Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 27, 1916.djvu/160

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Folklore of the Banyanja.

wing, and the Duck carried him over. Then he let the other boy hold his strong wing and took him over too. When it came to Makombe's turn the Duck said, "Take hold of the wounded wing"; but Makombe said, "No, I shall fall in the river!" The Duck said, "No, I shall take care of you." So Makombe held the wounded wing and the Duck said, "Don't tell anyone about my wing" and he said, "All right"; so the Duck took him across. When he went home the Duck followed him and heard him say at supper, "I don't want to eat anything; the duck who took me over the water made me hold his wounded wing and it was gangrened." Next day the boys went out again for a walk. When they came to that place there was no river, only the tree stump. It knocked against Makombe's pot, and he turned and struck it with a stone. When they came back to that spot the river was in flood again and the Duck was swimming on it, smoking a pipe. The brothers asked the Duck to take them across and it took the two others across; but left Makombe and would not take him. So he waited on the river bank. It grew dark and all his brothers had gone home. A Mosquito came and spoke in his ear; it said, "If you want to go home, go up that mountain; there lives a man there; but you must call him by his name, 'Chingangara.' He doesn't like people who do not know his name." Makombe went and found the man and asked him to take him home. The man said, "You know me? what is my name?" Makombe said, "Chingangara"; so the man said, "Very well," and took him home. Again he told his brothers at supper about how he got home.

Next day they went out again; they passed the stump again and it knocked against Makombe's pot, so he struck it with a stone. When they came back the river was in flood and the Duck was sitting on it, smoking a pipe. He took the two brothers across but he would not take Makombe. Makombe waited until it was dark; but he