Next morning, he did so. And the whole river was drained; and the fish were left in the middle, alone. He returned to the town, and sat down. The people went to see; and, they were frightened at the abundance of fish. For a whole month, fish were gathered; and fish still were left.
The Chief went to call his townspeople, saying, “We will do nothing to this fellow. Let him alone; for, you have tried him with every test.” They said, “Yes; and he has lingered here,” (i.e., was no longer a stranger; and therefore should not be eaten). But, they said, “Tomorrow there will be only wrestling.” (This was said deceitfully.)
In the evening, the father-in-law called him, saying, “Mbuma-tyĕtyĕ, tomorrow there is only wrestling. You have stayed long here. As you are about to go away with my child, there is left only one thing more that she wants to see, that is, the wrestling tomorrow.”
Gourd called him, and said to him, “It is not only for wrestling. You know the part of the village where is the Wrestling-Ground. There is a big pit there. You will take care if you are near that pit; and you must push them in.”
In the evening, food was made, and soon it was ready. He and his wife ate, and finished. They engaged in conversation. They took pleasure over their love that night.
The next day, in the morning, very early, the drums, both the elimbi and the common, began promptly to tell things in the street. (The Elimbi is a specially made drum used to transmit information by a system of signal strokes. News is thus carried very far and very rapidly.) The Gourd called him, and handed him a leaf of magic-medicine, to hold in his hand, saying, “Go; fear not!”
The townspeople began to shout back and forth a song (to arouse enthusiasm). Two companies ranged on each side of the street, singing. “Engolongolo! hâ! hâ! Engolongolo! hâ! hâ!”
“Engolongolo! hâ! hâ!
Engolongolo! hâ! hâ!”
Hearing their song as a challenge, the young man went out of the house into the street. Up to this point, the strongest wrestler of the town, named Ekwamekwa, was not with them; he was out in the forest, felling trees.