“You will need more than one,” Nomusa said. “I have something here that I must bring up.”
“What is that?” Zabala inquired.
“You shall see,” Nomusa said mysteriously.
Before long Damasi threw down two lengths of woven vines. Nomusa tested them and found them strong. One she bound securely about the leopard; the other she knotted under her arms. “Ready!” she called.
Zabala and Damasi braced themselves firmly and pulled with all their might. Nomusa held on tightly and dug her toes into the sides of the pit. Right now she wished they were long like the Pygmy’s!
At last she was over the top of the pit and lay on the ground breathing hard. Damasi and Zabala looked at her with concern, touching her to be sure she was all right.
“Now the other,” Nomusa said, finally, still panting.
This time the pull was easier, for there were three of them. Nomusa could not wait to see their faces when the leopard appeared.
“Hau!” the boys cried at the same time. “A leopard!”