This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
Folklore of the Bushmen.
147

alone, the baboon came to her in a rage (it had been present and heard her observation about the stick, and thought she was mocking at the crookedness of its tail), and it said “Why did you curse me?” and it threw stones at her, and she ran home and told the girl of her dream and that it was coming true, and told her to escape to Qwanciqutshaa. The girl sank into the ground and came up at another place, and sank again. She sank three times and then came up and went to Qwanciqutshaa’s place. Qwanciqutshaa had killed a red rhebok and was skinning it when he saw his elands running about and wondered what had startled them. He left the meat and took the skin and went home, and asked why she came. She said she was frightened of the baboon. He told her to fetch water to wash the blood off his hand, and she went, and came running back in a fright, and spilt some on Qwanciqutshaa. He said, “What is the reason of this?” She said, “It is fright at the baboon.” He said, “Why are you frightened; he is your husband, and comes from your place?” She said, “No, I have run to you for fear of him.” Then he put her up on his head and hid her in his hair. The baboon had in the meantime come to the people she had left, and asked for her, and they said they did not know where she was; but he smelt where she had gone down into the ground, and he pursued, scenting her at each place, and when he came towards Qwanciqutshaa the elands started and ran about and gazed at him. He came up to Qwanciqutshaa with his keeries, saying, “Where is my wife?” Qwanciqutshaa said, “I have no wife of yours.” It flew at Qwanciqutshaa, and fought him, but Qwanciqutshaa got it down and struck it through with its own keerie, and Qwanciqutshaa banished it to the mountains, saying, “Go, eat scorpions and roots as a baboon should,” and it went screaming away; and the screams were heard by the women at the place it came from and all the baboons were banished. And Qwanciqutshaa killed an eland, purified himself as the baboon had defiled him, and he told the girl to go home and tell the people he was alive. But the young men wanted to marry this girl, and she said, “No, I love none but Qwanciqutshaa, who saved me from the baboon.” So they hated Qwanciqutshaa; and when he had