Thou who descendest river by river,
Thou burnt thornbush (ǂaro)!
Thou blue one, [9]
Who appearest like a distant thornhill full of people sitting down.
The Giraffe and the Tortoise, they say, met one day. The Giraffe said
to the Tortoise, “At once I could trample you to death.” The Tortoise,
being afraid, remained silent. Then the Giraffe said, “At once I could
swallow you.” The Tortoise said, in answer to this, “Well, I just
belong to the family of those whom it has always been customary to
swallow.” Then the Giraffe swallowed the Tortoise; but when the latter
was being gulped down, it stuck in the Giraffe’s throat, and as the
latter could not get it down, he was choked to death.
When the Giraffe was dead, the Tortoise crawled out and went to the
Crab (who is considered as the mother of the Tortoise), and told her
what had happened. Then the Crab said—
“The little Crab! I could sprinkle it under its arm with boochoo,
[10]
The crooked-legged little one, I could sprinkle under its arm.”