
 above, hidden all round by the thick, fleshy leaves 
 of the tree. There they remained quiet until 
 morning, when the boy's restless curiosity became 
 so strong that he resolved to gratify it. Grasping 
 close a great limb of the tree, he descended as far 
 as the lower fork and looked down. He saw all 
 the huts smashed, and the bones of his tribe white 
 and gleaming, scattered about. The fences were 
 all levelled, but the elephants, under their leader, 
 were re-setting the poles round about. The lions 
 were pacing watchfully around, the rhinoceroses 
 and buffaloes were herded separately, gazing upon 
 the elephants, the leopards were lying down under 
 the trees in scattered groups, the hyenas were 
 crunching bones, for these last never know when 
 they have eaten enough. 
 
 Kibatti kept his post all day. By night the 
 poles fenced the village round about as before, and
 
 THE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 223 
 
 in the dusk he saw the gathering together of all 
 the creatures in a circle round the King Elejmant, 
 to hear his rumbling voice delivering an harangue 
 to the motley allies. When it was ended the 
 lions roared, the rhinoceroses snorted, the buffaloes 
 bellowed, the hyenas laughed, and the shrill trum- 
 petings of the elephants announced that the meet- 
 ins: was over. What occurred after, Kibatti did 
 not stay to learn, but climbed aloft to give the 
 news to his anxious parents. 
 
 Said he, " It appears to me, father, that they are 
 going to build the village up again, for they have 
 already fenced it around even better, as I think, 
 than it was before. Those animals have clever 
 leaders, that is certain, but I am not a man-son 
 if Kibatti does not get the better of some of 
 them." 
 
 " Oh, you are clever, my child, that is true," said 
 the old man. " Whatever you undertake to do, 
 done it is. I have found out that lono- aero. If 
 wit will get us out of this place of danger, I have 
 a conviction it will be by yours, and not by mine, 
 or by my old woman's." 
 
 " I do not purpose to leave the tree just yet, 
 father," replied Kibatti. " If we keep quiet, we 
 could not find a safer place than here. The tree 
 is so tall that they cannot hear us talk unless they 
 set their ears to listen at the foot of it, and against 
 all that may happen we must provide ourselves."
 
 224 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " Give your confidence to me, boy, and let me 
 judge of your plan," said the father. 
 
 " Well, my idea is this. To-night they will all 
 start off, some to catch the lesser prey, others to 
 graze and feed. The leaders, of course, will remain 
 behind. I propose, after getting three or four 
 winks of sleep, to go down to the gate and dis- 
 cover how things are. If possible, I will try and 
 get my net-ropes. They will be useful for my pur- 
 pose. We may trap some game, you know." 
 
 "I see, I see, my boy. That is a good idea. 
 Shall I help you ? " 
 
 " Not to-night, father, except you keep watch 
 until yonder bright star stands overhead." 
 
 The old man agreed to keep watch until the star 
 approached the zenith. A little after midnight 
 Kibatti was waked, and having given his father 
 injunctions to go to sleep, he descended. He pro- 
 ceeded straight to his house, and among the 
 wreckage he found his strong nets and their ropes, 
 and his sharp huntiug-knife, besides his father's 
 five spears and his own quiver. These weapons he 
 conveyed directly to the tree, and bore them up to 
 the lower fork. This done, he re-descended the 
 tree and crawled away to a bit of marsh-land not 
 far off, where there was a crane's nest which con- 
 tained some eggs. He took these in his hand, and 
 went around through the bushes to the Unyoro 
 Road. All this had been done very quickly,
 
 TEE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 225 
 
 because, being a hunter, he knew the neighbour- 
 hood well, and while watching the animals in the 
 village, his mind had been busy forming his plans. 
 Now when he came to the U nyoro Road, he stood 
 straight up and strode rapidly in the direction of 
 the village which had been that of his tribe. 
 Arriving near it he crawled up to the gate and 
 looked in, then traced the fence all around until 
 he came back to the same gate. 
 
 Kibatti now stood up and hailed the animals, 
 crying loud, 
 
 " Hullo, hullo there ! Are ye all asleep ? 
 Will ye not let a poor benighted stranger in ? 
 The night is cold, and I am hungry." 
 
 King Buffalo, who was on guard, trotted up to 
 the gate, and looking out saw a small boy who was 
 naked, except for a scant robe which depended 
 from his shoulders. 
 
 " Who art thou ? " demanded the buffalo in his 
 gruffest voice. 
 
 Kibatti answered in the thiu voice of a father- 
 less and starving orphan. 
 
 " It is I, Kibatti the Little, from Unyoro." 
 
 " What dost thou want ? " 
 
 " Only a little fire to roast my eggs, and a place 
 to sleep. I am a forest-boy, and live alone in 
 Unyoro. My parents are both dead, and I have 
 no home. If you will give me work I will stay 
 with you ; for then I shall have plenty to eat. If 
 
 15
 
 226 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 not, let me sleep here to-night, and in the morning 
 I will go." 
 
 "IT IS I, KIBATTI THE LITTLE, FROM UNYOBO." 
 
 " What work canst thon do ? " 
 " Not much, but I can fetch water and fuel." 
 " Wait a minute, I will see if our people will let 
 thee in."
 
 THE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 22? 
 
 Tlie buffalo moved away and woke up the rhi- 
 noceros, the elephant, the lion, the leopard, and 
 hyena, and told them that there was a little forest- 
 boy seeking a night's lodging. At first the general 
 belief was, that he belonged to the tribe which had 
 owned the village, but the buffalo denied that this 
 boy could have known of the country, as he had 
 come boldly up to the gate from the Unyoro road ; 
 besides, was it likely that a small boy, knowing 
 what had happened, would ever have come back 
 when those who had destroyed the village were 
 in possession of it? This last remark settled the 
 matter. King Elephant said, 
 
 " As thou wilt, Buffalo. Even if the matter 
 were otherwise, a small boy can do no harm. Let 
 him in. We will give him plenty of work." 
 
 King Buffalo opened the gate and allowed 
 Kibatti to enter, and introduced him to his friends, 
 King Elephant and the rest, all of whom smiled 
 as they saw his slender and small form, the only 
 human amongst them. Buffalo took very kindly 
 to his protege, and showed him around, while 
 Kibatti amused him with his innocent unsophisti- 
 cated prattle, which convinced the kingly bovine 
 that little Kibatti was indeed a wild-wood waif. 
 
 " And where do you all sleep ? " asked Kibatti 
 of Buffalo. 
 
 " I sleep here, near the gate, King Elephant 
 rests near that big tree. King Lion prefers lying
 
 228 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 near that great log there, Brother Rhinoceros 
 throws himself down on the edge of the banana 
 grove, Leopard curls himself near the fence, and 
 Hyena snores stupidly near his pile of bones." 
 
 After a little while Buffalo lay down near the 
 gate for a little rest. Kibatti stretched himself 
 near him, but not to sleep. His eyes were quite 
 open, and he soon saw Buffalo's nose rest upon 
 the ground and his head sway from side to side. 
 Kibatti then untied a cord, and stealthily passing 
 it round the four legs of the buffalo, drew the 
 other end round the neck in a slip noose without 
 waking him. He then crawled off towards the 
 elephant, and tied his four legs together, gently 
 tightening the slip noose, and fastening the rope 
 three or four times running round, and brought 
 them all together. To the rhinoceros he did the 
 same. He then went out of the gate and brought 
 his bundle of nets. He took one up, fastened one 
 end to the fence, and drawing it lightly like a 
 curtain over the form of the sleeping lion, just 
 hung it on splinters and projections of the fence. 
 In like manner he secured a net over the leopard, 
 and another over the hyena. All this did clever 
 little Kibatti without waking any of them. He 
 then stole out of the gate a second time, and made 
 his way to the tree where his parents were sleeping. 
 
 " Come, father," he said, " the kings of the herds 
 are trapped and netted. Bring down mother to
 
 . THE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 229 
 
 the lower fork, and come, do you hasten with me 
 with a bundle of spears, two bows, and quivers 
 full of arrows, for Ave must finish the game before 
 morning." 
 
 Completely armed with spears and arrows, 
 Kibatti led his father to the gate, and stealthily 
 entered the fenced enclosure, and they stood over 
 the still-sleeping buffalo. Kibatti gave his father 
 a sharp-pointed spear, and gently laying his finger 
 on the vital spot, between neck and head, showed 
 him where to strike. The father lifted his right 
 arm high up, and with one stroke severed the 
 spinal cord. A shiver passed through King 
 Buffalo's body, and he rolled over stone dead. 
 
 Then Kibatti and his father approached King 
 Lion, who lay lengthways near the log by the 
 fence, with his side exposed. Kibatti pointed to 
 his ow^n left side behind the shoulder-blade, and 
 father and son drew their bows and drove two 
 arrows into Lion's heart, who sprang up and threw 
 himself like a ball into the net, which closed round 
 him taut, and he presently lay still and lifeless. 
 In the same manner father and son despatched 
 Leopard and Hyena. There then only remained 
 Rhinoceros and Elephant. 
 
 They chose to attack the first-named beast, who 
 was still lying down on his side, unconscious of 
 the tragic fate of his confederates. 
 
 Kibatti pointed to the enemy's fore-shoulder and
 
 230 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 touched his father with his finger two inches below 
 the shoulder-blade. His father understood, and. 
 launched his spear straight into the body with 
 such force that the blade was buried. King 
 Rhinoceros, feeling the iron in his vitals, snorted 
 and struggled to stand, but in doing so tightened 
 the cords, and fell back rolling half over. Kibatti 
 drew his bow and buried an arrow close to his 
 
 KILLING KING RHINOCKROS. 
 
 father's buried spear. Meantime, King Elephant 
 
 had taken the alarm, and, struggling with his 
 
 bonds, had capsized himself on the ground. 
 
 Kibatti gave vent to a war whoop and cried : 
 
 "Never mind, father, let the rhinoceros die. 
 
 Let us away to the elephant while he is helpless." 
 
 They sprang to the prostrate beast, and they 
 
 shot their arrows first to every vital point exposed, 
 
 and then launched their spears with such good
 
 THE LEGEND OF KIBATTI THE LITTLE 231 
 
 effect that before long the last of the kings of the 
 beasts had ended his life. 
 
 Kibatti and his father then flew to where the 
 old woman crouched in the fork of the tree, and 
 taking her with them, they left the ruined village, 
 and sought a home in another district, where, 
 because of the terrible revenge they had taken on 
 the forest lords, they were held by their fellow- 
 creatures all their lives in great esteem.
 
 THE PARTNERSHIP OF RABBIT AND ELE- 
 PHANT, AND WHAT CAME OF IT 
 
 N 1876, while we 
 were travelling to- 
 wards the Albert 
 Edward Nyanza, 
 Sabadu and Bu- 
 jomba and others 
 of our Waganda 
 escort would join 
 us at our evening 
 fire, and when they 
 found what enter- 
 tainment was to be 
 had, they readily yielded to the invitation to 
 contribute their share to it. Besides, Sabadu was 
 unequalled in the art of story-telling : he was 
 fluent and humorous, while his mimicry of the 
 characters he described kept everybody's interest 
 on the alert. To the Rabbit of course he gave a 
 wee thin voice, to the Elephant he gave a deep 
 bass, to the Buffalo a hollow mooing. When he 
 attempted the Lion, the veins of his temple and 
 neck were dreadfully distended as he made the 

 
 THE PARTNERSHIP OF RABBIT AND ELEPHANT 233 
 
 effort ; but when lie mimicked the Dog, one almost 
 expected a little terrier-like dog to trot up to the 
 fire, so perfect was his yaup-yaup. 
 
 Every one agreed as Sabadu began his story that 
 his manner, even his style of sitting and smoothing 
 his face, the pose of his head, betrayed the man of 
 practice. The following is his story : — 
 
 In Willimesi, Uganda, a Rabbit and an Ele- 
 phant, coming from different directions, met on a 
 road one day, and being old friends, stopped to 
 greet one another, and chat about the weather and 
 the crops, and to exchange opinions on the state 
 of trade. Finally the Rabbit proposed that the 
 Elephant should join him in a partnership to make 
 a little trading expedition to the Watusi shep- 
 herds, " because," said he, " I hear there are some 
 good chances to make profit among them. Cloth, 
 I am told, is very scarce there, and I think we 
 might find a good bargain awaiting us." The Ele- 
 phant was nothing loth, and closed with the offer 
 of his little friend, and a couple of bales of as- 
 sorted goods were prepared for the journey. 
 
 They set out on particularly good terms with 
 each other, and Rabbit, who had a good store of 
 experiences, amused the Elephant greatly. By- 
 and-by the pair of friends arrived at a river, and 
 the Elephant, to whom the water was agreeable, 
 stepped in to cross it, but halted on hearing Rabbit 
 exclaim :
 
 234 X? DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 "Why, Elephant, you surely are not going to 
 cross without me ? Are we not partners ? " 
 
 " Of course we are partners, but I did not agree 
 to cany you or your pack. Why don't you step 
 right in ? The water is not deep, it scarcely covers 
 my feet." 
 
 " But, you stupid fellow, can you not see that 
 what will scarcely cover your feet is more than 
 enough to drown me, and I can't swim a bit ; and, 
 besides, if I get my fur wet I shall catch the ague, 
 and how ever am I to carry my pack across ? " 
 
 "Well, I cannot help that. It was you who 
 proposed to take the journey, and I thought a wise 
 fellow like you would have known that there were 
 rivers running across the road, and that you knew 
 what to do. If you cannot travel, then good-bye. 
 I cannot stop here all day," and the Elephant 
 walked on across to the other side. 
 
 " Surly rascal," muttered Rabbit. " All right, 
 my big friend, I will pay you for it some time." 
 
 Not far off, however, Rabbit found a log, and 
 after placing his pack on it, he paddled himself 
 over, and reached the other bank safely ; but to 
 his grief he discovered that his bale had been 
 wetted and damaged. 
 
 Rabbit wiped the water up as much as possible, 
 and resumed the journey with the Elephant, who 
 had looked carelessly on the efforts of his friend to 
 cross the river.
 
 THE PARTNERSHIP OF li ABB IT AND ELEPHANT 235 
 
 Fortunately for Rabbit, the latter part of the 
 journey did not present such difficulties, and they 
 arrived in due time among the Watusi shepherds. 
 
 Now at a trade Elephant was not to be compared 
 with Rabbit, for he could not talk so pleasantly as 
 Rabbit, and he was not at all sociable. Rabbit 
 went among the women, and laughed and joked 
 with them, and said so many funny things, that 
 they were delighted with him, and when at last 
 the trade question was cautiously touched upon, 
 a chief's wife was so kind to him, that she gave a 
 mighty fine cow in exchange for his little bale of 
 cloth. Elephant, on the other hand, went among 
 the men, and simply told them that he had come 
 to buy cattle with cloth. The Watusi shepherds, 
 not liking his appearance or his manner, said they 
 had no cattle to sell, but if he cared to have it, 
 they would give a year-old heifer for his bale. 
 Though Elephant's bale was a most weighty one, 
 and many times more valuable than Rabbit's, yet 
 as he was so gruff and ugly, he was at last obliged 
 to be satisfied with the little heifer. 
 
 Just as they had left the Watusi to begin their 
 return journey, Elephant said to Rabbit, " Now 
 mind, should we meet anyone on the road, and we 
 are asked whose cattle these are, I wish you to 
 oblige me by saying that they are mine, because 
 I should not like people to believe that I am not 
 as good a trader as yourself. They will also be
 
 236 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 afraid to touch them if they know they belong to 
 me ; whereas, if they hear that they belong to you, 
 every fellow will think he has as good a right to 
 them as yourself, and you dare not defend your 
 property." 
 
 " Very well," replied Rabbit, " I quite under- 
 stand." 
 
 In a little while, as Rabbit and Elephant drove 
 their cattle along, they met many people coming 
 from market who stopped and admired them, and 
 said, " Ah, what a fine cow is that ! to whom does 
 it belong ? " 
 
 " It belongs to me," answered the thin voice of 
 Rabbit. " The little one belongs to Elephant." 
 
 " Very fine indeed. A good cow that," replied 
 the people, and passed on. 
 
 Vexed and annoyed, Elephant cried angrily to 
 Rabbit, " Why did you not answer as I told you ? 
 Now mind, do as I tell you at the next meeting 
 with strangers." 
 
 " Very well," answered Rabbit, " I will try and 
 remember." 
 
 By-and-by they met another party going home 
 with fowls and palm wine, who, when they came 
 up, said, " Ah that is a fine beast, and in prime 
 order. Whose is it ? " 
 
 " It is mine," quickly replied Rabbit, " and the 
 little scabby heifer belongs to Elephant." 
 
 This answer enraged Elephant, who said, " What
 
 THE PARTNERSHIP OF RABBIT AND ELEPHANT 237 
 
 an obstinate little fool you are. Did you not hear 
 me ask you to say it was mine ? Now, remember, 
 you are to say so next time, or I leave you to find 
 your own way home, because I know you are a 
 horrible little coward." 
 
 " Very well, I'll do it next time," replied Rabbit 
 in a meek voice. 
 
 In a short time they met another crowd, which 
 stopped when opposite to them, and the people 
 said, " Really, that is an exceedingly fine cow. To 
 which of you does it belong ? " 
 
 " It is mine. I bought it from the Watusi," re- 
 plied Rabbit. 
 
 The Elephant was so angry this time, that he 
 broke away from Rabbit, and drove his little heifer 
 by another road, and to Lion, and Hyena, and 
 Buffalo, and Leopard, whom he met, he said what 
 a fine fat cow was being driven by cowardly little 
 Rabbit along the other road. He did this out of 
 mere spite, hoping that some one of them would 
 be tempted to take it by force from Rabbit. 
 
 But Rabbit was wise, and had seen the spite in 
 Elephant's face as he went off, and was sure that 
 he would play him some unkind trick; and, as 
 night was falling and his home was far, and he 
 knew that there were many vagabonds lying in 
 wait to rob poor travellers, he reflected that if his 
 wit failed to save him he would be in great 
 danger.
 
 238 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 True enough, it was not long before a big blus- 
 tering lion rose from the side of the road, and 
 
 "I AM PROUD TO HAVE MET YOU, RABBIT." 
 
 cried out, " Hello, you there. Where are you 
 going with that cow ? Come, speak out." 
 
 " Ah, is that you, Lion ? I am taking it to 
 Mugassa (the deity), who is about to give a feast
 
 THE PARTNERSHIP OF RABBIT AND ELEPHANT 239 
 
 to all his friends, and lie told me particularly to 
 invite you to share it, if I should meet you." 
 
 " Eh ? What ? To Mugassa ? Oh, well, I am 
 proud to have met you, Rabbit. As I am not 
 otherwise engaged I will accompany you, because 
 everyone considers it an honour to wait upon 
 Mugassa." 
 
 They proceeded a little further, and a bouncing 
 buffalo came up and bellowed fiercely. " You, 
 Rabbit, stop," said he. "Where are you taking 
 that cow to ? " 
 
 "I am taking it to Mugassa, don't you know. 
 How would a little fellow like me have the courage 
 to go so far from home if it were not that I am on 
 service for Mugassa ? I am charged also to tell 
 you, Buffalo, that if you like to join in the feast 
 Mugassa is about to give, he will be glad to have 
 you as a guest." 
 
 " Oh, well, that is good news indeed. I will 
 come along now, Rabbit, and am very glad to have 
 met you. How do you do, Lion ? " 
 
 A short distance off the party met a huge rogue 
 elephant, who stood in the middle of the road, and 
 demanded to know where the cow was being taken, 
 in a tone which required a quick answer. 
 
 u Now, Elephant, get out of the way. This cow 
 is being taken to Mugassa, who will be angry with 
 you if I am delayed. Have you not heard of the 
 feast he is about to give ? By the bye, as you are
 
 240 
 
 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 one of the guests, you might as well help me to 
 drive this cow, and let me get on your back, for I 
 am dreadfully tired." 
 
 "Why, that's grand," said the Elephant. "I 
 shall be delighted to feast with Mugassa, and — 
 
 
 " A POWERFUL CROWD BEHIND THE COW." 
 
 come get on my back. I will carry you with 
 pleasure. And, Rabbit," whispered Elephant, as 
 he lifted him by his trunk, " don't forget to speak 
 a good word for me to Mugassa." 
 
 Soon a leopard and then a hyena were met, but 
 seeing such a powerful crowd behind the cow, 
 they affected great civility, and were invited to 
 accompany Rabbit's party to Mugassa's feast.
 
 THE PARTNERSHIP OF RABBIT AND ELEPHANT 24 £ 
 
 It was quite dark by the time they arrived at 
 Rabbit's village. At the gate stood two dogs, who 
 were Rabbit's chums, and they barked furiously ; 
 but hearing their friend's voice, they came up and 
 welcomed Rabbit. 
 
 The party halted, and Rabbit, after reaching the 
 ground, whispered to Dogs how affairs stood, and 
 Dogs wagged their tails approvingly, and yauped 
 with fun as they heard of Rabbit's wit. It did not 
 take long for Dogs to understand what was re- 
 quired of them, and one of them bounded off to 
 the village, and after a short time returned with a 
 pretended message from the great Mugassa. 
 
 " Well, my friends, do you hear what Mugassa 
 says ? " cried Rabbit, with a voice of importance. 
 
 " Dogs are to lay mats inside the village by the 
 gate, and the cow is to be killed, and the meat pre- 
 pared nicely and laid on the mats. And when 
 that is done, Mugassa himself will come and give 
 each his portion. He says that you are all very 
 welcome. 
 
 " Now listen to me before I go in to Mugassa, 
 and I will show you how you can all help to hurry 
 the feast, for I am sure you are all anxious to 
 begin. 
 
 " You, Hyena, you must kill the cow, and dress 
 the meat, and Dogs will carry it in and lay it on 
 the mats ; but remember, if a bit is touched before 
 Mugassa commands, we are all ruined. 
 
 16
 
 242 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 "You, Elephant, you take this brass hatchet 
 of Mugassa's, and split wood nicely for the 
 hearth. 
 
 " Buffalo, you go and find a wood with a smooth 
 bark and which burns well, and. bring it to Ele- 
 phant. 
 
 " Leopard, you go to the banana plantation, and 
 watch for the falling leaf and catch it with your 
 eyelids, in order that we may have proper plates. 
 
 "Lion, my friend, do you go and fill this pot 
 from the spring, and bring water that Mugassa 
 may wash his hands." 
 
 Having issued his instructions, Rabbit went 
 strutting into the village ; but after he had gone 
 a little way he darted aside, and passing through a 
 side door, went out and came creeping up towards 
 an ant-hill. On the top was a tuft of grass, and 
 from his hiding-place he commanded a view of the 
 gate, and of all who might come near it. 
 
 Now Buffalo could only find one log with 
 smooth bark, and Dogs shouted out to Buffalo that 
 one log was not enough to roast or to boil the 
 meat, and he returned to hunt up some more. 
 
 Elephant struck the log with his brass hatchet, 
 which was broken at the first blow, and there was 
 nothing else with which to cut the wood. 
 
 Leopard watched and watched for falling leaves, 
 but failed to see any. 
 
 Lion's pot had a hole in the bottom, and he
 
 The Partnership of rabbit and ElEphaNT 245 
 
 could never keep it full, though he tried ever so 
 many times. 
 
 Meanwhile Hyena having killed the cow and 
 dressed the meat beautifully, said to Dogs, " Now, 
 my friends, the meat is ready. What shall I do ? " 
 
 " You can help us carry the meat in, and lay it 
 on the mats, if you like, for Mugassa must see 
 it before anybody can touch it." 
 
 " Ah, but I feel extremely hungry, and my mouth 
 waters so that I am sick with longing. May we 
 not go shares and eat a little bit ? It looks very 
 nice and fat," whined the Hyena. 
 
 u Ah, no, we should not dare do such a thing. 
 We have long ago left the woods, and its habits, 
 and are unfit for anything but human society ; but 
 if you were allowed to eat any, you could fly into 
 the woods, and we should have all the blame. No, 
 no, come, help us carry it inside. You will not 
 have to wait long." 
 
 The Hyena was obliged to obey, but contrived 
 to hide in the grass some of the tripe. Rabbit, 
 from behind his tuft of grass, saw it all, and winked 
 in the dark. 
 
 When the meat was in, Dogs said, " It is all 
 right now. Just stay outside until the other 
 fellows arrive." 
 
 Hyena retired, and when he was outside of the 
 gate searched for his tripe, and lay down quietly 
 to enjoy it, but as he was about to bite it, Rabbit
 
 246 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 screamed, "Ah, you thief, Hyena. You thief, I 
 see you. Stop thief, Mugassa is coming." 
 
 These cries so alarmed Hyena that he dropped 
 his tripe, and fled away as fast as his legs could 
 carry him, and the others, Buffalo, Elephant, Lion, 
 and Leopard, tired out with waiting, and hearing 
 these alarming cries, also ran away, leaving Rabbit 
 and his dog friends in quiet possession. They 
 carried the tripe into the village, and closed the 
 gate and barred it, after which they laughed loud 
 and long, Rabbit rolling on the ground over and 
 over with the fun of it all. 
 
 My friends, Rabbit was the smallest of all, but 
 by his wisdom he was more than a match for two 
 Elephants, Buffalo, Leopard, Lion, Hyena, and all. 
 And even his friends, the Dogs, had to confess 
 that Rabbit's wit could not be matched. That is 
 my tale.
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF SAKUTI 
 
 HAVE a poor mem- 
 ory for legend s," 
 said Bujomba, one 
 night, while we were 
 in camp at Benga : 
 " but I remember 
 what a young Mton- 
 gole (colonel) named 
 Saruti related to 
 Mtesa after his re- 
 turn from an expedi- 
 tion to the frontier 
 of Unyoro. What a head that man had, and such 
 eyes ! Mtesa was ever fond of a good story, and 
 loved to question those whom he sent to distant 
 countries, until you might say that there was 
 nothing left in a man worth hearing after he had 
 done with him. But Saruti did not need any 
 questioning. He talked on and on without stop- 
 ping, until Mtesa could not sit up longer for sheer 
 weariness. These are among the things he said 
 that he had witnessed on his journey. You must
 
 US MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 not ask me if I believe all that he said. All I 
 can say is that they might hav r e happened, or been 
 seen by many men, but I never could quite under- 
 stand how it was that Saruti alone was so lucky 
 as to see all the things he talked about. Anyhow, 
 he was very amusing, and Mtesa laughed heartily 
 many times as he listened to him." 
 
 Kabaka, I think my charms which my father 
 suspended round my neck must be very powerful. 
 I am always in luck. I hear good stories on my 
 journey, I see strange things which no one else 
 seems to have come across. Now on this last 
 journey, by the time I reached Singo, I came to a 
 little village, and as I was drinking banana wine 
 with the chief, he told me that there were two 
 lions near his village who had a band of hyenas 
 to serve as soldiers under them. They used to 
 send them out in pairs, sometimes to one district, 
 and sometimes to another, to purvey food for them. 
 If the peasants showed fight, they went back and 
 reported to their masters, and the lions brought 
 all their soldiers with them, who bothered them 
 so that they were glad to leave a fat bullock tied 
 to a tree as tribute. Then the lions would take 
 the bullock and give orders that the peasant who 
 paid his tribute should be left in peace. The 
 chief declared this to be a fact, having had re- 
 peated proof of it. 
 
 At the next place, which is Mbagwe, the man
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF SARUTI 249 
 
 Buvaiya, who is in charge, told me that when he 
 went a short time before to pay his respects 
 to the Muzimu (the oracle) of the district, he met 
 about thirty hohorwa on the road, hunting close 
 together for snakes, and that as soon as they saw 
 him, they charged at him, and would have killed 
 him had he not run up a tree. He tells me that 
 though they are not much bigger than rabbits, 
 they are very savage, and make travelling alone 
 very dangerous. I think they must be some 
 kind of small dogs. Perhaps the old men of the 
 court may be better able to tell you what they 
 are. 
 
 At the next village of Ngondo a smart boy 
 named E-utuana was brought to me, who was said 
 to have been lately playing with a young friend 
 of the same age at long stick and little stick (tip- 
 cat ?). His friend hit the little stick, and sent it 
 a great way, and Rutuana had to fetch it from the 
 long grass. While searching for it, one of those 
 big serpents which swallow goats and calves caught 
 him, and coiled itself around him. Though he 
 screamed out for help, Rutuana laid his stick 
 across his chest, and clutching hold of each end 
 with a hand, held fast to it until help came. His 
 friend ran up a tree, and only helped him by 
 screaming. As the serpent could not break the 
 boy's hold of the stick, he was unable to crush his 
 ribs, because his outstretched arms protected them ;
 
 250 
 
 MY DARK COMPAMOZS 
 
 but when he was nearly exhausted the villagers 
 came out with spears and shields. These fellows, 
 
 RUTUANA LAID HIS STICK ACROSS HIS CHEST. 
 
 however, were so stupid that they did not know 
 how to kill the serpent until Rutuana shouted to 
 them : " Quick ! draw your bows and shoot him
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF SARUTI 251 
 
 through the neck." A man stepped forward then, 
 and when close to him pierced his throat with 
 the arrow, and as the serpent uncoiled himself to 
 attack the men, Rutuana fell down. The ser- 
 pent was soon speared, and the boy was carried 
 home. I think that boy will become a great war- 
 rior. 
 
 At the next village the peasants were much dis- 
 turbed by a multitude of snakes which had col- 
 lected there for some reason. They had seen 
 several long black snakes which had taken lodg- 
 ing in the ant-hills. These had already killed 
 five cows, and lately had taken to attacking the 
 travellers along the road that leads by the ant- 
 hills, when an Arab, named Massoudi, hearing of 
 their trouble, undertook to kill them. He had 
 some slaves with him, and he clothed their legs 
 with buffalo hide, and placed cooking-pots on 
 their heads, and told them to go among the ant- 
 hills. When the snakes came out of their holes 
 he shot them one by one. Among the reptiles he 
 killed were three kinds of serpents which pos- 
 sessed horns. The peasants skinned them, and 
 made bags of them to preserve their charms. One 
 kind of horned snake, very thick and short, is said 
 to lay eggs as large as those of fowds. The muba- 
 rasassa, which is of a greyish colour, is also said 
 to be able to kill elephants. 
 
 I then went to Kyengi, beyond Singo, and the
 
 252 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 peasants, on coming to gossip with me, rather up- 
 set me with terrible stories of the mischief done 
 by a big black leopard. It seems that he had first 
 killed a woman, and had carried the body into the 
 bush ; and another time had killed two men while 
 they were setting their nets for some small ground 
 game. Then a native hunter, under promise of 
 reward from the chief, set out with two spears to 
 kill him. He did not succeed, but he said that 
 he saw a strange sight. As he was following the 
 track of the leopard, he suddenly came to a little 
 jungle, with an open space in the middle. A large 
 wild sow, followed by her litter of little pigs, was 
 rooting about, and grunting as pigs do, when he 
 saw the monstrous black leopard crawl towards 
 one of the pigs. Then there was a shrill squeal 
 from a piggie, and the mother, looking up, dis- 
 covered its danger, at which it furiously charged 
 the leopard, clashing her tusks and foaming at the 
 mouth. The leopard turned sharp round, and 
 sprang up a tree. The sow tried to jump up after 
 it, but being unable to reach her enemy in that 
 way, she set about working hard at the roots. 
 While she was busy about it the peasant ran 
 back to obtain a net and assistants, and to get his 
 hunting-dog. When he returned, the sow was still 
 digging away at the bottom of the tree, and had 
 made a great hole all round it. The pigs, fright- 
 ened- at seeing so many men, trotted away into the
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF SARUfl 253 
 
 bush, and the liunter and his friends prepared to 
 catch the leopard. They pegged the net all about 
 the tree, then let loose the dog, and urged him to- 
 wards the net. As he touched the net, the hunters 
 made a great noise, and shouted, at which the 
 leopard bounded from the tree, and with one 
 scratch of his paw ripped the dog open, sprang 
 over the net, tapped one of the men on the shoul- 
 der, and was running away, when he received a 
 wound in the shoulder, and stopped to bite the 
 spear. The hunters continued to worry him, until 
 at last, covered with blood, he lay down and 
 died. 
 
 One day's journey beyond Kyengi, I came to 
 the thorn-fenced village of some Watusi shepherds, 
 who, it seems, had suffered much from a pair of 
 lion cubs, which were very fierce. The headman's 
 little boy was looking after some calves when the 
 cubs came and quietly stalked him through the 
 grass, and caught him. The headman took it so 
 much to heart, that as soon as he heard the news 
 he went straight back to his village and hanged 
 himself to a rafter. The Watusi love their fam- 
 ilies very much, but it seems to be a custom with 
 these herdsmen that if a man takes his own life, 
 the body cannot be buried, and though he was a 
 headman, they carried it to the jungle, and after 
 leaving it for the vultures, they returned and set 
 fire to his hut, and burnt it to the ground. When
 
 254 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 they had done that, the Watusi collected together 
 and had a long hunt after the young lions, but as 
 yet they have not been able to find them. 
 
 When the sun was half way up the sky, I came 
 from Kyengi to some peasants, who lived near a 
 forest which is affected by the man-monkeys called 
 nzike (gorilla ?). I was told by them that the 
 nzike know how to smoke and make fire just as we 
 do. It is a custom among the natives, when they see 
 smoke issuing through the trees, for them to say, 
 " Behold, the nzike is cooking his food." I asked 
 them if it were true that the nzike carried off 
 women to live with them, but they all told me 
 that it was untrue, though the old men sometimes 
 tell such stories to frighten the women, and keep 
 them at home out of danger. Knowing that I was 
 on the king's business, they did not dare tell me 
 their fables. 
 
 By asking them all sorts of questions, I was 
 shown to a very old man with a white beard, with 
 whom I obtained much amusement. It appears he 
 is a great man at riddles, and he asked me a great 
 many. 
 
 One was, " What is it that always goes straight 
 ahead, and never looks back ? " 
 
 I tried hard to answer him, but when finally he 
 announced that it was a river, I felt very foolish. 
 
 He then asked me, " What is it that is bone 
 outside and meat within ? "
 
 
 
 "tried to jump up after the leopard."
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF SARUTI 257 
 
 The people laughed, and mocked me. Then he 
 said that it was an egg, which was very true. 
 
 Another question he gave me was, " What is it 
 that looks both ways when you pass it ? " 
 
 Some said one thing, and some said another, and 
 at last he answered that it was grass. 
 
 Then he asked me, " What good thing was it 
 which a man eats, and which he constantly fastens 
 his eyes upon while he eats, and after eating, 
 throws a half away ? " I thought and considered, 
 but I never knew what it was until he told me 
 that it was a roasted ear of Indian corn. 
 
 That old man was a very wise one, and among 
 some of his sayings was that " When people dream 
 much, the old moon must be dying." 
 
 He also said that " When the old moon is dying, 
 the hunter need never leave home to seek game, 
 because it is well known that he would meet 
 nothing." 
 
 And he further added, that at that time the 
 potter need not try to bake any pots, because the 
 clay would be sure to be rotten. 
 
 Some other things which he said made me think 
 a little of their meaning. 
 
 He said, " When people have provisions in their 
 huts, they do not say, Let us go into another man's 
 house and rob him." 
 
 He also said, " When you see a crookback, you 
 do not ask him to stand straight, nor an old man 
 
 17
 
 258 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 to join the dance, nor the man who is in pain, to 
 laugh." 
 
 And what he said about the traveller is very 
 true. The man who clings to his own hearth does 
 not tickle our ears, like him who sees many lands, 
 and hears new stories. 
 
 The next day I stopped at a village near the 
 little lake of Kitesa's called Mtukura. The chief 
 in charge loved talking so much, that he soon 
 made me as well acquainted with the affairs of 
 his family as though he courted my sister. His 
 people are accustomed to eat frogs and rats, and 
 from the noise in the reeds, and the rustling and 
 squealings in the roof of the hut I slept in, I think 
 there is little fear of famine in that village. Nor 
 are they averse, they tell me, to iguanas and those 
 vile feeders, the hyenas. 
 
 It is a common belief in the country that it 
 was Naraki, a wife of Uni, a sultan of Unyoro, 
 who made that lake. While passing through, she 
 was very thirsty, and cried out to her Muzimu 
 (spirit), the Muzimu which attends the kings 
 of Unyoro, and which is most potent. And all 
 at once there was a hissing flight of firestones 
 (meteorites) in the air, and immediately after, 
 there was a fall of a monstrously large one, which 
 struck the ground close to her, and made a great 
 hole, out of which the water spurted and con- 
 tinued leaping up until a lake was formed, and
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF SARUTI 259 
 
 buried the fountain out of sight, and the rising 
 waters formed a river, which has run north from 
 the lake ever since into the Kafu. 
 
 Close by this lake is a dark grove, sacred to 
 Muzingeh, the king of the birds. It is said that 
 he has only one eye, but once a year he visits the 
 grove, and after building his house^ he commands 
 sill the birds from the Nyanzas and the groves, to 
 come and see him and • pay itheir: homage. For half 
 a moon the birdSj great and small, maybe seen 
 following him about along the shores of the lake, 
 like so many guards around a king; and before 
 night they are seen returning in the same manner 
 to > the grove. The parrots' cries tell t e natives 
 when they come, and no on would care to miss 
 the sight, and the glad excitement among the 
 feathered tribe. But there is one bird, called the 
 Kiruramu, that refuses to acknowledge the sov- 
 ereignty of the Muzingeh. The other birds have 
 tried often to induce him to associate with the 
 Muzingeh; but Kirurumu always answers that a 
 beautiful creature like himself, with gold and blue 
 feathers, and such a pretty crest, was never meant 
 to be seen in the company of an ugly bird that 
 possesses only one eye. .; 
 
 On the other side of Lake Mtukura is a forest 
 where Dungu, the king of the animals, lives. It is 
 to Dungu that all the hunters pray when they set 
 out to seek for game. He builds first a small hut,
 
 2G0 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 and after propitiating him with a small piece of 
 flesh, he asks Dungu that he may be successful. 
 Then Dungu enters into the hunter's head, if he is 
 pleased with the offering, and the cunning of the 
 man becomes great ; his nerves stiffen, and his 
 bowels are strengthened, and the game is secured. 
 When Dungu wishes a man to succeed in the hunt, 
 it is useless for the buffalo to spurn the earth and 
 moo, or for the leopard to cover himself with sand 
 in his rage — the spear of the hunter drinks his 
 blood. But the hunter must not forget to pay the 
 tribute to the deity, lest he be killed on the way 
 home. 
 
 The friendly chief insisted that I should become 
 his blood-fellow, and stay with him a couple of 
 days. The witch-doctor, a man of great influence 
 in the country, was asked to unite us. He took a 
 sharp little knife, and made a gash in the skin of 
 my right leg, just above the knee, and did the 
 same to the chief, and then rubbed his blood over 
 my wound, and my blood over his, and we became 
 brothers. Among his gifts was this beautiful 
 shield, which I beg Mtesa, my Kabaka, to accept, 
 because I have seen none so beautiful, and it is 
 too good for a colonel whose only hope and wish 
 is to serve his king. 
 
 I am glad that I rested there, because I saw a 
 most wonderful sight towards evening. As we 
 were seated under the bananas, we heard a big he-
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF SARUTI 261 
 
 goat's bleat, and by the sound of it we knew that 
 it was neither for fun nor for love. It was a tone 
 of anger and fear. Almost at the same time, one 
 of the boys rushed up to us, and his face had really 
 turned grey from fear, and he cried, " There is a 
 lion in the goat-pen, and the big he-goat is fighting 
 with him." They had forgotten to tell me about 
 this famous goat, which was called Kasuju, after 
 some great man who had been renowned in war, 
 and he certainly was worth speaking about, and 
 Kasuju was well known round about for his won- 
 derful strength and fighting qualities. When we 
 got near the pen with our spears and shields, the 
 he-goat was butting the lion — who was young, for 
 he had no mane — as he might have butted a pert 
 young nanny-goat, and baaing with as full a note 
 as that of a buffalo calf. It appears that Kasuju 
 saw the destroyer creeping towards one of his 
 wives, and dashing at his flank knocked him down. 
 As we looked on from the outside, we saw that 
 Kasuju was holding his own very well, and we 
 thought that we would not check the fight, but 
 prepare ourselves to have a good cast at the lion 
 as he attempted to leave. The lion was getting 
 roused up, and we saw the spring he made : but 
 Kasuju nimbly stept aside and gave him such a 
 stroke that it sounded like a drum. Then Kasuju 
 trotted away in front of his trembling wives, and 
 as the lion came up, we watched him draw his ears
 
 262 "MY BARK COMPANIONS 
 
 back as he raised himself on his hind feet like a 
 warrior. The lion advanced to him, and he like- 
 wise rose as though he would wrestle with him, 
 when Kasuju shot into his throat with so true and 
 fair a stroke, that drove one of his horns deep into 
 the throat. It was then the lion's claws began to 
 work, and with every scratch poor Kasuju's hide 
 was torn dreadfully, but he kept his horn in the 
 wound, and pushed home, and made the wound 
 large. Then the lion sprang free, and the blood 
 spurted all over Kasuju. Blinded with his torn 
 and hanging scalp, and weakened with his wounds, 
 he staggered about, pounding blindly at his enemy, 
 until the lion gave him one mighty stroke with its 
 paw, and* sent him headlong, and then seized him 
 by the neck and shook him, and we heard the cruel 
 crunch as the fangs met. But it was the last effort 
 of the lion, for just as Kasuju was lifeless, the lion 
 rolled over him, dead also. Had my friend told 
 me this story, I should not have believed him, but 
 as I saw it with my own eyes, I am bound to 
 believe it. We buried Kasuju honourably in a 
 grave, as we would bury a brave man ; but the 
 lion we skinned, and I have got his fur with the 
 rasped hole in the throat. 
 
 The singular fight we had witnessed, furnished 
 us all with much matter for talk about lions, and 
 it brought into the mind of one of them a story of 
 a crocodile and lion fight which had happened some
 
 THE ADVENTURES OF SARUTI 
 
 263 
 
 time before in the night. Lake Mtukura swarms 
 with crocodiles, and situated as it is in a region 
 of game they must be fat with prey. One night a 
 full-grown lion with a fine mane came to cool his 
 dry throat in the lake, and was quaffing water, 
 when he felt his nose seized by something that 
 rose up from below. 
 
 From the traces of the struggle by the water's 
 
 edge, it must have been a terrible one. The croc- 
 odile's long claws had left deep marks, showing 
 how he must have been lifted out of the water, 
 and flung forcibly down ; but in the morning both 
 lion and crocodile were found dead, the crocodile's 
 throat wide open with a broad gash, but his teeth 
 still fastened in the lion's nose.
 
 264 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Saruti had not half finished his stories when he 
 felt, by seeing Mtesa yawn, that though his adven- 
 tures were very interesting, and he was quite ready 
 to continue, yet it would be to his advantage to 
 dock his tongue for the time being. So he said, 
 " Kabaka, the wise old man whom I met, told me 
 one thing I had nearly forgotten to say. He said, 
 1 1 know you are a servant of the king, and if ever 
 you want the king's face to soften to you and his 
 hand to open with gifts, compare yourself to the 
 lid of a cooking-pot, which, though the pot may 
 be full of fragrant stew, receives naught but the 
 vapour, and the king who is wise will understand 
 and will be pleased with his servant.' ' 
 
 " Very well said indeed, Saruti," cried Mtesa, 
 laughing. " I understand. The lid must share 
 with the pot this time. Steward," he said, turning 
 to Kauta, " see that six head of cattle be driven 
 to Saruti's cattle-pen;" and Saruti twiyanzied 
 (thanked with prostrations) so often that his head 
 swam.
 
 THE BOY KINNENEH AND THE GORILLA 
 
 is in such stories as 
 the Fable of the 
 Rabbit, the Leopard 
 and the Goat, the 
 Dog and the little 
 Chicken, the Leop- 
 ard, the Sheep and 
 the Dove, the Crane, 
 the Leopard and the 
 Sheep, the Rabbit 
 and the Lion, the 
 Cow and the Lion, 
 the Lion and his mane, the Rabbit and the 
 Leopard, and the boy Kinneneh and the Gorilla, 
 that Kadu, our accomplished relator of legends, 
 shone. It is not with a wish to be unkind to 
 Kadu that I say he showed only too well that 
 according to him cunning was to be preferred 
 to strength. Perhaps he was right, though cun- 
 ning is a word in much discredit with us nowa- 
 days, because we are accustomed to ally it with 
 deception and fraud, but we will put the best 
 possible construction on it out of admiration for
 
 266 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 and gratitude to Kadu, and claim that his cun- 
 ning, which was the moral of most of his stories, 
 was a kind of illegitimate wisdom, or a permissi- 
 ble artfulness. None of us, at least, but sympa- 
 thised with Kadu's dumb heroes when, by a little 
 pleasant cheat or sly stratagem, the bullying 
 buffalo got the worst of an encounter with the 
 sharp-witted rabbit, or when the dog got the 
 better of his sour mistress the leopardess, or when 
 rabbit put to shame the surly elephant, or when 
 Kibatti conquered the kings of the animal tribes. 
 The legend of Kinneneh and the Gorilla was 
 another story which evidently was meant by 
 Kadu and the unknown ancient of Uganda who 
 invented it to illustrate that cunning is mightier 
 than strength. He told it in this wise : 
 
 In the early days of Uganda, there was a small 
 village situate on the other side of the Katonga, 
 in Buddu, and its people had planted bananas and 
 plantains which in time grew to be quite a large 
 grove, and produced abundant and very fine fruit. 
 From a grove of bananas when its fruit is ripe 
 there comes a very pleasant odour, and when a 
 puff of wind blows over it, and bears the fragrance 
 towards you, I know of nothing so well calculated 
 to excite the appetite, unless it be the smell of 
 roasted meat. Anyhow, such must have been the 
 feeling of a mighty big gorilla, who one day, while 
 roaming about alone in the woods searching for
 
 THE BOY KINNENEIl AND THE GORILLA 2G7 
 
 nuts to eat, stopped suddenly and stood up and 
 sniffed for some time, with his nose well out in 
 the direction of the village. After awhile he 
 shook his head and fell on all fours again to 
 resume his search for food. Again there came 
 with a whiff of wind a strong smell of ripe bana- 
 nas, and he stood on his feet once more, and with 
 his nose shot out thus he drew in a greedy breath 
 and then struck himself over the stomach, and 
 said : 
 
 " I thought it was so. There are bananas that 
 way, and I must get some." 
 
 Down he fell on all fours, and put out his arms 
 with long stretches, just as a fisherman draws in a 
 heavy net, and is eager to prevent the escape of 
 the fish. 
 
 In a little while he came to the edge of the 
 grove, and stood and looked gloatingly on the 
 beautiful fruit hanging in great bunches. Presently 
 he saw something move. It was a woman bent 
 double over a basket, and packing the fruit neatly 
 in it, so that she could carry a large quantity at 
 one journey. 
 
 The gorilla did not stay long thinking, but 
 crawled up secretly to her ; and then with open 
 arms rushed forward and seized her. Before the 
 woman could utter her alarm he had lifted her and 
 her basket and trotted away with them into the 
 deepest bush. On reaching his den he flung the
 
 •iuS MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 woman on the ground, as you would fling dead 
 meat, and bringing the banana basket close to him, 
 his two legs hugging it close to his round paunch, 
 he began to gorge himself, muttering while he 
 peeled the fruit strange sounds. By-and-by the 
 woman came to her senses, but instead of keeping 
 quiet, she screamed and tried to run away. If it 
 were not for-that movement and noise, she perhaps 
 might have been able to creep away unseen, but 
 animals of all kinds never like to be disturbed 
 while eating, so Gorilla gave one roar of rage, and 
 gave her such a squeeze that the breath was clean 
 driven out of her. When she was still he fell to 
 again, and tore the peeling off the bananas, and 
 tossed one after another down his wide throat, 
 until there was not one of the fruit left in the 
 basket, and the big paunch was swollen to twice 
 its first size. Then, after laying his paw on the 
 body to see if there was any life left in it, he 
 climbed up to his nest above, and curled himself 
 into a ball for a sleep. 
 
 When he woke he shook himself and yawned, 
 and looking below he saw the body of the woman, 
 and her empty basket, and he remembered what 
 had happened. He descended the tree, lifted the 
 body and let it fall, then took up the basket, looked 
 inside and outside of it, raked over the peelings of 
 the bananas, but could not find anything left to 
 eat.
 
 HE LIFTED THE WOMAN AND HKR BASKET AND TROTTED AWAY.
 
 TEE BOY KINNENEE AND TEE GORILLA 271 
 
 He began to think, scratching the fur on his 
 head, on his sides, and his paunch, picking up one 
 thing and then another in an absent-minded way. 
 And then he appeared to have made up a plan. 
 
 Whatever it was, this is what he did. It was 
 still early morning, and as there was no sign of a 
 sun, it was cold, and human beings must have been 
 finishing their last sleep. He got up and went 
 straight for the plantation. On the edge of the 
 banana grove he heard a cock crow ; he stopped 
 and listened to it ; he became angry. 
 
 " Some one," he said to himself, " is stealing my 
 bananas." and with that he marched in the direc- 
 tion where the cock was crowing. 
 
 He came to the open place in front of the village, 
 and saw several tall houses much larger than his 
 own nest ; and while he was looking at them, the 
 door of one of them was opened, and a man came 
 out. He crept towards him, and before he could 
 cry out the gorilla had squeezed him until his ribs 
 had cracked, and he was dead ; he flung him down, 
 and entered into the hut. He there saw a woman, 
 who was blowing a fire on the hearth, and he took 
 hold of her and squeezed her until there was no 
 life left in her body. There were three children in- 
 side, and a bed on the floor. He treated them also 
 in the same way, and they were all dead. Then 
 he went into another house, and slew all the people 
 in it, one with a squeeze, another with a squeeze
 
 272 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 and a bite with his great teeth, and there was not 
 one left alive. In this way he entered into five 
 houses and killed all the people in them, but in 
 the sixth house lived the boy Kinneneh and his 
 old mother. 
 
 Kinneneh had fancied that he heard an unusual 
 sound, and he had stood inside with his eyes close 
 to a chink in the reed door for some time when he 
 saw something that resembled what might be said 
 to be half animal and half man. He walked like 
 a man, but had the fur of a beast. His arms were 
 long, and his body was twice the breadth and 
 thickness of a full-grown man. He did not know 
 what it was, and when he saw it go into his neigh- 
 bours' houses, and heard those strange sounds, he 
 grew afraid, and turned and woke his mother, say- 
 ing, 
 
 " Mother, wake up ! there is a strange big beast 
 
 in our village killing our people. So wake up 
 quickly and follow me." 
 
 " But whither shall we fly, my son ? " she whis- 
 pered anxiously. 
 
 " Up to the loft, and lie low in the darkest 
 place," replied Kinneneh, and he set her the ex- 
 ample and assisted his mother. 
 
 Now those Uganda houses are not low-roofed 
 like these of Congo-land, but are very high, as 
 high as a tree, and they rise to a point, and near 
 the top there is a loft where we stow our nets,
 
 THE BOY KINNENEH AND THE GORILLA 273 
 
 and pots, and where our spear-shafts and bows are 
 kept to season, and where our corn is kept to dry, 
 and green bananas are stored to ripen. It was in 
 this dark lofty place that Kinneneh hid himself 
 and his mother, and waited in silence. 
 
 In a short time the gorilla put his head into 
 their house and listened, and stepping inside he 
 stood awhile, and looked searchingly around. He 
 could see no one and heard nothing stir. He 
 peered under the bed-grass, into the black pots 
 and baskets, but there was no living being to be 
 found. 
 
 "Ha, ha," he cried, thumping his chest like a 
 man when he has got the big head. " I am the boss 
 of this place now, and the tallest of these human 
 nests shall be my own, and I shall feast every day 
 on ripe bananas and plantains, and there is no one 
 who can molest me — ha, ha ! " 
 
 " Ha, ha ! " echoed a shrill, piping voice after 
 his great bass. 
 
 The gorilla looked around once more, among the 
 pots, and the baskets, but finding nothing walked 
 out. Kinneneh, after awhile skipped down the 
 ladder and watched between the open cane-work 
 of the door, and saw him enter the banana-grove, 
 and waited there until he returned with a mighty 
 load of the fruit. He then saw him go out again 
 into the grove, and bidding his mother lie still and 
 patient, Kinneneh slipped out and ascended into 
 
 18
 
 274 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 the loft of the house chosen by the gorilla for his 
 nest, where he hid himself and waited. 
 
 Presently the gorilla returned with another load 
 of the fruit, and, squatting on his haunches, com- 
 menced to peel the fruit, and fill his throat and 
 mouth with it, mumbling and chuckling, and 
 saying, 
 
 " Ha, ha ! This is grand ! Plenty of bananas 
 to eat, and all — all my own. None to say, ' Give 
 me some,' but all my very own. Ho, ho ! I shall 
 feast every day. Ha, ha ! " 
 
 " Ha, ha," echoed the piping voice again. 
 
 The gorilla stopped eating and made an ugly 
 frown as he listened. Then he said : 
 
 "That is the second time I have heard a thin 
 voice saying, ' Ha, ha ! ' If I only knew who he 
 was that cried * Ha, ha ! ' I would squeeze him, 
 and squeeze him until he cried, ' Ugh, ugh ! ' " 
 
 " Ugh, ugh ! " echoed the little voice again. 
 
 The gorilla leaped to his feet and rummaged 
 around the pots and the baskets, took hold of the 
 bodies one after another and dashed them against 
 the floor, then went to every house and searched, 
 but could not discover who it was that mocked 
 him. 
 
 In a short time he returned and ate a pile of 
 bananas that would have satisfied twenty men, 
 and afterwards he went out, saying to himself 
 that it would be a good thing to fill the nest with
 
 TllE BOY KINNENEH AND THE GORILLA 275 
 
 food, as it was a bore to leave the warm nest each 
 time he felt a desire to eat. 
 
 No sooner had he departed than Kinneneh 
 slipped down, and carried every bunch that had 
 been left away to his own house, where they were 
 stowed in the loft for his mother, and after enjoin- 
 ing his mother to remain still, he waited, peering 
 through the chinks of the door. 
 
 He soon saw Gorilla bearing a pile of bunches 
 that would have required ten men to carry, and 
 after flino-ino; them into the chief's house, return to 
 the plantation for another supply. While Gorilla 
 was tearing down the plants and plucking at the 
 bunches, Kinneneh was actively engaged in trans- 
 ferring what he brought into the loft by his 
 mother's side. Gorilla made many trips in this 
 manner, and brought in great heaps, but somehow 
 his stock appeared to be very small. At last his 
 strength was exhausted, and feeling that he could 
 do no more that day, he commenced to feed on 
 what he had last brought, promising to himself 
 that he would do better in the morning. 
 
 At dawn the gorilla hastened out to obtain a 
 supply of fruit for his breakfast, and Kinneneh 
 took advantage of his absence to hide himself 
 overhead. 
 
 He was not long in his place before Gorilla 
 came in with a huge lot of ripe fruit, and after 
 making himself comfortable on his haunches with
 
 276 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 — ■- ... — .       -   i.i- i ~i 
 
 a great bunch before him he rocked himself to 
 and fro, saying while he munched : 
 
 " Ha, ha ! Now I have plenty again, and I 
 shall eat it all myself. Ha, ha ! " 
 
 "Ha, ha," echoed a thin voice again, so close 
 and clear it seemed to him, that leaping up he 
 made sure to catch it. As there appeared to be 
 no one in the house, he rushed out raging, champ- 
 ing his teeth, and searched the other houses, but 
 meantime Kinneneh carried the bananas to the 
 loft of the gorilla's house, and covered them with 
 bark-cloth. 
 
 In a short time Gorilla returned furious and 
 disappointed, and sat down to finish the breakfast 
 he had only begun, but on putting out his hands 
 he found only the withered peelings of yesterday's 
 bananas. He looked and rummaged about, but 
 there was positively nothing left to eat. He was 
 now terribly hungry and angry, and he bounded 
 out to obtain another supply, which he brought in 
 and flung on the floor, saying, 
 
 "Ha, ha ! I will now eat the whole at once — all 
 to myself, and that other thing which says, ' Ha, 
 ha ! ' after me, I will hunt and mash him like 
 this," and he seized a ripe banana and squeezed it 
 with his paw with so much force that the pulp 
 was squirted all over him. " Ha, ha ! " he cried. 
 
 " Ha, ha ! " mocked the shrill voice, so clear that 
 it appeared to come from behind his ear.
 
 THE BOT KINNENEH AND THE GORILLA 277 
 
 This was too much to bear ; Gorilla bounded up 
 and vented a roar of rage. He tossed the pots, 
 the baskets, the bodies, and bed-grass about — 
 bellowing so loudly and funnily in his fury that 
 Kinneneh, away up in the loft, could scarcely for- 
 bear imitating; him. But the mocker could not be 
 found, and Gorilla roared loudly in the open place 
 before the village, and tore in and out of each 
 house, looking for him. 
 
 Kinneneh descended swiftly from his hiding- 
 place, and bore every banana into the loft as 
 before. 
 
 Gorilla hastened to the plantation again, and so 
 angry was he that he uprooted the banana-stalks 
 by the root, and snapped off the clusters with 
 one stroke of his great dog-teeth, and having got 
 together a large stock, he bore it in his arms to 
 the house. 
 
 " There," said he, " ha, ha ! Now I shall eat in 
 comfort and have a long sleep afterwards, and if 
 that fellow who mocks me comes near — ah ! I 
 would — " and he crushed a big bunch in his arms 
 and cried, " ha, ha ! " 
 
 " Ha, ha ! Ha, ha ! " cried the mocking voice ; 
 and again it seemed to be at the back of his head. 
 Whereupon Gorilla flung his arms behind in the 
 hope of catching him, but there was nothing but 
 his own back, which sounded like a damp drum 
 with the stroke.
 
 278 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " Ha, ha ! Ha, ha ! " repeated the voice, at 
 which Gorilla shot out of the door, and raced 
 round the house, thinking that the owner was 
 flying before him, but he never could overtake the 
 flyer. Then he went around outside of the other 
 houses, and flew round and round the village, but 
 he could discover naught. But meanwhile Kinne- 
 neh had borne all the stock of bananas up into 
 the loft above, and when Gorilla returned there 
 was not one banana of all the great pile he had 
 brought left on the floor. 
 
 When, after he was certain that there was 
 not a single bit of a banana left for him to eat, he 
 scratched his sides and his legs, and putting his 
 hand on the top of his head, he uttered a great cry 
 just like a great, stupid child, but the crying did 
 not fill his tummy. No, he must have bananas for 
 that — and he rose up after awhile and went to 
 procure some more fruit. 
 
 But when he had brought a great pile of it and 
 had sat down with his nice-smelling bunch before 
 him, he would exclaim, " Ha, ha ! Now — now I 
 shall eat and be satisfied. I shall fill myself with 
 the sweet fruit, and then lie down and sleep. Ha, 
 ha!" 
 
 Then instantly the mocking voice would cry out 
 after him, " Ha, ha ! " and sometimes it sounded 
 close to his ears, and then behind his head, some- 
 times it appeared to come from under the bananas
 
 THE BOY KINSEXEII AXD THE GORILLA ^79 
 
 and sometimes from the doorway — that Gorilla 
 would roar in fury, and lie would grind his teeth 
 just like two grinding-stones, and chatter to him- 
 
 Mii 
 
 "he would roar in fury, and race about the village." 
 
 self, and race about the village, trying to discover 
 whence the voice came, but in his absence the fruit 
 would be swept away by his invisible enemy, and 
 when he would come in to finish his meal, lo ! there
 
 280 MY DAliK COMPANIONS 
 
 were only blackened and stained banana peelings 
 — the refuse of his first feast. 
 
 Gorilla would then cry like a whipped child, and 
 would go again into the plantation, to bring some 
 more fruit into the house, but when he returned 
 with it he would always boast of what he was 
 going to do, and cry out " Ha, ha ! " and instantly 
 his unseen enemy would mock him and cry " Ha, 
 ha ! " and he would start up raving and screaming 
 in rage, and search for him, and in his absence his 
 bananas would be whisked away. And Gorilla's 
 hunger grew on him, until his paunch became like 
 an empty sack, and what with his hunger and grief 
 and rage, and furious raving and racing about, his 
 strength was at last quite exhausted, and the end 
 of him was that on the fifth day he fell from weak- 
 ness across the threshold of the chiefs house, which 
 he had chosen to make his nest, and there died. 
 
 When the people of the next village heard of 
 how Kinneneh, a little boy, had conquered the 
 man-killing gorilla, they brought him and his 
 mother away, and they gave him a fine new house 
 and a plantation, and male and female slaves to 
 tend it, and when their old king died, and the 
 period of mourning for him was over, they elected 
 wise Kinneneh to be king over them. 
 
 "Ah, friends," said Safeni to his companions, 
 after Kadu had concluded his story, " there is no 
 doubt that the cunning of a sou of man prevails
 
 THE BOY KINNENEH AND THE GORILLA 281 
 
 over the strongest brute, and it is well for us, 
 Mashallali ! that it should be so ; for if the ele- 
 phant, or the lion, or the gorilla possessed but 
 cunning equal to their strength, what would be- 
 come of us ! " 
 
 And each man retired to his hut, congratulating 
 himself that he was born a man-child, and not a 
 thick, muddle-headed beast.
 
 THE CITY OF THE ELEPHANTS 
 
 RASTER," said Kas- 
 siin, one of the 
 Basoko boys, 
 " B a r u t i's tales 
 have brought back 
 from anions for- 
 gotten things a 
 legend I once 
 knew very well. 
 Ah, I wish I could remember more, but little by 
 little the stories that I used to hear in my child- 
 hood from my mother and the old woman who 
 would come and sit with her, will perhaps return 
 again into the mind. I should never have thought 
 of this that I am about to repeat to you now had 
 it not been that Baruti's legends seem to recall 
 as though they were but yesterday the days that 
 came and went uncounted in our Basoko village. 
 This legend is about the City of the Elephants 
 that one of my countrymen and his wife came 
 across in the far past time, in the manner that I 
 shall tell you."
 
 THE CITY OF THE ELEPHANTS 283 
 
 A Bungandu man named Dudu, and his wife 
 Salimba, were one day seeking in the forest a long 
 way from the town for a proper redwood-tree, 
 ont of which they could make a wooden mortar 
 wherein they could pound their manioc. They 
 saw several trees of this kind as they proceeded, 
 but after examining one, and then another, they 
 would appear to be dissatisfied, and say, u Perhaps 
 if we went a little further we might find a still 
 better tree for our purpose." 
 
 And so Dudu and Salimba proceeded further 
 and further into the tall and thick woods, and 
 ever before them there appeared to be still finer 
 trees which would after all be unsuited for their 
 purpose, being too soft, or too hard, or hollow, or 
 too old, or of another kind than the useful redwood. 
 They strayed in this manner very far. In the 
 forest where there is no path or track, it is not 
 easy to tell which direction one came from, and 
 as they had walked round many trees, they were 
 too confused to know which way they ought to 
 turn homeward. When Dudu said he was sure 
 that his course was the right one for home, 
 Salimba was as sure that the opposite was the 
 true way. They agreed to walk in the direction 
 Dudu wished, and after a long time spent on it, 
 they gave it up and tried another, but neither took 
 them any nearer home. 
 
 The night overtook them and they slept at the
 
 284 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 foot of a tree. The next day they wandered still 
 farther from their town, and they became anxious 
 and hungry. As one cannot see many yards off 
 on any side in the forest, an animal hears the 
 coming step long before the hunter gets a chance 
 to use his weapon. Therefore, though they heard 
 the rustle of the flying antelope, or wild pig as it 
 rushed away, it only served to make their anxi- 
 ety greater. And the second day passed, and when 
 night came upon them they were still hungrier. 
 
 Towards the middle of the third day, they came 
 into an open place by a pool frequented by 
 Kiboko (hippo), and there was a margin of grass 
 round about it, and as they came in view of it, 
 both, at the same time, sighted a grazing buffalo. 
 
 Dudu bade his wife stand behind a tree while 
 he chose two of his best and sharpest arrows, and 
 after a careful look at his bow-string, he crept up 
 to the buffalo, and drove an arrow home as far as 
 the guiding leaf, which nearly buried it in the 
 body. While the beast looked around and started 
 from the twinge within, Dudu shot his second 
 arrow into his windpipe, and it fell to the ground 
 quite choked. Now here was water to drink and 
 food to eat, and after cutting a load of meat they 
 chose a thick bush-clump a little distance from the 
 pool, made a fire, and, after satisfying their hun- 
 ger, slept in content. The fourth day they stopped 
 and roasted a meat provision that would last many
 
 THE CITY OF THE ELEPHANTS 
 
 285 
 
 days, because they knew that luck is not constant 
 in the woods. 
 
 On the fifth they travelled, and for three days 
 more they wandered. They then met a young 
 lion who, at the sight of them, boldly advanced, 
 but Dudu sighted his bow, and sent an arrow into 
 
 DUDU AND HIS WIFE MEET A YOUNG LION. 
 
 his chest which sickened him of the fight, and he 
 turned and fled. 
 
 A few days afterwards, Dudu saw an elephant 
 standing close to them behind a high bush, and 
 whispered to his wife : 
 
 " Ah, now, we have a chance to get meat enough 
 for a month."
 
 286 MY BARK COMPANIONS 
 
 " But," said Salimba, " why should you wish to 
 kill him, when we have enough meat still with us ? 
 Do not hurt him. Ah, what a fine back he has, 
 and how strong he is. Perhaps he would carry us 
 home." 
 
 " How could an elephant understand our 
 wishes?" asked Dudu. 
 
 " Talk to him anyhow, perhaps he will be clever 
 enough to understand what we want." 
 
 Dudu laughed at his wife's simplicity, but to 
 please her he said, " Elephant, we have lost our 
 way; will you carry us and take us home, and we 
 shall be your friends for ever." 
 
 The Elephant ceased waving his trunk, and nod- 
 ding to himself, and turning to them said — 
 
 " If you come near to me and take hold of my 
 ears, you may get on my back, and I will carry 
 you safely." 
 
 When the Elephant spoke, Dudu fell back from 
 surprise, and looked at him as though he had not 
 heard aright, but Salimba advanced with all con- 
 fidence, and laid hold of one of his ears, and pulled 
 herself up on to his back. When she was seated, 
 she cried out, " Come, Dudu, what are you looking 
 at ? Did you not hear him say he would cany 
 you ? " 
 
 Seeing his wife smiling and comfortable on the 
 Elephant's back, Dudu became a little braver and 
 moved forward slowly, when the Elephant spoke
 
 THE CITY OF THE ELEPHANTS 287 
 
 again, " Come, Dudu, be not afraid. Follow your 
 wife, and do as she did, and then I will travel 
 home with you quickly." 
 
 Dudu then put aside his fears, and his surprise, 
 and seizing the Elephant's ear, he ascended and 
 seated himself by his wife on the Elephant's back. 
 
 Without another word the Elephant moved on 
 rapidly, and the motion seemed to Dudu and 
 Salimba most delightful. Whenever any over- 
 hanging branch was in the way, the Elephant 
 wrenched it off, or bent it and passed on. No 
 creek, stream, gulley, or river, stopped him, he 
 seemed to know exactly the way he should go, as 
 if the road he was travelling was well known to 
 him. 
 
 When it was getting dark he stopped and asked 
 his friends if they would not like to rest for 
 the night, and finding that they so wished it, he 
 stopped at a nice place by the side of the river, and 
 they slid to the ground, Dudu first, and Salimba 
 last. He then broke dead branches for them, out 
 of which they made a fire, and the Elephant stayed 
 by them, as though he was their slave. 
 
 Hearing their talk, he understood that they 
 would like to have something better than dried 
 meat to eat, and he said to them, " I am glad to 
 know your wishes, for I think I can help you. 
 Bide here a little, and I will go and search." 
 
 About the middle of the night he returned to
 
 288 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 them with something white in his trunk, and a 
 young antelope in front of him. The white thing 
 was a great manioc root, which he dropped into 
 Salimba's lap. 
 
 " There, Salimba," he said, " there is food for 
 you, eat your fill and sleep in peace, for I will 
 watch over you." 
 
 Dudu and Salimba had seen many strange things 
 that day, but they were both still more astonished 
 at the kindly and intelligent care which their friend 
 the Elephant took of them. While they roasted 
 their fresh meat over the flame, and the manioc 
 root was baking under the heap of hot embers, the 
 Elephant dug with his tusks for the juicy roots of 
 his favourite trees round about their camp, and 
 munched away contentedly. 
 
 The next morning, all three, after a bathe in the 
 river, set out on their journey more familiar wdth 
 one another, and in a happier mood. 
 
 About noon, while they were resting during the 
 heat of the day, two lions came near to roar at 
 them, but when Dudu was drawing his bow at one 
 of them, the Elephant said : 
 
 " You leave them to me ; I will make them run 
 pretty quick," saying which he tore off a great 
 bough of a tree, and flourishing this with his trunk, 
 he trotted on the double quick towards them, and 
 used it so heartily that they both skurried away 
 with their bellies to the ground, and their hides
 
 THE CITY OF THE ELEPHANTS 289 
 
 shrinking and quivering out of fear of the great 
 rod. 
 
 In the afternoon the Elephant and his human 
 friends set off again, and some time after they came 
 to a wide and deep river. He begged his friends 
 to descend while he tried to find out the shallow- 
 est part. It took him some time to do this ; but, 
 having discovered a ford where the water was not 
 quite over his back, he returned to them, and urged 
 them to mount him as he wished to reach home 
 before dark. 
 
 As the Elephant was about to enter the river, 
 he said to Dudu, " I see some hunters of your own 
 kind creeping up towards us. Perhaps they are 
 your kinsmen. Talk to them, and let us see whether 
 they be friends or foes." 
 
 Dudu hailed them, but they gave no answer, 
 and, as they approached nearer, they were seen to 
 prepare to cast their spears, so the Elephant said, 
 " I see that they are not your friends ; therefore, 
 as I cross the river, do you look out for them, and 
 keep them at a distance. If they come to the 
 other side of the river, I shall know how to deal 
 with them." 
 
 They got to the opposite bank safely ; but, as 
 they were landing, Dudu and Salimba noticed that 
 their pursuers had discovered a canoe, and that 
 they were pulling hard after them. But the Ele- 
 phant soon after landing came to a broad path 
 
 19
 
 200 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 smoothed by much travel, over which he took 
 them at a quick pace, so fast, indeed, that the 
 pursuers had to run to be able to keep up with 
 them. Dudu, every now and then let fly an arrow 
 at the hunters, which kept them at a safe distance. 
 Towards night they came to the City of the 
 Elephants, which was very large and fit to shelter 
 such a multitude as they now saw. Their ele- 
 phant did not linger, however, but took his friends 
 at the same quick pace until they came to a mighty 
 elephant that was much larger than any other, and 
 his ivories were gleaming white and curled up, and 
 exceedingly long. Before him Dudu and Salimba 
 were told by their friend to descend and salaam, 
 and he told his lord how he had found them lost 
 in the woods, and how for the sake of the kindly 
 words of the Avoman he had befriended them, and 
 assisted them to the city of his tribe. When the 
 King Elephant heard all this he was much 
 pleased, and said to Dudu and Salimba that they 
 were welcome to his city, and how they should 
 not want for anything, as long as they would be 
 pleased to stay with them, but as for the hunters 
 who had dared to chase them, he would give 
 orders at once. Accordingly he gave a signal, 
 and ten active young elephants dashed out of the 
 city, and in a short time not one of the hunters 
 was left alive, though one of them had leaped into 
 the river, thinking that he could escape in that
 
 THE CITY OF THE ELEPHANTS 293 
 
 manner. But then you know that an elephant is 
 as much at home in a river, as a Kiboko,* so that 
 the last man was soon caught and was drowned. 
 
 Dudu and Salimba, however, on account of 
 Salimba's kind heart in preventing her husband 
 wounding the elephant, were made free of the 
 place, and their friend took them with him to 
 many families, and the big pa's and ma's told their 
 little babies all about them and their habits, and 
 said that, though most of the human kind were 
 very stupid and wicked, Dudu and Salimba were 
 very good, and putting their trunks into their ears 
 they whispered that Salimba was the better of the 
 two. Then the little elephants gathered about 
 them and trotted by their side and around them 
 and diverted them with their antics, their races, 
 their wrestlings, and other trials of strength, but 
 when they became familiar and somewhat rude 
 in their rough play, their elephant friend would 
 admonish them, and if that did not suffice, he 
 would switch them soundly. 
 
 The City of the Elephants was a spacious and 
 well-trodden glade in the midst of a thick forest, 
 and as it was entered one saw how wisely the 
 elephant families had arranged their manner of 
 life. For without, the trees stood as thick as 
 water-reeds, and the bush or underwood was like 
 an old hedge of milkweed knitted together by 
 
 * A hippopotamus.
 
 2U4 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 thorny vines and snaky climbers into which the 
 human hunter might not even poke his nose with- 
 out hurt. Well, the burly elephants had, by much 
 uprooting, created deep hollows, or recesses, where- 
 in a family of two and more might snugly rest, 
 and not even a dart of sunshine mio;ht reach them. 
 Round about the great glade the dark leafy arches 
 ran, and Dudu and his wife saw that the elephant 
 families were numerous — for by one sweeping 
 look they could tell that there were more elephants 
 than there are human beings in a goodly village. 
 In some of the recesses there was a row of six 
 and more elephants ; in another the parents stood 
 head to head, and their children, big and little, 
 clung close to their parents' sides; in another a 
 family stood with heads turned towards the 
 entrance, and so on all around — while under a big 
 tree in the middle there was quite a gathering of 
 big fellows, as though they were holding a serious 
 palaver ; under another tree one seemed to be on 
 the outlook; another paced slowly from side to 
 side ; another plucked at this branch or at that ; 
 another appeared to be heaving a tree, or sharpen- 
 ing a blunted ivory ; others seemed appointed to 
 uproot the sprouts, lest the glade might become 
 choked with underwood. Near the entrance on 
 both sides were a brave company of them, faces 
 turned outward, swinging their trunks, flapping 
 their ears, rubbing against each other, or who with
 
 THE CITY OF THE ELEPHANTS 295 
 
 pate against pate seemed to be drowsily consider- 
 ing something. There was a continual coming in 
 and a going out, singly, or in small companies. 
 The roads that ran through the glade were like a 
 network, clean and smooth, while that which 
 went towards the king's place was so wide that 
 twenty men might walk abreast. At the far end 
 the king stood under his own tree, with his family 
 under the arches behind him. 
 
 This was the City of the Elephants as Dudu and 
 Salimba saw it. I ought to say that the outlets of 
 it were many. One went straight through the 
 woods in a line up river, at the other end it ran in 
 a line following the river downward; one went to 
 a lakelet, where juicy plants and reeds throve like 
 corn in a man's fields, and where the elephants re- 
 joiced in its cool water, and washed themselves and 
 infants ; another went to an ancient clearing where 
 the plantain and manioc grew wild, and wherein 
 more than two human tribes might find food for 
 countless seasons. 
 
 Then said their friend to Dudu and Salimba — 
 
 " Now that I have shown you our manner of life, 
 it is for you to ease your longing for awhile and 
 rest with us. When you yearn for home, go tell 
 our king, and he will send you with credit to your 
 kindred." 
 
 Then Dudu and his w r ife resolved to stay, and 
 eat, and they stayed a whole season, not only un-
 
 29G MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 hurt, but tenderly cared for, with never a hungry 
 hour or uneasy night. But at last Salimba's heart 
 remembered her children, and kinfolk, and her own 
 warm house and village pleasures, and on hinting 
 of these memories to her husband, he said that after 
 all there was no place like Bungandu. He remem- 
 bered his long pipe, and the talk house, the stool- 
 making, shaft-polishing, bow-fitting, and the little 
 tinkering jobs, the wine-trough, and the merry 
 drinking bouts, and he wept softly as he thought 
 of them. 
 
 They thus agreed that it was time for them to 
 travel homeward, and together they sought the 
 elephant king, and frankly told him of their state. 
 
 " My friends," he replied, " be no longer sad, but 
 haste to depart. With the morning's dawn guides 
 shall take you to Bungandu with such gifts as shall 
 make you welcome to your folk. And when you 
 come to them, say to them that the elephant king 
 desires lasting peace and friendship with them. 
 On our side we shall not injure their plantations, 
 neither a plantain, nor a manioc root belonging to 
 them ; and on your side dig no pits for our unwary 
 youngsters, nor hang the barbed iron aloft, nor 
 plant the poisoned stake in the path, so we shall 
 escape hurt and be unprovoked." And Dudu put 
 his hand on the king's trunk as the pledge of good 
 faith. 
 
 In the morning, four elephants, as bearers of the
 
 THE CITY OF THE ELEPHANTS 297 
 
 gifts from the king — bales of bark-cloth, and showy 
 mats, and soft hides and other things — and two 
 fighting elephants besides their old friend, stood 
 by the entrance to the city, and when the king 
 elephant came up he lifted Salimba first on the 
 back of her old companion, and then placed Dudu 
 by her side, and at a parting wave the company 
 moved on. 
 
 In ten days they reached the edge of the planta- 
 tion of Bungandii, and the leader halted. The 
 bales were set down on the ground, and then their 
 friend asked of Dudu and his wife — 
 
 " Know you where you are ? " 
 
 " We do," they answered. 
 
 "Is this Buno-andu ?" he asked. 
 
 " This is Bungandu," they replied. 
 
 " Then here we part, that we may not alarm 
 your friends. Go now your way, and we go our 
 way. Go tell your folk how the elephants treat 
 their friends, and let there be peace for ever 
 between us." 
 
 The elephants turned away, and Dudu and 
 Salimba, after hiding their wealth in the under- 
 wood, went arm in arm into the village of Bun- 
 gandu. AVhen their friends saw them, they 
 greeted them as we would greet our friends 
 whom we have long believed to be dead, but 
 who come back smilinir and rejoicing to us. 
 When the peoj3le heard their story they greatly
 
 298 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 wondered and doubted, but when Dudu and 
 Salimba took them to the place of parting and 
 showed them the hoof prints of seven elephants 
 on the road, and the bales that they had hidden 
 in the underwood, they believed their story. And 
 they made it a rule from that day that no man of 
 the tribe ever should lift a spear, or draw a bow, 
 or dig a pit, or plant the poisoned stake in the 
 path, or hang the barbed iron aloft, to do hurt to 
 an elephant. And as a proof that I have but told 
 the truth go ask the Bungandu, and they will say 
 why none of their race will ever seek to hurt the 
 elephant, and it will be the same as I have told 
 you. That is my story.
 
 THE SEARCH FOR THE HOME OF 
 
 THE SUN 
 
 E had a man named 
 Kanga with us in 
 1883, which name 
 seems to have beeii 
 bestowed on him 
 by some Islam- 
 ised resident of 
 Nyangwe by reason 
 of some fancied 
 suggestion made by 
 some of his facial 
 marks to the spots on a guinea-fowl. Kanga had 
 not spoken as yet by the evening tire, but had 
 been an amused listener. When the other tale- 
 tellers were seen sporting their gay robes on the 
 Sunday, it may have inspired him to make an 
 effort to gain one for himself ; anyhow, he sur- 
 prised us one night by saying that he knew of a 
 tale which perhaps we would like to hear. As 
 Kano-a's tribe was the Wasoimora-Meno on the 
 right bank of the Lualaba, between Nyangwe and
 
 300 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Stanley Falls, the mere mention of a tale from 
 that region was sufficient to kindle my interest. 
 
 After a few suitable compliments to Kanga, 
 which were clearly much appreciated, he spoke 
 as follows: 
 
 Master and friends. We have an old phrase 
 among us which is very common. It is said that 
 he who waits and waits for his turn, may wait too 
 long, and lose his chance. My tongue is not nim- 
 ble like some, and my words do not flow like the 
 deep river. I am rather like the brook which is 
 fretted by the stones in its bed, and I hope after 
 this explanation you will not be too impatient 
 with me. 
 
 My tale is about King Masama and his tribe, 
 the Balira, who dwelt far in the inmost region, 
 behind (east) us, who throng the banks of the 
 great river. They were formerly very numerous, 
 and many of them came to live among us, but one 
 day King Masama and the rest of the tribe left 
 their country and went eastward, and they have 
 never been heard of since, but those who chose to 
 stay with us explained their disa2)pearance in this 
 way. 
 
 A woman, one cold night, after making up her 
 fire on the hearth, went to sleep. In the middle 
 of the night the fire had spread, and spread, and 
 began to lick up the litter on the floor, and from 
 the litter it crept to her bed of dry banana leaves,
 
 THE SEARCH FOR THE HOME OF THE SUN 301 
 
 and in a little time shot up into flames. When 
 the woman and her husband were at last awakened 
 by the heat, the flames had already mounted into 
 the roof, and were burning furiously. Soon they 
 broke through the top and leaped up into the 
 night, and a gust of wind came and carried the 
 long flames like a stream of fire towards the 
 
 "Tllli VIM, AUK WAS KNTIItKIA' BUIiNIiD." 
 
 neighbouring huts, and in a short time the fire had 
 caught hold of every house, and the village was 
 entirely burned. It was soon known that besides 
 burning up their houses and much property, sev- 
 eral old people and infants had been destroyed by 
 the fire, and the people were horror-struck and 
 angry.
 
 302 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Then one voice said, " We all know in whose 
 house the fire began, and the owner of it must 
 make our losses good to us." 
 
 The woman's husband heard this, and was 
 alarmed, and guiltily fled into the woods. 
 
 In the morning a council of the elders was held, 
 and it was agreed that the man in whose house 
 the fire commenced should be made to pay for his 
 carelessness, and they forthwith searched for him. 
 But when they sought for him he could not be 
 found. Then all the young warriors who were 
 cunning in wood-craft, girded and armed them- 
 selves, and searched for the trail, and when one of 
 them had found it, he cried out, and the others 
 gathered themselves about him and took it up, 
 and when many eyes were set upon it, the trail 
 could not be lost. 
 
 They soon came up to the man, for he was 
 seated under a tree, bitterly weeping. 
 
 Without a word they took hold of him by the 
 arms and bore him along with them, and brought 
 him before the village fathers. He was not a 
 common man by any means. He was known as 
 one of Masama's principal men, and one whose 
 advice had been often followed. 
 
 " Oh," said everybody, " he is a rich man, and 
 well able to pay ; yet, if he gives all he has got, it 
 will not be equal to our loss." 
 
 The fathers talked a long time over the matter,
 
 i HE SEARCH FOR THE HOME OF THE SUN 303 
 
 and at last decided that to save his forfeited life 
 he should freely turn over to them all his prop- 
 erty. And he did so. His plantation of bananas 
 and plantains, his plots of beans, yams, manioc, 
 potatoes, ground-nuts, his slaves, spears, shields, 
 knives, paddles and canoes. When he had 
 given up all, the hearts of the people became 
 softened towards him, and they forgave him the 
 rest. 
 
 After the elder's property had been equally 
 divided among the sufferers by the fire, the people 
 gained new courage, and set about rebuilding their 
 homes, and before long they had a new village, 
 and they had made themselves as comfortable as 
 ever. 
 
 Then King Masama made a law, a very severe 
 law — to the effect that, in future, no fire should 
 be lit in the houses during the day or night ; and 
 the people, who were now much alarmed about 
 fire, with one heart agreed to keep the law. But 
 it was soon felt that the cure for the evil was as 
 cruel as the fire had been. For the houses had 
 been thatched with green banana leaves, the tim- 
 bers were green and wet with their sap, the floor 
 was damp and cold, the air was deadly, and the 
 people began to suffer from joint aches, and their 
 knees were stiff, and the pains travelled from one 
 place to another through their bodies. The village 
 was filled with groaning.
 
 304 Ht DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 Masama suffered more than all, for lie was old. 
 He shivered night and day, and his teeth chattered 
 sometimes so that he could not talk, and after that 
 his head would burn, and the hot sweat would 
 pour from him, so that he knew no rest. 
 
 Then the king gathered his chiefs and principal 
 men together, and said : 
 
 " Oh, my people, this is unendurable, for life is 
 with me now but one continuous ague. Let us 
 leave this country, for it is bewitched, and if I 
 stay longer there will be nothing left of me. Lo, 
 my joints are stiffened with my disease, and my 
 muscles are withering. The only time I feel a 
 little ease is wheu I lie on the hot ashes without 
 the house, but when the rains fall I must needs 
 withdraw indoors, and there I find no comfort, for 
 the mould spreads everywhere. Let us hence at 
 once to seek a warmer clime. Behold whence the 
 sun issues daily in the morning, hot and glowing ; 
 there, where his home is, must be warmth, and we 
 shall need no fire. What say you ? " 
 
 Masama's words revived their drooping spirits. 
 They looked towards the sun as they saw him 
 mount the sky, and felt his cheering glow on their 
 naked breasts and shoulders, and they cried with 
 one accord : " Let us hence, and seek the place 
 whence he comes." 
 
 And the people got ready and piled their 
 belongings in the canoes, and on a certain day
 
 THE SEARCH FOR THE HOME OF THE SUN 305 
 
 they left their village and ascended their broad 
 river, the Lira. Day after day they paddled up 
 the stream, and we heard of them from the 
 Bafanya as they passed by their country, and the 
 Bafanya heard of them for a long distance up — 
 from the next tribe — the Bamoru — and the Bamoru 
 heard about them arriving near the Mountain Land 
 beyond. 
 
 Not until a Ions; time afterwards did we hear 
 what became of Masama and his people. 
 
 It was said that the Balira, when the river had 
 become shallow and small, left their canoes and 
 travelled by land among little hills, and after 
 winding in and out amongst them they came to 
 the foot of the tall mountain which stands like a 
 graudsire amongst the smaller mountains. Up the 
 sides of the big mountain they straggled, the 
 stronger and more active of them ahead, and as 
 the days passed, they saw that the world was cold 
 and dark until the sun showed himself over the 
 edge of the big mountain, when the day became 
 more agreeable, for the heat pierced into their 
 very marrows, and made their hearts rejoice. The 
 greater the heat became, the more certain were 
 they that they were drawing near the home of the 
 sun. And so they pressed on and on, day after 
 day, winding along one side of the mountain, and 
 then turning to wind a«;ain still higher. Each 
 day, as they advanced towards the top, the heat 
 
 20
 
 300 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 became greater and greater. Between them and 
 the sun there was now not the smallest shrub or 
 leaf, and it became so fiercely hot that finally not 
 a drop of sweat was left in their bodies. One day, 
 when not a cloud was in the sky, and the world 
 was all below them — far down like a great buffalo 
 hide — the sun came out over the rim of the moun- 
 tain like a ball of fire, and the nearest of them to 
 the top were dried like a leaf over a flame, and 
 those who were behind were amazed at its burning 
 force, and felt, as he sailed over their heads, that 
 it was too late for them to escape. Their skins 
 began to shrivel up and crackle, and fall off, and 
 none of those who were high up on the mountain 
 side were left alive. But a few of those who were 
 nearest the bottom, and the forest belts, managed 
 to take shelter, and remaining there until night, 
 they took advantage of the darkness, when the sun 
 sleeps, to fly from the home of the sun. Except a 
 few poor old people and toddling children, there 
 was none left of the once populous tribe of the 
 Balira. 
 
 That is my story. We who live by the great 
 river have taken the lesson, which the end of this 
 tribe has been to us, close to our hearts, and it is 
 this. Kings who insist that their wills should be 
 followed, and never care to take counsel with their 
 people, are as little to be heeded as children who 
 babble of what they cannot know, and therefore
 
 "none of those who were high up on the mountain side weiS: 
 left aeive."
 
 THE SEARCH FOR THE HOME OF THE SUN 309 
 
 in our villages we have many elders who take all 
 matters from the chief and turn them over in their 
 minds, and when they are agreed, they give the 
 doing of them to the chief, who can act only as 
 the elders decree.
 
 A HOSPITABLE GORILLA 
 
 iIR," said Baruti, 
 after we had all 
 gathered around the 
 evening fire, and 
 were waiting expect- 
 ant for the usual 
 story, " Kassim's tale 
 about the City of 
 the Elephants and 
 the peace that was 
 entered into between 
 the elephants and 
 the Bungandu has 
 reminded me of what happened between a tribe 
 living on the banks of the little Black River above 
 the Basoko, and a Gorilla." 
 
 "Wallahi, but these Basoko boys beat every- 
 body for telling stories," exclaimed a Zanzibari. 
 "I wonder, however, whether they invent them, 
 or they really have heard them from their old 
 folk, as they say they did." 
 
 " We heard them, of course," replied Baruti, with 
 an indignant look ; " for how could Kassim or I
 
 A HOSPITABLE GORILLA 31 1 
 
 imagine such things? I heard something each day 
 almost from the elders, or the old women of the 
 tribe. My mother also told me some, and my big 
 brother told me others. At our village talk-house, 
 scarcely a day passed but we heard of some strange 
 thing which had happened in old times. It is this 
 custom of meeting around the master's fire, and 
 the legends that we hear, that reminds us of what 
 we formerly heard, and by thinking and thinking 
 over them the words come back anew to us." 
 
 " But do you think these things of which you 
 talk are true ? " the Zanzibari asked. 
 
 "True ! " he echoed. " Who am I that I should 
 say, This thing is true, and that is false ! I but 
 repeat what my betters said. I do not speak of 
 what I saw, but of what I heard, and the master's 
 words to us were : 'Try and remember what was 
 said to you in your villages by the ancients among 
 your people, and if you will tell it to me properly, 
 I will give you a nice cloth.' Well, when our old 
 men were in good-humour, and smoked their long 
 pipes, and the pot of wine was by their side, and 
 we asked them to tell us somewhat about the days 
 when they were young, they would say, ' Listen to 
 this now,' and they would tell us of what happened 
 long ago. It is the things of long ago that we 
 remember best, because they were so strange that 
 they clung on the mind, and would not altogether 
 be forgotten. If there is aught unpleasing in
 
 312 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 them, it is not our fault, for we but repeat the 
 words that entered into our ears." s 
 
 " That will do, Baruti ; go on with your story ; 
 and you, Baraka, let your tongue sleep," cried 
 Zaidi. 
 
 " I but asked a question. Ho ! how impatient 
 you fellows are ! " 
 
 " Nay, this is but chatter — we shall never hear 
 the story at this rate. Hyah ! Barikallah ! * 
 Baruti." 
 
 Well (began Baruti), this tribe dwelt on the 
 banks of the Black River just above Basoko town, 
 and at that time of the far past the thick forest 
 round about them was haunted by many mon- 
 strous animals ; big apes, chimpanzees, gorillas and 
 such creatures, which are not often seen nowadays. 
 Not far from the village, in a darksome spot where 
 the branches met overhead and formed a thick 
 screen, and the lower wood hedged it closely round 
 about so that a tortoise could scarcely penetrate it„ 
 there lived the Father of the Gorillas. He had 
 housed himself in the fork of one of the tallest 
 trees, and many men had seen the nest as they 
 passed by, but none as yet had seen the owner. 
 
 But one day a fisherman in search of rattans to 
 make his nets, wandered far into the woods, and in 
 trying to recover the direction home struck the 
 Black River high up. As he stood wondering 
 
 * Hurry on, in God's name [
 
 A HOSPITABLE GORILLA 313 
 
 whether this was the black stream that flowed 
 past his village, he saw, a little to the right of him, 
 an immense gorilla, who on account of the long 
 dark fur on his chest appeared to be bigger than 
 he really was. A cold sweat caused by his great 
 fear began to come out of the man, and his knees 
 trembled so that he could hardly stand, but when 
 he perceived that the gorilla did not move, but 
 continued eating his bananas, he became comforted 
 a little, and his senses came back. He turned his 
 head around, in order to see the clearest way for a 
 run ; but as he was about to start, he saw that the 
 gorilla's eyes were fixed on him. Then the gorilla 
 broke out into speech and said : 
 
 " Come to me, and let me look at thee." 
 
 The fisherman's fear came back to him, but he 
 did as he was told, and when he thought he was 
 near enough, he stood still. 
 
 Then the gorilla said : 
 
 " If thou art kin to me, thou art safe from harm ; 
 if not, thou canst not pass. How many fingers 
 hast thou ? " he asked. 
 
 "Four," the fisherman answered, and he held a 
 hand up with its back towards the gorilla, and his 
 thumb was folded in on the palm so that it could 
 not be seen by the beast. 
 
 " Aye — true indeed. Why, thou must be a kins- 
 man of ours, though thy fur is somewhat scanty. 
 Sit down and take thy share of this food, and eat."
 
 314 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 The fisherman sat down, and broke off bananas 
 from the stalk and ate heartily. 
 
 " Now mind," said the gorilla, " thou hast eaten 
 food with me. Shouldst thou ever meet in thy 
 wanderings any of my brothers, thou must be kind 
 to them in memory of this day. Our tribe has no 
 quarrel with any of thine, and thy tribe must have 
 none against any of mine. I live alone far down 
 this river, and thy tribe lives further still. Mind 
 our password, ' Tu-wheM, Tu-whelV By that we 
 know who is friendly and who is against us." 
 
 The fisherman departed, and speeding on his 
 way reached his village safely ; but he kept secret 
 what he had seen and met that day. 
 
 Some little time after, the tribe resolved to have 
 a grand hunt around their village, to scare the 
 beasts of the forest away ; for in some things they 
 resemble us. If we leave a district undisturbed 
 for a moon or so, the animals think that we have 
 either departed the country or are afraid of them. 
 The apes and the elephants are the worst in that 
 respect, and always lead the way, pressing on our 
 heels, and often sending their scouts ahead to re- 
 port, or as a hint to us that we are lingering too 
 long. 
 
 The people loaded themselves with "their great 
 nets, and first chose the district where the Gorilla 
 Father lived. They set their nets around a wide 
 space, and then the beaters were directed to make
 
 A HOSPITABLE GORILLA 317 
 
 a large sweep and drive all the game towards the 
 nets, and here and there where the netting was 
 weak, the hunters stood behind a thick bush, their 
 heavy spears ready for the fling. 
 
 Well, it just happened that at that very time 
 the Father of the Gorillas was holding forth to his 
 kinsmen, and the first they knew of the hunt, and 
 that a multitude of men were in the woods, was 
 when they heard the horrid yells of the beaters, 
 the sound of horns, the jingle of iron, and the all- 
 round swish of bushes. 
 
 The fisherman, like the rest of his friends, was 
 well armed, and he was as keen as the others for 
 the hunt, but soon after he heard the cries of the 
 beaters, he saw a large gorilla rushing out of the 
 bushes, and knew him instantly for his friend, 
 and he cried out " Tu-wlieli ! Tu-wJieli ! " At the 
 sound of it the gorilla led his kinsmen towards 
 him, and passed the word to those behind, saying, 
 " Ah, this is our friend. Do not hurt him." 
 
 The gorillas passed in a long line of mighty fel- 
 lows, close by the fisherman, and as they heard the 
 voice of their father, they only whispered to him, 
 " Tti-wheli, Tu-wheli" but the last of all was a big, 
 sour-faced gorilla, who, when he saw that the pass 
 was only guarded by one man, made a rush at him. 
 His roar of rage was heard by the father, and turn- 
 ing back he knew that his human brother was in 
 danger, and he cried out to those nearest to part
 
 318 MY DARK COMPANIONS 
 
 them, " The man is our brother ; " but as the fierce 
 gorilla was deaf to words, the father loped back 
 to them, and slew him, and then hastened away 
 as the hunters were pressing up. 
 
 These, when they came up and observed that 
 the fisherman's spear was still in his hand, and not 
 painted with blood, were furious, and they agreed 
 together that he should not have a share of the 
 meat, " For," said they, " he must have been in a 
 league against us." Neither did he obtain any 
 share of the spoil. 
 
 A few days after this the fisherman was pro- 
 ceeding through a part of the forest, and a gorilla 
 met him in the path, and said : 
 
 " Stay, I seem to know thee. Art thou not our 
 brother ? " 
 
 " Tu-wheli, Tu-wheli ! " he dried. 
 
 " Ah, it is true, follow me ; " and they went to- 
 gether to the gorilla's nesting-tree, where the fisher- 
 man was feasted on ripe bananas, berries, and nuts, 
 and juicy roots, and he was shown w r hich roots 
 and berries were sweet, and which were bitter, and 
 so great was the variety of food he saw, that he 
 came to know that though lost in the forest a wise 
 man need not starve. 
 
 When the fisherman returned to his village he 
 called the elders together, and he laid the whole 
 story of his adventures before his people, and 
 when the elders heard that the berries and roots,
 
 A HOSPITABLE GORILLA 319 
 
 nuts, and mushrooms in the forest, of which they 
 had hitherto been afraid, were sweet and whole- 
 some, they exclaimed with one voice, that the 
 gorillas had proved themselves true friends, and 
 had given them much useful knowledge ; and it 
 was agreed among them that in future the gorillas 
 should be reckoned anions: those, against whom it 
 would not be lawful to raise their spears. 
 
 Ever since the tribes on the Black River avoid 
 harming the gorilla, and all his kind big and little ; 
 neither will any of the gorilla trespass on their 
 plantations, or molest any of the people.
 
 NEW AND STANDARD 
 
 BOOKS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 
 CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 
 
 MR. SETON'S FAMOUS ANIMAL BOOKS 
 
 ANIMAL HEROES 
 
 With 200 or more Illustrations by the author. Square 1 zmo, 
 $1.75 net (postage extra). 
 This new book of animal stories is a companion volume in 
 appearance and spirit to "Wild Animals I Have Known" 
 and " Lives of the Hunted," but it differs from these two books 
 in a few important particulars. Domestic animals are the 
 heroes of four or five of the stories, and the end of most of these 
 heroes is not a tragic but a happy one. Written and illustrated 
 with all the charm and expert knowledge of Mr. Seton, these 
 more cheerful adventures give a happier and more vivid idea than 
 his former works of the life and adventures of the domestic 
 animals we know, as well as of the unknown wild ones. 
 
 WILD ANIMALS I HAVE KNOWN 
 
 With zoo Illustrations by the author. Square 1 2tno, $2.00. 
 "It should be put with Kipling and Hans Christian Andersen as a 
 classic." — Athenaum. 
 
 LIVES OF THE HUNTED 
 
 With over 200 Illustrations by the author. Square 1 2mo, 
 $1.75 net. 
 
 "The breadth of his sympathy is the finest charm of his work." 
 
 — Agnes Repplier. 
 
 MONARCH, THE BIG BEAR 
 OF TALLAC 
 
 With numerous Drawings by the author. nmo, $1.25 net 
 (postage, 12 cents). 
 
 "A fascinating account of a bear family." — Providence Journal. 
 
 THE TRAIL OF THE SANDHILL STAG 
 
 With numerous Drawings by the author. Square 1 2mo, $ 1 . 50.
 
 A NEW BOOK BY MRS. BURNETT 
 
 A LITTLE PRINCESS 
 
 Being the Whole Story of Sara Crewe now told for the 
 First Time. Handsomely illustrated in colors by Ethel 
 Franklin Betts. Royal 8vo, #2.00. 
 
 Miss Betts's illustrations, title-page and cover-design, will give great 
 distinction and beauty to this story by Mrs. Burnett, and will make 
 "A Little Princess" the leading holiday-book of the season for young 
 reader*. The last paragraph of Mrs. Burnett's preface explains the origin 
 and scope of her new book: ** After the play of ' A Little Princess' was 
 produced in New York, and so many children went to see it and liked 
 Becky and Lottie and Melchisidec, my publishers asked me if I could not 
 write Sara's story over again and put into it all the things and people who 
 had been left out before, and so I have done it, and when I began 1 found 
 there were actually pages and pages of things which had happened that had 
 never been put even into the play, so in this new • Little Princess ' I have 
 put in all that I have been able to discover." 
 
 W. A. FRASER'S ANIMAL STORIES 
 
 SA-ZADA TALES 
 
 Illustrated by Arthur Heming. 1 2mo, $1.50 net (postage 
 extra). 
 
 Since Mr. Fraser wrote his Mooswa Tales no such good stories of 
 animals have been published as in this new book. The tales of life and 
 adventure that the Tiger, the Panther, the Elephant, the Birds, and other 
 Animals tell each other arouse a vivid and absorbing interest in the mind 
 of either child or grown-up and make them unforgetable. The forty-eight 
 full-page illustrations by Mr. Heming, whose pictures have placed him at 
 the head of illustrators of his class, will make this a sumptuous and extraor- 
 dinarily attractive book. 
 
 MOOSWA 
 and Others of the Boundaries 
 Illustrated by Arthur Heming. Crown 8vo, $2.00. 
 
 " Takes its place at once beside the Jungle Book. A group of stories, 
 capitally told, of the lives and doings of the animals." — Boston Herald. 
 
 THE OUTCASTS 
 
 Illustrated by Arthur Heming. Crown 8vo, $1.25 net. 
 " It has the freedom and mystery of that great unknown country up 
 toward the Arctic circle, and the fascination of animal existence." 
 
 — Chicago Tribune.
 
 BOOKS BY HOWARD PYLE 
 
 THE STORY OF THE CHAMPIONS OF 
 THE ROUND TABLE 
 
 Royal 8vo, $2.50 net (postage extra). With many full- 
 page drawings and decorations by the author. 
 
 Mr. Pyle's new book is similar in scope, style, .'cheme of illustrations, 
 etc., to his "Story of King Arthur and His Knights," which had a great 
 success two years ago. It deals with the adventures of Launcelot, Tristram, 
 Percival, and the other chiefs of the various groups in King Arthur's court in a 
 manner at once spirited and poetic. As in the earlier volume, the illustrations, 
 both the full pages and the decorative embellishments, with the author's cover- 
 design and title-page, lift the book into the class of holiday art works. 
 
 THE STORY OF KING ARTHUR AND 
 HIS KNIGHTS 
 
 Illustrated by the author. Royal 8vo, $2.50 net. 
 
 THE MERRY ADVENTURES OF 
 ROBIN HOOD 
 
 Of Great Renown in Nottinghamshire. Illustrated by the 
 author. Royal 8vo, $3.00. 
 
 BOOKS ILLUSTRATED IN COLORS 
 
 A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES 
 
 By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON 
 With 12 full-page illustrations and ornamental cover in colors. 
 By Jessie Willcox Smith. Royal 8vo, $2.50. 
 
 This is the most important work which Mis* Smith has ever accom- 
 plished, a work which she has long been anxious to do and into which she has 
 put the highest expression of her great and charming talent for drawing children. 
 There are twelve pages in color, and a colored title-page and cover, and 
 innumerable pen and ink drawings. No more perfect and individual interpre- 
 tation of Stevensoa's inimitable verses could be imagined. 
 
 POEMS OF CHILDHOOD 
 
 By EUGENE FIELD 
 
 With 8 full-page illustrations and ornamental cover in colors. 
 By Maxfield Parrish. Royal 8vo, $2.50. 
 
 " His poems of childhood have gone home, not only to the hearts of chil- 
 dren, but to the heart of the country as well, and he is one of the few con- 
 tributors to that nenuine literature of childhood which expresses ideas from the 
 standpoint of a child." — 7 he Outlook.
 
 MRS. BURNETT'S FAMOUS BOOKS FOR 
 YOUNG PEOPLE 
 
 New and Uniform Edition. Illustrated by Reginald B. 
 Birch. Five volumes, i2mo, each $1.25. 
 
 LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY 
 
 " Another charming child to add to our gallery of juvenile heroes and 
 heroines." — Louisa M. Alcott. 
 
 TWO LITTLE PILGRIMS' PROGRESS 
 
 "A strong, sweet, true book." — Mrs. Margaret E. Sangster. 
 
 SARAH CREWE 
 
 Or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's, and Little Saint 
 Elizabeth, and Other Stories 
 
 GIOVANNI AND THE OTHER 
 
 Children Who Have Made Stories 
 " Stories beautiful in tone and style and color.'' 
 
 — Kate Douglas Wiggin. 
 
 PICCINO 
 
 And Other Child Stories 
 
 TREASURE ISLAND 
 
 By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON 
 
 Illustrated, 1 2mo, $1.25. 
 
 " Still the best tale of pirates and hidden treasure in the world." 
 
 — Neiv York Times Re-view. 
 
 FOUR STORIES BY W. H. FROST 
 
 Each attractively illustrated. I 2mo, #1.50. 
 
 " Mr. Frost has succeeded admirably in his attempt to make the 
 doughty knights and fair ladies of ancient days seem distinct and interesting 
 to the boys and girls of our own time." — Public Opinion. 
 
 FAIRIES AND FOLK OF IRELAND 
 
 THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE 
 
 THE COURT OF KING ARTHUR 
 
 THE WAGNER STORY BOOK 
 
 Charles Scribner's Sons New York
 
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