After this Odoggha Eyu sent to the house where the brass pans, jugs, plates and other valuables used to be kept, and opened the door, only to find that it was as empty as the other house. Then he threw the keys down on the ground in despair and went away. He told his company what had happened, and advised them to go home at once, as he was unable to provide any more food and drink for them. Then the owners of the five slaves who had been killed went to him and demanded payment, and the other people to whom he owed money worried him all day, until at last he resolved to kill himself rather than go home in shame and debt. Odoggha Eyu then asked where his father was buried, and when he was shown the place he went back to the house and sat down, waiting until it became dark. That night he got a rope and hanged himself on the branch of a tree overhanging his father’s grave. His debtors, who were looking everywhere for him, could not find him, and thought he must have run away, but two days later his dead body was discovered hanging to the tree.
Ever since that time it has been a custom, whenever a person is absent when a sick relative dies and wishes to bury him, he first of all finds out how much property there is before he buys things for the funeral, so as to be quite certain that there will be enough to pay for all the expenses of the burial. If a man was poor, very few people would attend the funeral, but if he were rich many people would come. Hence the saying, “A small ju-ju has a small sacrifice, and a big ju-ju has a big sacrifice.”
Told by Abassi of Inkum.—[1.8.7.]
XXVIII.—How the Frog Beat the Bush Buck in a Race, and Won His
Daughter as a Wife.
Long ago, when the men, animals, and birds were living together, there was a bush buck who was fine and strong; he was also a very quick runner. This bush buck had a daughter whose skin shone like a bright red stone. She was much admired by all the men and animals, and many of them wanted to marry her, and spoke to her father on the subject, but he placed such a high dowry on his daughter that no one was rich enough to pay it.
At last some of the young men, who were very anxious to possess the pretty daughter of the bush buck as a wife, asked the father to reduce the amount of dowry to such an amount as they would be able to pay. As the bush buck was very fond and proud of his daughter and did not want to part with her, he refused to reduce the dowry, but told the young men and animals that he would give them all another chance of winning his daughter, and that was, if any one could beat him in a race he would hand his daughter over to the winner as his wife without any dowry at all. In making this offer the bush buck thought he was perfectly safe, as it was well known that he was a faster runner than anyone in the country.
A day was appointed for the races to be held, and a long straight course was cut. It was decided that the races should be run from one end of the course to the other and back again to the starting-point, and the first one to get back would be declared the winner.
When the day for the race arrived a large number of men and animals met, and the course was lined with spectators on both sides as far as the eye could see. Several young men who were noted for their speed and many swift-running animals competed for the bush buck’s daughter, but they were all beaten by the bush buck. After several races of this kind had been held, the fame of the pretty daughter of the bush buck spread far and wide, and many other men and animals came from distant parts to try and win her, but without success.
One day, when the bush buck’s daughter went down to the spring to get drinking-water, she met a young frog, who fell in love with her and decided to ask her father’s consent to their marriage. But before he did so the frog called all his company, who were very numerous, together, and told them that he intended to try and win the bush buck’s daughter, and that he would race her father. At this all the other frogs laughed, and said that the bush buck would have finished the course before the frog had jumped one pace.
The young frog allowed his companions to enjoy their laugh, and when they were quiet again he said, “I have a plan, and if you will all help me I am certain to win the race, and when I have got the bush buck’s daughter for my wife I will give you a big feast, and it will be a great score to us to win her where everybody else has failed.” He then said to his company, “Are we not all alike?” And they answered all together, with one croak, “Yes.” The young frog then told them his plan. As they all knew, the conditions of the race were that the two competitors were to start together and run to the end of the course, and then return to the starting-point, and the one who returned first would be the winner. All the young frogs were to go out in the early morning and hide themselves in holes at intervals along the whole of the course and one frog was to be at the turning point. Whenever the bush buck called out, one of the frogs was to answer him and pretend he had been running all the time.