“Wait—come with me to the hut first,” Nomusa said. “I have something for you, too.”
When they got to the hut, Nomusa picked up the leopard skin, which she had asked Sihkulumi to remove carefully for her. She handed it to Mdingi.
The skin was a very beautiful one, and Mdingi was speechless with happiness.
“It is too much,” he managed to say, finally.
“I am happy to give it to you,” Nomusa answered softly. She was very glad it pleased him so much, because she knew how sad he had felt about not going on the elephant hunt.
Mdingi continued to gaze at his treasure and feel it with his fingers.
“I have another present for you,” Nomusa added. “It is a different kind of present, but maybe you can use it.” She told him the story of the wounded elephant that had attacked Sihkulumi and of their father’s courage and daring.
“If I could make songs, like you,” Nomusa said to her brother, “I should make a great song about this.”
Mdingi’s face had a kind of shining look that Nomusa had seen before. She thought he was seeing in his mind the heroic scene Nomusa had described to him, and the words of a song were already clamoring to be spoken.
Mdingi turned to go, clutching the leopard skin to him. “Thank you, Nomusa!” he said. “Thank you, thank you!”