“Rightly named,” replied Moon. “And what follows it?”
“A goat.”
“Good again. And what next?”
“An antelope.”
“Excellent, O Bateta; and what may the next be?”
“A sheep.”
“Sheep it is, truly. Now look up above the trees, and tell me what thou seest soaring over them.”
“I see fowls and pigeons.”
“Very well called, indeed,” said Moon. “These I give unto thee for meat. The buffalo is strong and fierce, leave him for thy leisure; but the goat, sheep, and fowls, shall live near thee, and shall partake of thy bounty. There are numbers in the woods which will come to thee when they are filled with their grazing and their pecking. Take any of them—either goat, sheep, or fowl—bind it, and chop its head off with thy hatchet. The blood will sink into the soil; the meat underneath the outer skin is good for food, after being boiled or roasted over the fire. Haste now, Bateta; it is meat thy wife craves, and she needs naught else to restore her strength. So prepare instantly and eat.”
The Moon floated upward, smiling and benignant, and Bateta hastened to bind a goat, and made it ready as the Moon had advised. Hanna, after eating of the meat which was prepared by boiling, soon recovered her strength, and the children throve, and grew marvellously.