DESERTED BUILDINGS, LUISENFELDE MINE
One story suggests another. Matola told us several of the same sort, as we sat round the lamp of an evening. Here are one or two samples:—
“Between this (Chingulungulu) and Nyasa,” said Matola, “is a high mountain, called Mlila; the road passes close to it. Beside the road are two axes and a shovel,[[39]] and no one can carry them away. If anyone picks them up and takes them on his shoulder, he has not gone far before he feels as if they were no longer there, and when he turns he sees them going back to their place. But the owner of those axes and that shovel is Nakale.”
UNYAGO BOYS PLAYING ON FLUTES OUTSIDE THE NDAGALA AT AKUNDONDE’S
LIKWIKWI, THE BIRD OF ILL OMEN, AS DRAWN BY A MAKUA. (See p. [372])
The other story is as follows: “At Mtarika’s (the old Yao chief now dead), people saw a great wonder. The grains of Usanye (a red kind of millet) cried in the basket. It came to pass in this way: The people had cut off the heads of usanye in the garden and put them into a basket. And as they were pressed together in the basket the grains began to weep and to scream. The people did not know where the crying came from, and turned out the basket, to look in it and under it, but they could find nothing, and heard nothing more. Then they put the grain back into the basket and the crying began again, and the people were frightened and ran away to fetch others. These searched, too, but could find nothing, and they all went away much astonished. But when they got home, they found the mortar dancing, and all the large earthen bowls (mbale) were dancing too, and Jongololo, the millipede, was building himself houses. Next day they all assembled to ask each other what could be the meaning of all this. And three days after, Mtarika died. That was the meaning of it.”
