Page:Swahili tales.djvu/53

Rh tell me what it is, this that makes you cry, that I too may know it." And she said, "There is nothing the matter with me, father." And he said, "Shall it be possible to be crying for nothing, eh?" She said, "I am only crying."

His wife came. "What are you doing with the child?" "I look at this girl, I see her crying, I ask her what makes her cry, and she doesn't tell me." And she said, "What do you want with the girl; this girl is a fool, she is mad; she had gone stealing somebody's tangos, and came here; and I saw the tango, and took it from her, and gave it to the owners. So this girl wants to get us into a squabble, she wants to get us abused by people, to get us beaten by people. Look at my child here, she does not go taking anything of other people's; when she has done eating, she sits and plats her strips for mats, and when she is tired of platting she lies down. This child of yours won't do it; when she has done eating she goes into people's gardens and takes people's things. She wants to bring us poor people into trouble. If people come after their things, I shall not be at home, I shall be out, and I will tell them, 'Go to her father;' that if it is a matter of paying, you may pay, if it is a matter bindingof binding [sic], you may be bound, if it is a matter of beating, you may be beaten; and all this will come upon you because of your daughter; for your daughter does not listen, she is not to be corrected, and she is not to be spoken to. So then, what is any one to do with this child? Well, for me, my husband, I am not inside, I have turned myself out of the house, because of the doings of this girl."

Her father took the child's hand, and went inside with her, and tied her hands and feet, and dug a place for a pole to tie her to, and said, "I shall not unfasten you; you must stay here till you die."

And she said, "Father, what do you tie me up for? Do