Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 21, 1910.djvu/245

Rh "The Spider is dead." Then the Snake said,—"Let her go and show him the grave." The female spider went and showed him. So the Snake returned. A Dove came to the Snake, (and when) she (perched) on top of a tree she saw the Snake was about to die. So she said,—"What has happened to you?" And he said,—"It is (because) the Spider has cheated me. He has eaten my bull." Then she said,—"How much will you give me now if I take you to where the Spider is?" So said the Dove. He said he would give her 2000 (cowries). She said she refused. He said he would give her 10,000. She said she refused. Then he said he would give her 20,000. Then she said,—"Agreed." So she came and lifted him up, and took him to the Spider. She was singing and saying,—"Debts are owed (even) to the grave. We the payers of the debts to the Spider have come." She said,—"The soup (made) of rice and sweet herb (is welcome ?) thus (to) birds." Then the Spider replied and said,—"Is that so, O Dove? Come into my house and drink water. The soup of rice and sweet herb (is welcome) thus (to) birds." Then the Spider came outside, and saw the Snake. He (Snake) said,—"For shame, you man of the world, you have eaten my bull (and) I was searching for you and could not find you?" Then the Spider said to him,—"What shall we do?" Then he (Spider) said,—"Very well, enter." So the Snake entered the body of the Spider, and the Spider lay down and died. Then the Snake went off.

The Spider was seized with hunger, (but) he had nothing to eat. So he said,—"Very well," he must make a plan. He said he would summon all the beasts of the forest to mourn (his) death. When they had all assembled, he would jump up (with a) "boop," (so that) the big ones would be frightened and trample on the small. Well, the Elephant was told that the Spider had died, the Buffalo was told, the Roan Antelope was told, the Hartebeeste