s honourable to
serve a man so great as thou.'

Makoma, after placing him in his sack, proceeded upon his journey, and
travelling for many days he at last reached a country so barren and
rocky that not a single living thing grew upon it--everywhere reigned
grim desolation. And in the midst of this dead region he found a man
eating fire.

'What are you doing?' demanded Makoma.

'I am eating fire,' answered the man, laughing; 'and my name is
Chi-idea-moto, for I am the flame-spirit, and can waste and destroy what
I like.'

'You are wrong,' said Makoma; 'for I am Makoma, who is "greater" than
you--and you cannot destroy me!'

The fire-eater laughed again, and blew a flame at Makoma. But the hero
sprang behind a rock--just in time, for the ground upon which he had
been standing was turned to molten glass, like an overbaked pot, by the
heat of the flame-spirit's breath.

Then the hero flung his iron hammer at Chi-idea-moto, and, striking him,
it knocked him helpless; so Makoma placed him in the sack, Woro-nowu,
with the other great men that he had overcome.

And now, truly, Makoma was a very great hero; for he had the strength to
make hills, the industry to lead rivers over dry wastes, foresight
and wisdom in planting trees, and the power of producing fire when he
wished.

Wandering on he arrived one day at a great plain, well watered and full
of game; and in the very middle of it, close to a large river, was a
grassy spot, very pleasant to make a home upon.

Makoma was so delighted with the little meadow that he sat down under
a large tree and removing the sack from his shoulder, took out all the
giants and set them before him. 'My friends,' said he, 'I have travelled
far and am weary. Is not this such a place as would suit a hero for his
home? Let us then go, to-morrow, to bring in timber to make a kraal.'

So the next day Makoma and the giants set out to get poles to build the
kraal, leaving only Chi-eswa-mapiri to look after the place and cook
some venison which they had killed. In the evening, when they returned,
they found the giant helpless and tied to a tree by one enormous hair!

'How is it,' said Makoma, astonished, 'that we find you thus bound and
helpless?'

'O Chief,' answered Chi-eswa-mapiri, 'at mid-day a man came out of the
river; he was of immense statue, and his grey moustaches were of such
length that I could not see where they ended! He demanded of me "Who is
thy master?" And I answered: "