But, Leopard seeing the sun going down, said, “Ihĕli! Pursue! that’s fire that’s going there!” But, Gazelle showed he was not deceived, by simply saying, “That’s not fire!” So, Leopard gathered fire-wood; and they cooked and ate their bebwehavu.
Then, they resumed their journey, and came to the Medicine tree. There Leopard told his usual story about the bark of that tree being his great cure-all. Gazelle quietly said, “Yes.” But, when they left the tree, and had gone a short distance farther, he exclaimed, “O! I forgot my staff! I must go back and get it!” He went back to the tree, stripped bark from it, put it into his traveling-bag, and overtook Leopard. And they came on together to the town. After they had entered their house, Gazelle remarked to Leopard, “Let me go out and see the other fellows, who came with you on your previous journeys, and who, you said, had stayed here with the women.” He went out; and returned, saying, “I saw the women, but none of those fellows.” Food was cooked for them, and they sat down to eat. But, suddenly, Leopard broke out in groans, “Ihĕli! I feel a pain in my stomach; go, get bark of that tree I showed you. The medicine! Get the medicine!” Gazelle answered “Yes, but just wait until I finish my plate;” and he continued eating rapidly. Leopard was distressed to see the food disappearing; but, as he had pretended sickness, he did not dare begin to eat. When, finally there was but little food left, Gazelle introduced his hand into his bag, and, handing out the pieces of bark, said, “Here’s your medicine! That’s it!” Leopard said, “Yes, just leave it there. I do not need the medicine now. The pain has ceased. Let us first eat. We will eat together.” After finishing their eating, Gazelle swept up the scraps, and placed them in a basket. Said Leopard, “Come, I will go with you to show you the place where sweepings are to be thrown.” Gazelle was about to fling the basket, as Leopard came to push him into the pit. But, Gazelle lightly leaped across to the other side of it, and cried out, “Uncle! what do you want to do to me?” Leopard said, “That’s nothing!”
It being night, they went to their sleeping-room, Leopard accompanied by his wife. He and she carefully jumped over the other pit that was inside of the door-way of that house. Gazelle also jumped, with careful observation, the while that people stood outside expecting him to fall into it. They retired for the night, Leopard and his wife on the bed; Gazelle on a mat on the floor. Said Gazelle, “Uncle, if you hear me stertorously snoring, then I am awake; but, if silently, then I am asleep.” In a little while, Gazelle feigned gentle snoring. Leopard thinking Gazelle was asleep, took an iron rod, and thrust it into the fire. Gazelle saw what he was doing. When it was red-hot, he removed it, and, stepping softly, was about to stab Gazelle with it; who, quickly moving aside, exclaimed, “Eh! what are you doing?” Leopard coolly replied, “Nothing; I was only brushing away an insect that was biting you.” Gazelle thought within himself, “Njâ will surely kill me to-night.” So, he took chalk, and secretly marked circles around his eyes, making himself look as if his eyes were open and he awake, even if he should actually be asleep. After a while, Leopard slept, sound asleep with his wife. Then Gazelle passed over to Leopard’s bed, and lifting the woman (unconscious in her sleep) to his mat on the floor, laid down in her place, beside Leopard in the bed. During the night, Leopard awoke, and, not noticing, in the darkness, the change at his side, went with the rod, to the mat where he supposed Gazelle was sleeping, and stabbed the woman to death.
Then Gazelle (who had remained awake) cried out, “Eh! you kill another person? You are killing your wife!” Leopard exclaimed, “Umph! Is that you? I said to myself that this was you!” Gazelle said, “Yes! what did you go to my bed for? So, then! I am the one you wanted to kill!” Leopard confessed, “It is true that I came here to kill you, thinking this was you. But, as the matter is thus, say no more about it. Let us cut up and eat this woman. Come, cut up!” But, Gazelle said, “I? When the town’s-people hear the chopping, then won’t they say, ‘What animal has Ihĕli killed in his brother-in-law’s town, that he is cutting it up at night?’ Yourself, cut her to pieces.”
So, Leopard said, “Well, leave the work on the body of the woman to me; but, do you attend to the cooking.” Said Gazelle, “I? When the town’s people shall hear the kettle boiling, then will they say, ‘Whom has Ihĕli killed in the town of his brother-in-law, that he cooks at night?’ ”
Leopard boiled the kettle. It was cooked; and he said to Gazelle, “Go, cut down a bunch of plantains, out there in the back-yard.” (This he said, hoping that Gazelle would fall into that pit, either in going out or coming in.) But, Gazelle said, “I? When the town’s people hear the strokes of the machete, and the crash of the fall of the bunch, then, will they not suspect me, and say, ‘What meat has Ihĕli killed, that he is cutting down a plantain at night?’ Cut it yourself.” Leopard went and cut down a bunch of plantains, and said to Gazelle, “Now, come and peel the plantains, and cook them.” Gazelle refused, “No; do you peel and cook. I’m in bed. I’ll eat only greens.” Then Leopard said (making a last effort to get Gazelle into the pit), “Well, go to the back-yard, and pluck pepper for the soup.” Gazelle again refused, “No; when the town’s-people hear the plucking of the pods, will they not say, ‘What animal has Ihĕli killed that he is gathering pepper for the soup?’ ”
Finally, Leopard, having done all the work, and finished cooking, and set the table, said, “Come, Ihĕli, I have finished all. Come, and eat.” Gazelle came, but said, “First, put out all the lights.” Leopard did so. And Gazelle added, “We will understand that whichever, at the close of the meal, has the largest pile of bones by his plate, shall be known as the one who killed the woman.” Leopard agreed. The light having been extinguished, they ate in darkness. But, while they were eating, Gazelle chose only the bony pieces that had little meat; and, having picked them, he quietly laid the bones by Leopard’s plate. When they had finished eating, the torches were re-lighted, and Gazelle cried out at Leopard’s big pile of bones. They were counted. And Gazelle said, “Did you not say that whoever had the most bones would prove himself the murderer? So! indeed! you are the one who killed another person’s child!”
Leopard evaded, and said, “But, Ihĕli, take a broom and sweep up the scraps from the floor, and throw them into the yard.” (Making thus a final effort to get Gazelle into that pit.) But, Gazelle, refused, “No; yourself do it. When the town’s-people hear the bones falling as they are thrown in the yard, will they not suspect me, and say, ‘What animal has Ihĕli killed at night, that he is clearing away the scraps?’ ” Leopard swept up the floor and table, and threw the pieces into the backyard. As they were finishing, day began to dawn. Gazelle said, “Njâ, the day is breaking; let us seek hiding-places; for, when the people come in, in the morning, and find that their daughter is dead, lest they kill us.” So, they began to look around for hiding-places. Gazelle said, “I shall hide in this big box on the floor.” But, Leopard objected, “No; that traveling-box befits me; and, as the elder, I shall take it.” Gazelle said, then, “Well, I’ll hide under the bed.” But, Leopard again objected (hoping to leave Gazelle without a place). “No; that also is my place; it suits me.” Gazelle protested, “You are claiming this and that place! Where shall I go? Well! I see! I’ll hide over the door.” “Yes” said Leopard, “that’s the hiding-place for a young person like you.” (This he said, still thinking of the pit near the door.) Gazelle agreed, saying, “I am here, by the door. You get into that box, and I’ll tie it with a string, as if no one was in it.” Leopard objected, “But, the string will hinder my breaking out.” “No,” replied Gazelle, “it shall be a weak twine. You can easily burst it, when you fling up the lid, and jump out, and run away.”
Leopard got into the box, and Gazelle began to tie it with a heavy chain. Leopard hearing the clanking, exclaimed, “With a chain, Ihĕli?” Gazelle had the chain fast; and he coolly replied, “It’s only a little one.” Then he piled heavy stones on the box. As day broke, he took his stand among a bundle of dried plantain-leaves that was over the door-way. The towns-people sent a child to open the door of the strangers’ house, to call them to eat. As the child was about to enter, Gazelle struck him a blow on the head; and the child went away wailing with pain. The child’s father said to his family that he would go to see what was the matter. As he pushed wide open the door of the strangers’ house, Gazelle slid down, sprang out, and ran rapidly away, shouting, “Njâ is there! Njâ is in that box! He it is who has killed your woman!” And the towns-people shouted after him, “Is that so? Well, you’re off, Ihĕli! Go!”
Leopard, when he heard that, made desperate efforts to get out of the box. The town’s-men entered the house and found the box with Leopard tied in it. They fired their guns at him, and killed him. As they did so, they reproached him, “Why did you kill our daughter, whom you came to marry?” Then they gathered together a great pile of fire-wood in the street, thrust on to it the dead body of Leopard, and burned him there. Gazelle went back to the town of Beasts, and they asked him, “Where is he with whom you went on your journey?” Gazelle told them, “He is dead. He it was who killed the other Beasts who went with him. And he is now killed by the relatives of the woman whom he was to marry, but whom also he had murdered.”