FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121  
122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   >>  
se in his hand, and went around through the bushes to the Unyoro Road. All this had been done very quickly, because, being a hunter, he knew the neighbourhood well, and while watching the animals in the village, his mind had been busy forming his plans. Now when he came to the Unyoro Road, he stood straight up and strode rapidly in the direction of the village which had been that of his tribe. Arriving near it he crawled up to the gate and looked in, then traced the fence all around until he came back to the same gate. Kibatti now stood up and hailed the animals, crying loud, "Hullo, hullo there! Are ye all asleep? Will ye not let a poor benighted stranger in? The night is cold, and I am hungry." King Buffalo, who was on guard, trotted up to the gate, and looking out saw a small boy who was naked, except for a scant robe which depended from his shoulders. "Who art thou?" demanded the buffalo in his gruffest voice. Kibatti answered in the thin voice of a fatherless and starving orphan. "It is I, Kibatti the Little, from Unyoro." "What dost thou want?" "Only a little fire to roast my eggs, and a place to sleep. I am a forest-boy, and live alone in Unyoro. My parents are both dead, and I have no home. If you will give me work I will stay with you; for then I shall have plenty to eat. If not, let me sleep here to-night, and in the morning I will go." "What work canst thou do?" "Not much, but I can fetch water and fuel." "Wait a minute, I will see if our people will let thee in." The buffalo moved away and woke up the rhinoceros, the elephant, the lion, the leopard, and hyena, and told them that there was a little forest-boy seeking a night's lodging. At first the general belief was, that he belonged to the tribe which had owned the village, but the buffalo denied that this boy could have known of the country, as he had come boldly up to the gate from the Unyoro road; besides, was it likely that a small boy, knowing what had happened, would ever have come back when those who had destroyed the village were in possession of it? This last remark settled the matter. King Elephant said, "As thou wilt, Buffalo. Even if the matter were otherwise, a small boy can do no harm. Let him in. We will give him plenty of work." King Buffalo opened the gate and allowed Kibatti to enter, and introduced him to his friends, King Elephant and the rest, all of whom smiled as they saw his slender and
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121  
122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   >>  



Top keywords:
Unyoro
 

village

 

Kibatti

 
buffalo
 
Buffalo
 
animals
 

plenty

 

Elephant

 

matter

 

forest


elephant
 
rhinoceros
 

leopard

 

minute

 

people

 

morning

 

settled

 

possession

 

remark

 

smiled


slender
 

friends

 

opened

 
allowed
 

introduced

 
destroyed
 
belief
 

belonged

 

denied

 

general


seeking

 

lodging

 
happened
 
knowing
 

country

 
boldly
 

starving

 

crawled

 

looked

 

traced


Arriving

 

direction

 
straight
 

strode

 
rapidly
 
asleep
 

crying

 

hailed

 
quickly
 

bushes