As for the soldiers who tried to get the cat, some were killed and
the remainder ran away, and the sultan and his living sons took the
dead bodies home and buried them.
Now when Mkaaah Jeechonee, the seventh son, heard that his brothers
had been killed by the noondah, he said to his mother, "I, too, will
go, that it may kill me as well as my brothers, or I will kill it."
But his mother said: "My son, I do not like to have you go. Those
three are already dead; and if you are killed also, will not that be
one wound upon another to my heart?"
"Nevertheless," said he, "I can not help going; but do not tell
my father."
So his mother made him some cakes, and sent some attendants with
him; and he took a great spear, as sharp as a razor, and a sword,
bade her farewell, and departed.
As he had always been left at home, he had no very clear idea what
he was going to hunt for; so he had not gone far beyond the suburbs,
when, seeing a very large dog, he concluded that this was the animal
he was after; so he killed it, tied a rope to it, and dragged it
home, singing,
"Oh, mother, I have killed
The noondah, eater of the people."
When his mother, who was upstairs, heard him, she looked out of the
window, and, seeing what he had brought, said, "My son, this is not
the noondah, eater of the people."
So he left the carcass outside and went in to talk about it, and his
mother said, "My dear boy, the noondah is a much larger animal than
that; but if I were you, I'd give the business up and stay at home."
"No, indeed," he exclaimed; "no staying at home for me until I have
met and fought the noondah."
So he set out again, and went a great deal farther than he had gone
on the former day. Presently he saw a civet cat, and, believing it
to be the animal he was in search of, he killed it, bound it, and
dragged it home, singing,
"Oh, mother, I have killed
The noondah, eater of the people."
When his mother saw the civet cat, she said, "My son, this is not
the noondah, eater of the people." And he threw it away.
Again his mother entreated him to stay at home, but he would not
listen to her, and started off again.
This time he went away off into the forest, and seeing a bigger
cat than the last one, he killed it, bound it, and dragged it home,
singing,
"Oh, mother, I have killed
The noondah, eater of the people."
But directly his mother saw it, she had to tell him, as before,
"My son, this is not the noondah, eater of the people."
He was, of course, very much troubled at this; and his mother said,
"Now, where do you expect to find this noondah? You don't know where
it is, and you don't know what it looks like. You'll get sick over
this; you're not looking so well now as you did. Come, stay at home."
But he said: "There are three things, one of which I shall do: I
shall die; I shall find the noondah and kill it; or I shall return
home unsuccessful. In any case, I'm off again."
This time he went farther than before, saw a zebra, killed it, bound
it, and dragged it home, singing,
"Oh, mother, I have killed
The noondah, eater of the people."
Of course his mother had to tell him, once again, "My son, this is
not the noondah, eater of the people."
After a good deal of argument, in which his mother's persuasion,
as usual, was of no avail, he went off again, going farther than
ever, when he caught a giraffe; and when he had killed it he said:
"Well, this time I've been successful. This must be the noondah." So
he dragged it home, singing,
"Oh, mother, I have killed
The noondah, eater of the people."
Again his mother had to assure him, "My son, this is not the noondah,
eater of the people." She then pointed out to him that his brothers
were not running about hunting for the noondah, but staying at home
attending to their own business. But, remarking that all brothers were
not alike, he expressed his determination to stick to his task until
it came to a successful termination, and went off again, a still
greater distance than before.
While going through the wilderness he espied a rhinoceros asleep
under a tree, and turning to his attendants he exclaimed, "At last
I see the noondah."
"Where, master?" they all cried, eagerly.
"There, under the tree."
"Oh-h! What shall we do?" they asked.
And he answered: "First of all, let us eat our fill, then we will
attack it. We have found it in a good place, though if it kills us,
we can't help it."
So they all took out their arrowroot cakes and ate till they were
satisfied.
Then Mkaaah Jeechonee said, "Each of you take two guns; lay one beside
you and take the other in your hands, and at the proper time let us
all fire at once."