As they had done speaking, and were beginning to nip at the leaves, there came up at full speed a herd of graceful little ncheris with heads ornamented with short, pointed little horns, and stopped.
“Good-morning, kambis,” said the little ncheris to the big kambis, who were giants compared to them.
“Good-morning, dear little ncheris,” replied the big kambis.
“We have had a great escape,” said the ncheris. “We did not fall into the nets the human beings had laid to ensnare us with; but we saw many of your kind and many of ours caught by those horrid nets and dogs, as we passed by; and other beasts also,—some of them our enemies.”
“Glad to hear it. That is good news to us, for there will be fewer of these horrid creatures after us.”
The gazelles also wondered how they could have grown to their present size without being killed and devoured, as they had more enemies than the kambis, for they were smaller, and some of the night prowlers that did not attack the big kambis attacked them.
“We are more unfortunate than you are, big kambis,” said they, “on account of our small size. Only the biggest of the omembas can take your lives.”
“It is fortunate,” replied the big kambis, “that the ichneumon and some of the night prowlers kill these horrid omembas before they are full grown.”
“Yes,” answered the little ncheris, “for if these horrid snakes were not destroyed by them more of us would be killed every day.”
Then in a chorus all shouted: “How we hate and fear the omembas! How we wish they and the dreadful njegos had more enemies, and that the ichneumons were more numerous!”