Page:Swahili tales.djvu/117

Rh whither he came, and went to his pots to eat; and when he had finished eating, he came to the door. And he perceived a smell of something inside. And he called, "You old body, how is it I smell a different smell there inside?" And she said, "Master, I am here by myself; I have stayed many days without scenting myself, to-day I have scented myself, and this is the smell you perceive, and you say there is something difterent inside. Where could anything come from, master?"

And the gazelle had drawn the sword, and stood ready. The snake put his head inside, the gazelle had the sword drawn, and cut off his head without the snake's knowing his head was cut off. And he put through the second, the gazelle had the sword drawn, and cut off that head. The snake lifted up his head, and said, "Who has come to my house to scratch me?" and putting in his third head to try to get inside, the gazelle had the sword drawn, and cut his third head off.

Till when it had finished six heads, in the fury of the snake he unfolded his rings, and the gazelle and the old woman could not see one another for dust. And when he put in his seventh head, the gazelle said, "To-day is your death;" and it said, "You have climbed all sorts of trees, but this you can't climb." And the snake lifted his head to go in, the gazelle had the sword drawn, and cut off his seventh head. And the gazelle fell down fainting.

The old lady set up screams and cries of delight, and she felt her body, and her eyes, and her spirit, and her strength like a girl of nine, and she was a person of seventy-five. And the old woman ran and took up the gazelle, and the gazelle had fainted, and put water upon it, and fanned it, and put it in a place opposite to the wind, till the gazelle drew a breath, and the gazelle sneezed, "che!"