He searched for them, and found the girl under the ashes and the boy behind a stone. He inquired at once about his bird. They were compelled to tell the truth concerning it.
Then the man took a riem and hung those two children on a tree that projected over the river. He went away, leaving them there. Their mother besought their father, saying that they should be released; but the man refused. After he was gone, the boy tried to escape. He climbed up the riem and held on to the tree; then he went up and loosened the riem that was tied to his sister. After that they climbed up the tree, and then went away from their home. They slept three times on the road.
They came to a big rock. The boy said: “We have no father and no mother; rock, be our house.”
The rock opened, and they went inside. After that they lived there in that place. They obtained food by hunting animals,—they were hunted by the boy.
When they were already in that place a long time, the girl grew to be big. There were no [[37]]people in that place. A bird came one day with a child, and left it there by their house.
The bird said: “So have I done to all the people.”
After that a crocodile came to that place. The boy was just going to kill it, but it said: “I am a crocodile; I am not to be killed; I am your friend.”
Then the boy went with the crocodile to the house of the crocodile, in a deep hole under the water.
The crocodile had many cattle and (much) millet. He gave the boy ten cows and ten baskets of millet.
The crocodile said to the boy: “You must send your sister for the purpose of being married to me.”