Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 16, 1905.djvu/461

 Bavili Notes. 403

he hid away the food in his strong shimbec. When the ox came back the meat could not be found, and he was much annoyed. He resolved to destroy the turtle's trap. Unfortunately he was caught in it. The turtle then called the leopard to help him, and played the same dirty trick upon him. The leopard swore vengeance and went to the trap and so arranged it that it appeared that he also is caught in it. The turtle came along and gloated over his friend's apparent misery, but when he put his head out of his shell to have a look and smell at his victim, the leopard snapped it off The leopard then went to the turtle's town and ate up all the food there, and then told the partner what he had done. The man recognized that the turtle deserved his fate. The shell of the turtle is found in the Bibila.

Nbiibu (or Nguvu\ the hippopotamus ; u nlila ngolo, the hippopotamus that eats very much. The word vtiba is to take altogether too much for one's self There are many amphibious animals, but only four of which these words are used, nxelo kii bakoko 7isakiiso kit via mbazn, as a protection for the mouth of his bellows the blacksmith places an earthenware nozzle over it (so must men protect themselves against the fires which burn Zindoxi). These four are Kimbolo, the Nile crocodile, Ngandu, the Indian crocodile (another way of calling a man a witch), Banibi, the monitor lizai'd, and the Nguvu or Nbuvii. The head of the hippopotamus is found in the Bibila.

Mbambi Ngombi, the monitor lizard. They say that this lizard came along a road carrying a long basket or matet of salt. He noticed the little cricket Nkawla resting in the leaf of the Licisa (string-plant). " Get off that tree," says the Mbambi, " and allow me to rest this load of mine against its trunk." " Why," answered the Nkawla " use such a false picture to deceive me } You know that this is not a tree, and you know that you simply wish to kill and eat me. I am here, kill me ! " And the