Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 3, 1892.djvu/114

106 It is so when you bring in a man who is not known, but who, in his wandering about, only looks to steal the things of the people.

There went out some boys to hunt game.

It came to pass when they reached the forest, that they came upon game in abundance. They hunted and killed much game, including coneys, reed-buck, guinea-fowl partridge, and bush-buck.

And they said, "Let us go to our resting-place, and there prepare the meat."

So they arrived, and sat down there.

There came also to the place where they were, other people, who were hunters likewise. They all remained in one place; they cut firewood, and made a fire.

Then came a leopard and snatched up part of the reed-buck meat which they had.

Thereupon the men spread themselves out, in order to hunt the leopard. Meanwhile, there came an eland, which ate all the game.

So when the men had pursued the leopard without success, they decided to return.

When they arrived at the resting-place, they found all the game gone.

They said, "The meat is eaten by whom?"

They searched very diligently, but they found no one. There remained behind one young person only.

And it came to pass, when they were searching for the game, that an eland came down and ate the young person.

The men having failed to find the man who took the game, returned, and found the young person amissing This young person had a knife in a sheath on his arm.

When they found the child gone, they sought for him but found him not.