Soon she made her appearance, and he received her with great delight. He looked at her and said: “I see by your hollow flanks, dear, that you have had nothing to eat to-night.”
“You are right,” she replied, “my stomach is empty; I am starving.”
Then, looking at him, she said: “I see also by your flanks that you did not kill anything to-night. You have had no flesh to eat, no blood to drink.”
“You are right,” he replied. “I also am starving. Well, we have to work hard for our living. It is not every day that we get prey.” They spoke of the animals they had met that night. “I saw a herd of njokoos,” said the big njego. “I thought it was wiser to let them alone. I might have sprung upon one and made fast to his trunk and lain between his tusks, but he would have run through the forest and dashed his head against the trunk of a tree and killed me.
“A little after, I scented a kambi; but the creature scented me also, and, though I followed her with all the cunning I possess, she succeeded in crossing and swimming to the other side of a large stream. I had to give up the pursuit, for unfortunately we njegos are afraid of crossing rivers, as we do not swim.”
They entered their lair. Then they went to sleep; but they were restless, for they were hungry. Every time they awoke, each said, “I wish night would come.” It came at last. They awoke, gave several yawns, and opened their mouths, showing their strong, sharp teeth. Their terrible retractile claws like those of a cat moved as if ready to sink deeply into the body of some animal. “If I catch a kambi to-night, what a feast I shall have!” thought each njego at the same time; and at the thought of blood both licked their chops with their prickly tongues.
They left their lair and parted, as was their custom both prowling in the dark, gloomy, and silent forest, for all the birds were asleep as well as the day animals.
Afar off there were two kambis together, when suddenly one said to the other: “We are in danger. I scent a njego. Let us flee, for the wicked creature is coming our way. Let us hasten. Yes, the scent is becoming stronger and stronger every moment.” They fled in the opposite direction from the scent, and after a long run came to a large river and swam across. Then they felt safe, as the broad stream was between them and the njego; for kambis know that the njegos never swim across a river.
After a while the njego scented the two kambis. He followed the scent until he came to the place where they had lain down. Here it was quite strong. He thought they were very near, and crouched on the ground, his belly touching it. Never had he been more wary, though he was intensely excited at the prospect of a good meal, and his eyes glistened as if they were fires.