Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 15, 1904.djvu/355

 Collectanea. 331

he took the parcel and ahghted on the top of a tree ; he tried to undo it, but heard a sigh come from the parcel, he flew off to another place, and attempted again to loosen the parcel, but again he heard the sigh. The hawk then flew to the place where Libanza was, and alighting, said, " Behold your parcel which your sister has sent you." When he essayed to undo it iiis sister came out.

Libanza was blacksmithing. There was a person there named Ngombe, he swallowed people every day, so he was called Ngombe the swallower. When libanza heard that he swallowed people he melted an ingot of iron. The tortoise worked the bellows. Ngombe cried, "Kililili"; Libanza shouted, "Alalalala"; Ngombe said, "Who is that mimicking me?" Ngombe again cried, " Kililili " ; Libanza shouted, " Ngalalala, I am Anjaka-njaka Lokwala lotungi, Libanza, the brother of Nsongo." Ngombe the swallower came with his mouth wide-stretched to swallow him. Libanza melted the ingot, the tortoise worked the bellows swiftly. Ngombe came with his lower jaw dragging along the ground that he might swallow him, and Libanza threw the molten metal right into his mouth, and Ngombe fell fatally injured.

Only two or three remarks are all that I think are needed.

1. Pestles for pounding sugar-cane weigh from 25 pounds to 30 pounds.

2. Bianga-bianganga, a mythical monster of the forest.

3. Muntwontwa, di bird (a variety of the shrike) used in most native stories as a wizard of much wisdom and resource.

4. AnJaka-nJaka Loktvala lotungi, Libanza the brother of Nsongo. This is Libanza's full name = The exceedingly strong who can lift anything with his finger-nail, Libanza the brother of Nsongo.

John H. Weeks. Monsembe Station, B.M.S., Haut Congo. Etat Independant du Congo. Feb. 17, 1904.