Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 3, 1892.djvu/362

354 milk. It has often been told, and the following version differs in no essential from those that have already been published by Mr. Theal. It is as follows: A man and his wife went to hoe a garden; they hoed all day. At night a bird came and said, "Garden, be mixed again." Next day the garden was all as if it had not been touched. They worked that day, and the result was the same. The third day the man watched all night in the garden, and caught the bird. He took it home and it made milk. He was very poor, and his children began to grow fat eating the milk. The neighbours wondered how they were so fat, when their father was so poor. One day, when he was away, other children asked them. They replied, "We eat the milk father's bird makes."

"Let us see the bird," said they. The children showed them the bird in its cage.

"Will he make milk for us?" was the next question.

"Father's bird make milk for our companions?"

"Yes," said the bird, "if you set me at the fireplace."

They set it at the fireplace, and it made milk.

"Father's bird make more milk for us?"

"Yes, if you bring me to the door."

They brought it to the door, and then it flew away, and was never more seen. The man and his wife were now as poor as ever, having lost the wonderful bird that made the milk.

The Damara legend of the origin of men and animals is told with as many variations among the Bantu as there are tribes. One version is as follows: When men and animals came out of a tree as from the womb of nature, all around was darkness black as midnight. A man kindled a fire, and then all the animals scattered and fled. This is why animals still fear fire, and why men kindle it to scare them away at night. The animals fear man only because he knows how to make fire, and but for this none of them would run away from him.