The night was far advanced, and he had to hurry to find a place to sleep in. At last he found one, though it was not very comfortable, not being dark enough in daytime. As he lay down to sleep, he twisted his long tail over his eyes to hide the dim light when the day should come. Just as he was dropping off to sleep, he heard the cry of partridges calling to each other, and said to himself, for the oshingi know by the different noises the birds make what species they belong to, “To-morrow night I will hunt up those partridges.”
The oshingi did not sleep well, for the place was not very dark, and he could not help remembering the cosey home he had abandoned. When it was night he left his hiding-place, and went after the partridges he had heard in the early morning; but they had gone far away, and he could not get his supper, and felt very disappointed. Giving up the chase of the partridges, he looked for a big old tree with a hollow, and ascended several in the hope of finding good lodgings, but saw none.
Continuing his search, he heard a slight noise. He stopped, and saw a porcupine near by. But he said: “No matter how hungry I am, I will not attack you, porcupine. I am afraid of your long and hard quills.” And both animals went their way.
Soon after the oshingi heard a great noise and ran up a tree to hide. A large herd of ngoas thereupon appeared, grunting terribly; for they had found many nuts on the ground, and their grunts were grunts of gladness. The chief of the herd scented the oshingi, and made for the tree in which he was hidden. But the oshingi waited for the boars to move on, and when they had done so, he came down the tree, crying: “What a fright those horrid ngoas gave me!”
That night the oshingi discovered a fine, deep hollow, and entering it, explored it with great prudence, saw that it was all right, and rejoiced greatly, saying to himself: “I hope prey will be plentiful round here, so that I can enjoy this nice new house of mine for some time.” Then he looked at everything so as to know the surroundings well.
From his new home the oshingi started every night after prey. At first he fed well, partridges, black pheasants, and other large birds being plentiful. He killed many and drank their blood. At last the survivors were terrified, and departed for another part of the forest.
Then once more the oshingi had a hard time to get his meals, and days of hunger and starvation came again. He at first thought of going back to the lair he had left, but reflected to himself: “It has not been long enough yet since my departure for the partridges, pheasants, and other birds to return to that neighborhood. I must seek new quarters.”
After two nights’ wandering, he reached the outskirts of a village of human beings, and, to his great joy, scented chickens. “I like to come to the habitations of human beings,” he chuckled, “for they always have chickens, and when I can get into a chicken-coop I am happy.”
But he also scented dogs, which caused him to add, “I must beware of the dogs, for they are my enemies. Oh, how I hate dogs!” He took great precautions as he walked in the direction of the village. When near, he heard human voices and the barking of dogs, which frightened him. Thereupon he ascended a tree, and, seeing a hole in which to hide and sleep, he said: “I am going to stay here. I have seen villages of human beings before, and when they all go to sleep my turn will come, and I shall have a great time in the chicken-coops.”
The following night the oshingi left his hiding-place to make his raid upon the chicken-coops. On his way, he said: “I must be very cautious, for now I am a thief, and must keep out of the way of the human beings and their dreadful dogs.”