"Yehe, yehe! There goes their chief! A white mouse!" exclaimed one of the boys.
"Stop shooting!" came the imperative command from the shaggy-haired boy.
"It is a good sign to see their chief, but it is a very bad sign if we kill any after we have seen him," he explained.
"I have never heard that this is so," demurred Shungela, unwilling to yield his authority.
"You can ask your grandmother or your grandfather to-night, and you will find that I am right," retorted the shaggy-haired one.
"Woo, woo!" they called, and all the others came running.
"How many of you saw the white mouse?" Teola asked.
"I saw it!" "I too!" "I too!" replied several.
"And how many have heard that to see the chief of the mouse people brings good luck if the mice are spared after his appearance, but that whoever continues to kill them invites misfortune?"
"I have heard it!" "And I!" "And I!" The replies were so many that all the boys were willing to concede the authenticity of the story, and the hunt was stopped.