Many men arrived at the town of Njambe-of-the-Interior, asking Jâmbâ for marriage. There they were killed (Njambe’s people were cannibals), not being able to fulfill the tests to which they were subjected. So, people said, “Jâmbâ will not be married!”
Finally Bokeli, the son of Njambe-of-the-Sea-Coast, said, “I am going to take Jâmbâ for marriage.” He prepared for his journey; he went; and he arrived at the town. He at once entered into the public Reception-House, and sat down. There the people of the town exclaimed, “A fine-looking man!” And they saluted him, “Mbolo!” The young women at once went to tell Jâmbâ, saying, “What a fine-looking man has come to marry you!”
Previous to this, the mother of Jâmbâ, who was lame with sores, was lying in the house. If a prospective son-in-law laughed in her presence, she would say to her husband, “He is mocking at me!” Then that visitor would die. All the men who had come there to marry, were killed in that way.
Before this (as Bokeli understood the speech of all Beasts and of Birds) when he entered into the Reception-House, a Cock in the town spoke to him, and said, “If your hope for food rests on me, you will not eat! I will not be killed for you; neither shall you eat at all!” Also a loin of Wild-Goat meat, hanging in the kitchen, said, “For me, you will not eat!”
But Njambe (who had overheard the Cock, and who was thinking of food for his guest) ordered, “Today, catch ye Kuba!” But Cock ran off to the forest. Then the people said, “Take the leg of Mbindi!” The leg of Wild-Goat protested, “I?” And it rotted. They sought some other thing to cook for Bokeli; but, there was nothing. So, Njambe sent his sons hunting to kill wild beasts.
Then, the mother of Jâmbâ called for Bokeli, saying, “He must come; let me see him.” So, he entered into her house, and he sat down. They began to converse. It was but a little while then that the mother said to her daughter, “Search for me on the drying frame (over the fire-place); you will find Ko there; take it for the guest, and cook it.” The Wild-Rat spoke, saying, “If it is I, he will not possibly eat!”
At this, Bokeli broke into a laugh. The mother was displeased, and said, “You are laughing at me!” Bokeli replied, “No!” But, the woman flung into a rage, and threw herself down on the ground, ndi! She exclaimed, “Ah! Njambe! He laughed at me! Catch him! And let him go to die!”
They laid hold of him, and brought him out of the house. They were about to go a little further to the end of the town, when he suddenly pretended he was a corpse, and leaving his body, his spirit went back home, and assumed another body. They became quiet, all of them being startled. When they moved him, he was as cold as cold victuals. They said, “What shall we do here?” Some of them advised, “Let us take Jâmbâ and this corpse, and let us go together to his father, and explain, ‘Bokeli is dead, but this woman is his wife.’ ” Others said, “What! lest his father will kill us!” Then they decided, “Not so! but, let us send as messenger some Etungi (useless person; no loss if he should be killed) to the father’s town.”
The Etungi went on that errand. When he arrived at Bokeli’s town, he met Bokeli sitting at the village smithy, and, not recognizing him, was intending to pass him by. Thereupon, Bokeli called to him, “Brother-in-law! what are you doing? You have found me sitting here, but you seem about to entirely pass me by. Though all your family do not like me, come in to the Reception-House.” The Etungi thought to himself, “Ah! I am dead! Is not this a brother of Bokeli?” Bokeli called to his mother, and told her, “Bring out that food of mine quickly that is there! My brother-in-law has come; he feels hungry!”
They set the food as soon as possible. And the Etungi ate.