Ndahlangana Nonothloya. I met with Nonothloya.
Sapekapekana, We cooked each other,
Ndagwanya, I was half cooked,
Wapekwa wada wavutwa. She was well cooked.
Hlakanyana met a boy tending some goats. The boy had a digging-stick
with him. Hlakanyana proposed that they should pursue after birds, and
the boy agreed. They pursued birds the whole day.
In the evening, when the sun set, Hlakanyana said: “It is time now to
roast our birds.”
The place was on the bank of a river.
Hlakanyana said: “We must go under the water and see who will come out
last.”
They went under the water, and Hlakanyana came out last.
The cunning fellow said: “Let us try again.”
The boy agreed to that. They went under the water. Hlakanyana came out
quickly and ate all the birds. He left the heads only. Then he went
under the water again. The boy came out while he was still under the
water.
When Hlakanyana came out he said: “Let us go now and eat our birds.”
They found all the birds eaten.
Hlakanyana said: “You have eaten them, because you came out of the
water first, and you have left me the heads only.”
The boy denied having done so, but Hlakanyana said: “You must pay for
my birds with that digging-stick.”
The boy gave the digging-stick, and Hlakanyana went on his way.
He saw some people making pots of clay. He said to them: “Why do you
not ask me to lend you this digging-stick, instead of digging with your
hands?”
They said: “Lend it to us.”
Hlakanyana lent them the digging-stick. Just the first time they stuck
it in the clay it broke.
He said: “You have broken my digging-stick, the digging-stick that I
received from my companion, my companion who ate my birds and left me
with the heads.”
They gave him a pot.
Hlakanyana carried the pot till he came to some boys who were herding
goats. He said to them: “You foolish boys, you only suck the goats, you
don’t milk them in any vessel; why don’t you ask me to lend you this
pot?”
The boys said: “Lend it to us.”
Hlakanyana lent them the pot. While the boys were milking, the pot
broke. Hlakanyana said: “You have broken my pot, the pot that I
received from the people who make pots, the people who broke my
digging-stick, the digging-stick that I received from my companion, my
companion who ate my birds and left me with the heads.”
The boys gave him a goat.
Hlakanyana came to the keepers of calves.
He said to them: “You foolish fellows, you only sit here and eat
nothing. Why don’t you ask me to let you suck this goat?”
The keepers of calves said: “Allow us to suck this goat.”
Hlakanyana gave the goat into their hands. While they were sucking, the
goat died.
Hlakanyana said: “You have killed my goat, the goat that I received
from the boys that were tending goats, the boys that broke my pot, the
pot that I received from the people who make pots, the people who broke
my digging-stick, the digging-stick that I received from my companion,
my companion who ate my birds and left me with the heads.”
They gave him a calf.
Hlakanyana came to the keepers of cows.
He said to them: “You only suck the cows without letting the calf suck
first. Why don’t you ask me to lend you this calf, that the cows may be
induced to give their milk freely?”
They said: “Lend us the calf.”
Hlakanyana permitted them to take the calf. While the calf was in their
hands it died.
Hlakanyana said: “You have killed my calf, the calf that I received
from the keepers of calves, the keepers of calves that killed my goat,
the goat that I received from the boys that were tending goats, the
boys that broke my pot, the pot that I received from the people who
make pots, the people who broke my digging-stick, the digging-stick
that I received from my companion, my companion who ate my birds and
left me with the heads.”
They gave him a cow.
Hlakanyana continued on his journey. He saw a young man going the same
way.
He said: “Let us be companions and travel together.”
The young man agreed to that. They came to a forest.
Hlakanyana said: “This is the place for picking up kerries.”
They picked up kerries there.
Then they reached another place, and Hlakanyana said: “This is the
place for throwing away kerries.”
They threw the kerries away.
Again they came to another place, and Hlakanyana said: “This is the
place for throwing away spoons.”
The companion of Hlakanyana threw his spoon away, but the cunning
little fellow only pretended to throw his away. In fact, he concealed
his spoon. They went on.
They came to another place, and Hlakanyana said: “This is the place for
throwing knives away.”
It happened again as with the spoons. Hlakanyana concealed his knife,
when his companion threw his away.
They came to a certain place, and Hlakanyana said: “This is the place
for throwing away izilanda” (awls used to make holes in skins when they
are sewed together, and also for taking thorns out of the bare feet and
legs of pedestrians).
His companion threw his isilanda away, but Hlakanyana kept his. They
went on and reached a place where they had to walk on thorns.
Afterwards they looked at their feet, and saw many thorns in them.
Hlakanyana said: “Let us sit down and take out the thorns.”
His companion replied: “I cannot do so, because I have no isilanda.”
Then Hlakanyana took the thorns out of his feet, and the other was
obliged to walk lame. They came to a village.
The people said to them: “Tell us the news.”
Hlakanyana replied: “Just give us something to eat first; look at our
stomachs and behold the pinchings of hunger.”
The people of that village brought meat.
Hlakanyana said to his companion: “Now let us eat.”
The companion of Hlakanyana answered: “I have no knife.”
Hlakanyana said: “You are just a child; I shall not lend you my knife.”
The people of that village brought millet and put before them.
Hlakanyana said to his companion: “Why do you not eat?”
He answered: “I have no spoon.”
Hlakanyana said: “You are just a child; I shall not lend you my spoon.”
So Hlakanyana had all the meat and the millet to himself.
Hlakanyana met a girl herding some goats.
He said: “Where are the boys of your village, that the goats are herded
by a girl?”
The girl answered: “There are no boys in the village.”
He went to the father of the girl and said: “You must give me your
daughter to be my concubine, and I will herd the goats.”
The father of the girl agreed to that. Then Hlakanyana went with the
goats, and every day he killed one and ate it till all were done. He
scratched his body with thorns.
The father of the girl said: “Where are all the goats?”
Hlakanyana replied: “Can you not see how I have been fighting with the
wild dogs? The wild dogs have eaten the goats. As for me, I will stay
here no longer.”
So he went on his way.
As he was going on, he saw a trap for catching birds. There were some
birds in it. Hlakanyana took the birds out and ate them. The owners of
the trap were cannibals. They saw the footprints of Hlakanyana, and
said: “This is a little boy that is stealing our birds.” They watched
for him. Hlakanyana came again to the trap and saw a bird caught in it.
He was just going to take the bird out when the cannibals caught him.
They made a big fire and put a pot on for the purpose of cooking him.
Hlakanyana saw two oxen. One was white, the other was red.
He said to the cannibals: “You can take which one of these oxen you
like instead of me.”
The cannibals said: “We will take the white one, because it is white
inside also.”
Then Hlakanyana went away with the red ox. The cannibals ate the white
ox, and then pursued after Hlakanyana. They came up to him by a big
stone. He jumped on the stone, and sang this song:—
Ndahamba ndayakuva indaba, I went to hear the news,
Zemvula ku mankazana. About rain from the girls.
The cannibals began to dance when they heard him sing. Then he ran
away, and the stone continued to sing that song.
As he was journeying, Hlakanyana came to a place where some baboons
were feasting. He asked them for some food.
The baboons replied: “If you will go for some water for us, we will
give you food.”
He agreed to that. When he returned with the water, the baboons refused
to give him food. Then Hlakanyana shouted loudly and said: “At my
village there is a marriage of baboons to-day.”
When the baboons heard that they fled, old and young. So Hlakanyana
remained there, and ate all the food.
As he was going along, he saw a hyena building a house, having cooked
some meat. Hlakanyana asked the hyena to give him some.
The hyena said: “No, I will not give you any; it is too little even for
me.”
Hlakanyana said: “Will you not have me to assist in building?”
The hyena replied: “I would have you without delay if you are intending
to help me.”
While they were fastening the thatch, Hlakanyana sewed the hair of the
tail of the hyena fast. Then he took the pot and sat down.
The hyena said: “Let that pot alone, Hlakanyana.”
He replied: “I am going to eat now.”
The hyena wanted to come down, but he found his tail was fast.
Hlakanyana ate all the meat, and threw the bones at the hyena. The
hyena tried to frighten him by saying there were many hyenas coming
quickly to devour him. He just answered: “That is false;” and continued
eating till the meat was finished. Then he went on his way.
Hlakanyana came to a river. He saw an iguana that was playing on an
ugwali (a simple musical instrument).
Hlakanyana said to the iguana: “Lend me your ugwali for a little,
please.”
The iguana said: “No, you will run away with my ugwali.”
Hlakanyana replied: “How can I run away with a thing that is not mine?”
So the iguana lent him the ugwali. When Hlakanyana saw that he could
play upon the instrument nicely, he ran away with it. The iguana
pursued him. Then Hlakanyana changed himself into a rush. The iguana
took that rush and threw it across the river, saying: “If I could only
see him, I would throw him like this.” Then the rush turned to be
Hlakanyana again, and he went on his way playing on the ugwali of the
iguana.
Hlakanyana came to the house of a leopardess. He proposed to take care
of her children while the leopardess went to hunt animals. The
leopardess agreed to that. There were four cubs. After the leopardess
had gone to hunt, Hlakanyana took one of the cubs and ate it.
At the time for giving food, the leopardess came back and said: “Give
me my children that I may suckle them.”
Hlakanyana gave one.
The mother said: “Give all at once.”
Hlakanyana replied: “It is better that one should drink and then
another.”
The leopardess agreed to that. After three had drunk he gave the first
one back the second time. Then the leopardess went to hunt again.
Hlakanyana took another of the cubs and ate it. He also made the door
of the house very small so that the mother of the cubs could not come
in, and then he made a little hole in the ground at the back so that he
could go out. The next day the leopardess came to give her children
suck. There were only two left now. Hlakanyana gave them both back the
second time. After that the leopardess went away as before.
Hlakanyana ate another of the cubs, so that only one was left. When the
mother came, he gave this one four times. When he gave it the last time
the leopardess said: “Why does my child not drink to-day?” It was
already full, and did not want to drink more.
Hlakanyana replied: “I think this one is sick.”
The mother said: “You must take good care of it.”
Hlakanyana promised to do so, but when the leopardess was gone he ate
that one also.
The next day when the leopardess came there was no cub left to give
her. She tried to get in the house, but the door was too small. She sat
down in front to watch. Then Hlakanyana went out through the hole he
had made in the ground behind. The leopardess saw him and ran after
him. He went under a big rock, and cried out loudly for help, saying
the rock was falling.
The leopardess said: “What is that you are saying?”
Hlakanyana replied: “Do you not see that this rock is falling? Just
hold it up while I get a prop and put under it.”
The leopardess went to hold the rock up, and Hlakanyana did not return.
He just ran away from that place.
Hlakanyana came to the village of the animals. The animals had trees
that bore fruit. There was one tree that belonged to the chief of the
animals only. This tree was a very good one, bearing much fruit on it.
One day when all the animals were assembled, Hlakanyana asked them the
name of the tree of the chief. They did not know the name of that tree.
Then Hlakanyana sent a monkey to the chief to ask the name of the tree.
The chief told the monkey. As the monkey was returning, he struck his
foot against a stone and fell down, which caused him to forget the name
of the tree.
In the night when all were sleeping, Hlakanyana went up the tree of the
chief and ate all the fruit of it. He took a branch of the tree and
fastened it to one of the monkeys. In the morning when the animals
awoke and found that the tree of the chief was finished in the night,
they asked each other: “What became of the fruit of the chiefs tree?
What became of the fruit of the tree of the chief?”
Hlakanyana looked at the monkey with the branch on him, and said: “It
is eaten by the monkey, it is eaten by the monkey; look at the branch
on him.”
The monkey denied, and said: “I don’t know anything about it. I never
ate the fruit of the tree of the chief.”
Hlakanyana said: “Let us make a plan to find out who ate the fruit of
the tree of the chief.”
All the animals agreed to this.
Hlakanyana said: “Let us put a rope from one rock to another, and let
all go over it. He that has eaten the fruit of the tree will fall down
from that rope.”
One of the monkeys went over first. The next was Hlakanyana himself. He
went over carefully and avoided falling. It came to the turn of that
monkey with the branch on. He tried to go, but when he was in the
middle he fell down.
Hlakanyana said therefore: “I have told you that it is this monkey.”
After that he went on his way.
Hlakanyana came to the house of a jackal. He asked for food, but the
jackal said there was none. Then he made a plan.
He said to the jackal: “You must climb up on the house and cry out with
a loud voice, ‘We are going to be fat to-day because Hlakanyana is
dead’”
The jackal did so. All the animals came running to hear that news. They
went inside the house, because the door was open. Then Hlakanyana shut
the door, and the animals were caught. After that Hlakanyana killed the
animals and ate.
Hlakanyana returned to the home of his father again. He was told that
his sister was gone away for some red clay. When she was returning he
shouted: “Let all the black cattle which have white teeth be killed.
The daughter of my father is coming who has white teeth.”
The chief said: “What is the matter with you, Hlakanyana?”
He just repeated the same thing.
The chief said: “Let a black ox be killed, but you must not break any
of its bones, because it belongs to the daughter of a chief.”
So Hlakanyana got fat meat to eat that day.
Hlakanyana went one day to tend the calves of his father. He met a
tortoise.
He said: “Where are you going to, tortoise?”
The tortoise answered: “To that big stone.”
Hlakanyana said: “Are you not tired?”
The tortoise replied: “No, I am not tired.”
Hlakanyana took it and put it on his back. Then he went to the house of
his mother.
His mother said: “What have you got there, my son?”
Hlakanyana answered: “Just take it off my back, mother.”
The tortoise held fast to Hlakanyana, and would not be pulled off. His
mother then heated some fat and poured on the tortoise. The tortoise
let go quickly, and the fat fell on Hlakanyana and burnt him, so that
he died. That is the end of this cunning little fellow.