But Maajee said, "If I were so powerful would I be drunk by the ox?"

And they went to the ox and beat it.

But the ox cried: "Here! I am Ng'om'bay, the ox. Why do you beat

me? What have I done?"

And they said: "Yes, we know you are Ng'ombay; you drink Maajee, the

water; that puts out Moto, the fire; that burns Keesoo, the knife;

that cuts Kaamba, the rope; that ties Paaka, the cat; who eats Paanya,

the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped

Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the

calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it."

But Ng'ombay said, "If I were so powerful would I be tormented by

the fly?"

And they caught a fly and beat it.

But the fly cried: "Here! I am Een'zee, the fly. Why do you beat

me? What have I done?"

And they said: "Yes, we know you are Eenzee; you torment Ng'ombay, the

ox; who drinks Maajee, the water; that puts out Moto, the fire; that

burns Keesoo, the knife; that cuts Kaamba, the rope; that ties Paaka,

the cat; who eats Paanya, the rat; who bores through Keeyambaaza,

the mud wall; which stopped Koosee, the south wind; and Koosee, the

south wind, threw down the calabash that struck our teacher Goso. You

should not have done it."

But Eenzee said, "If I were so powerful would I be eaten by the

gazelle?"

And they searched for the gazelle, and when they found it they beat it.

But the gazelle said: "Here! I am Paa, the gazelle. Why do you beat

me? What have I done?"

And they said: "Yes, we know you are Paa; you eat Eenzee, the fly;

that torments Ng'ombay, the ox; who drinks Maajee, the water; that

puts out Moto, the fire; that burns Keesoo, the knife; that cuts

Kaamba, the rope; that ties Paaka, the cat; who eats Paanya, the rat;

who bores through Keeyambaaza, the mud wall; which stopped Koosee,

the south wind; and Koosee, the south wind, threw down the calabash

that struck our teacher Goso. You should not have done it."

The gazelle, through surprise at being found out and fear of the

consequences of his accidental killing of the teacher, while engaged

in stealing, was struck dumb.

Then the scholars said: "Ah! he hasn't a word to say for himself. This

is the fellow who threw down the calabash that struck our teacher

Goso. We will kill him."

So they killed Paa, the gazelle, and avenged the death of their

teacher.