The honey bird and the bat said, “Let us hide again”. The honey bird had a gun, the bat had a bow. The honey bird went to the bush, and killed a buffalo, and then went inside his gun, and the meat just lay there. The bat came and found the meat lying, but did not see where its owner had gone. Though he called, all was silent—the owner came not. The bat went to the village to call the people, saying, “I have found meat yonder, which the honey bird has slain, but I have not found where he has gone himself, only the gun is lying there”. An offering was then pounded by his wives and put on the top of the buffalo he had slain. The honey bird then came out of the gun, and cut up the buffalo, and it was carried to the village. The honey bird said, “Cook the hearts[71] that we may eat,” and they were cooked. All the people that carried ate the hearts (mitima).
Next the bat went away with his bow to the bush, and shot a buck (ndogolo) and it died. The bat itself then went into the reed of the arrow. The honey bird found the meat of the bat. Though he tried to see where it had gone itself, he failed, and he said, “I must just go back to the village to tell that the bat has slain meat”. Then the honey bird went away to the village to tell many people. The bat’s wives prepared an offering, and put on the head of the buck. The bat then came out of the reed. The buck was cut open and carried to the village, and the bat said, “Cook its heart” (hearts), and the heart was cooked and all eaten.
Then they were happy together saying, “We have played at hiding every day”.
There was a man that had ten dogs. Early in the morning he had porridge cooked for them, and went away to the bush, and killed ten marsh-pigs. When they were running after another it began to rain, and the man ran to a cave with his dogs.
Before he was well seated he saw an aged one coming, and the aged one began to ask, “Who is sitting in the cave?” The man then came out of the cave and climbed a tree. The aged one said, “Now you are eaten,” and began to fell the tree.[72] When the tree was about to fall they heard a bird (Mlamba) saying, “The tree of God shall never fall”. The old man again began to fell it; they heard the same little bird saying, “The tree for the Offering will never fall”.
They heard a mpuli[73] crying, “Puli!” when one dog died—“Puli!” another dog died, and so all the dogs were finished. The man then began to call the dog at the village which wore the beads. Let the mpuli try to sing again—they heard the dog call “Puli!” and the aged one died.
[At the end of this tale the narrator gave the advice to keep dogs found in tale 36. The native dogs look so unpromising that recommendations of this kind are not uncalled for.]
There was a girl that refused men,[74] and there came a hyena and married her. The hyena said, “I will conduct her to my home that she may pay a visit”. His mother-in-law said, “She does not pound. She only pounds castor-oil beans.”[75] The son-in-law said, “Yes,” and she accompanied him on the journey and arrived at the village. At the village they staid (slept) four days: then the husband said, “I will go and cut bark (to make cloth)”. He told his chief wife saying, “That girl does not pound”. When the husband went away, his wife went for the husked grain and said, “Girl, pound this”. The girl said, “I do not pound, I can only pound castor-oil beans”. She said, “Who will pound for you? Take the mortar, put in your grain, and pound”. As she pounded water appeared up to her loins, she pounded again, and it was at her neck, as she tried again, she was covered over.
A little bird followed after her master, saying, “Your wife is dead”. When he returned from his bark cloth he found the water everywhere. The man then took his small sticks, and said, “Piti, piti, ukosolya mbinji”. As for the water it was not seen where it had gone. The people then came out, and the man said, “What did I tell you then? I said that the girl could not pound. What you won’t hear, you hear when your head is boiling in a pot.”[76]
As the guinea-fowl flew, it found bamboos springing up, and it called the partridge and the dove, and all the birds and said, “This is springing up, come together and look at it, it will destroy people. Come let us peck it while it grows.” The partridge refused and said, “I will look out for myself”. The guinea fowl said, “I have warned you now”. So they left the bamboos growing. When they were grown then came men and found the foot-prints of guinea fowl and said, “Come let us set traps,” and they said, “Go and cut bamboos,” so they cut bamboos and set traps.
As the guinea fowl passed, it found the partridge caught, and said, “Ah! I warned you saying, ‘Come let us peck that which was springing up’. When you objected it sprung up, and now people have taken it and made a trap, and you are caught.” The partridge said, “It was for you they set it, and you have escaped”. The partridge continued, “Release me, peck the cord, peck it with your beak, when it is broken let us flee and escape.” As the guinea fowl pecked, the partridge was pecked in the eye and died.
Then came a man. The guinea fowl flew away. He said, “A guinea fowl was here and has fled”. He took off his belt and set for the guinea-fowls. Then he went off to return to the village, and he took the partridge. He found the river swollen.[78] As he crossed, the water took away his clothes. When he came to the village they said, “Where did you put your calico”. He said, “It was taken away by the water”. They said, “You did not make it firm with your belt”. He replied, “I left my belt to snare guinea fowl.”
They plucked the partridge and cooked it. While his wife was cooking it, she went out to the stream for water. The man took a plate and took off a leg and went to a chamber saying, “I will eat it in the chamber”. But the woman came and washed the ladle and took a plate, and took off one leg, and went to the chamber. The man then went away before he had eaten, and said, “She will see me, I must hide my plate”. The woman said (aside), “I must hide my plate, lest he see it”. She said to him, “Let me pass, let me pass to the door”. The man said, “Where are you going?” She said, “Let me pass,” and the plates met—thwack! and were broken. She said, “What did you carry?” He said, “What did you carry?”[79] She said, “Eating a relish alone! I was tasting it.” He said, “And I was tasting it too!”
The man took goods and gave the woman, and said, “Do not bring disgrace on me”. The woman brewed beer, and gave the man, and the matter ended.
[The native husband is highly susceptible to ridicule. The next story has a similar conclusion].
There was a man that did not eat bran-porridge, and he married at a village, and built a house with rooms. Then he killed an elephant, and carried its tusks to the coast. “Good-bye, my wife; I go a journey to buy goods”. “Take bran, eat it on the way.” “I don’t eat bran, but flour”; and he set off to the coast, and sold his ivory; and he got a fez—he got it to the bargain.
“Now, good-bye, my friend,” the other said—“Good-bye; you will meet us next year; bring more ivory again. We shall sell you more goods. We shall tell you the price of goods; come to say farewell.” He went to the house to say farewell, and went off for his home in the Yao country. He arrived at the village there, and they rejoiced that the caravan had come and brought goods.
The woman pounded corn[80] and put the bran in a plate, and went to the stream to wash the husked grain. The man took the bran and put it in his hat (the new fez), and took water, and put it in, and stirred, and ate. The woman then came to the door, and he took the hat and covered his head to hide the bran-porridge; lest his wife should see him. “There, I said I did not eat bran-porridge; my wife will laugh at me.” His wife said, “What is that on your head, that you are hiding?” He said, “Medicine that I prepared—for the journey”.
As the bran-porridge trickled down, he said, “Oh, my wife, hunger, hunger. Some hunger eats weeds of the field, some hunger eats what is bad. After hoeing for food, we shall eat what is nice at a feast. My wife, do not tell people that I was seen with bran-porridge on my head. I will pay you with goods.” So he paid her with goods. The woman brewed beer, and people collected, and danced and feasted.
A man and his wife went to the garden to hoe. The wife saw a nang’kabai (a bird), and told her husband. He shot it and gave the children to cook. As they were cooking the bird sang a song, “Roast me well, roast me well!” They took it to their father, and it sang again, “Roast me well, te, le; te, le, roast me well!” He said, “It is nothing, I will eat it”. Then he called his wife and said, “Now, that food is cooked, divide it for me. I will eat it.” So his wife divided it for him and he ate it to his porridge.[81]
Next morning they went to the field and said to their children, “You must wait to cook the porridge for breakfast to which the party will return at mid-day. See that you don’t eat of that bird.” They said, “We understand, we will not eat it”.
After that the daughter cooked porridge, and brought some[82] and gave her brother fowl for a relish. Then her brother refused the fowl and said, “I will eat of the bird to my porridge”. As he ate he began to grow the horns of a rhinoceros, and a tail. His sister heard[82] a breaking of plates and cried, “Tembo, what are you doing?” Then he came out of the house and began to chase his sister. His sister began to sing, “Mother you are in the field, Tembo has become a rhinoceros. But your daughter is not a rhinoceros.” The woman said, “My husband, a person is coming and singing a song: perhaps it is our children”. But her husband struck her[83] and said, “You are lazy, you do not want to hoe”. The wife said, “No, I am not lazy,” and soon they heard it again. And they saw their daughter coming running from a rhinoceros. The father took his gun and killed the rhinoceros.[84] Such was the fate of the disobedient boy.[85]
[1] After the subject of Civil Jurisdiction was re-adjusted by Commissioners sent out for the purpose, criminal cases were specially considered by a lay superintendent in the Mission, and the offenders were kept in slave-sticks by the headman of some of the Blantyre villages. Any headman performed this task with great zest when the offender was an alien, but when obliged to confine one of his own people (his ‘brothers’), he grumbled very much.
[2] One of the last cases where a flogging was proposed, took place in the following manner:—A drunk man threatened to make a martyr of one Englishman whom he attacked with an axe. After a struggle, however, he was caught and laid past for a flogging. When told of the matter I was very anxious that the poor fellow should be spared this. He was a native doctor—a man of some standing among his tribe. Fortunately the white man that had been assaulted was one who could make allowance for a native. Next night I got hold of an interpreter and went to reason with the prisoner, pointing out that he had forgotten himself, and was most likely to feel the consequences. I explained that I was sorry for him, but that I could do nothing to help him, and that the only way of escaping was to tell the injured party that he was sorry for what had happened. I don’t know how he worded his apology, but next morning he was described as having been let off because he was so very penitent!
[3] Often spelt Zambesi. Where my spelling of African names differs from what is sometimes seen in English books, I had a reason. My attention was directed to the subject in the following manner:—One day I spent a long time in setting down the derivations of several African names. To my great annoyance, I felt that in many cases I was busying myself about words which no African native had ever heard! Hence, although sometimes complying with use and wont, I have often given what I think the more correct spelling. The Portuguese are more fortunate in spelling native names than English writers are. Only when a man like Luther could spell his own name in four different ways (Luther, Ludher, Lutter, Lother), people that are not etymologists or phonographers, may excuse some laxity in writing African words.
[4] (I-am) the-driver-away-of-the-pigs: but owing to the abridged notation the gentleman would go down on the roll-book as Mr. Pigs.
[5] The translation “Deliver as from the Evil One,” adopted in the Revised Version, is not so easily understood by persons that hear the prayer for the first time. But (as will be seen from the 3rd and 4th chapters of Vol. I., as well as from the Native Tales in the Appendix) the supernatural world of the African is by no means tenantless. Moreover, the negro is very eager to hear all that the European has to say on this subject. When a Missionary rendered the well-known words addressed to Nathanael, “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God crawling up and crawling down upon the Son of Man,” he was soon asked to explain what he meant by “angels”! The moment the native understood they were spirits, he was able to improve the translation which had led him to place them in a different category.
[6] Our stockades were formed of growing trees.
[7] This sentence of mine was published in the Church Missionary Record, but the words, and truly, were inadvertently omitted. They were, however, in the original letter.
[8] Since my return to England, I was told in a letter from a native that this man still figures as a kidnapper, and that he recently lighted a great fire and threw some children into it, who were reduced to ashes.
[11] Even one of the Deputation publicly declared that blame was due not “on account of wrong doing, but of want of action”. Now the one object that I had aimed at, was to act towards the Committee’s colony at Blantyre exactly as clergymen act towards colonies in all parts of the world, while I understood that the Lay Missionaries were to go on with the colonial work in the same way as they had been doing before my arrival. According to the minute of appointment, I had been sent out as “Clerical Head of the Mission,” and I had always given the Committee credit for knowing the laws of the Church too well to make me anything else. But now it appeared that we had been playing at cross purposes: for the Directors began to insist that “Clerical Head of the Mission” really meant “Civil Governor of the Colony”.
[12] On one occasion there was a great conflagration at Zomba, in which a house was burned down. Although the danger was great a certain native was not afraid to mount on the roof. He then called for water, but the only method available was to hand up some in an old tea-kettle, which his companions did. He might as well have hoped to extinguish the flames by throwing on a pinch of snuff. Still he persevered, but, which was more ridiculous, when the fire came nearer, the man became very thirsty, and had to drink a large percentage of the water with which he expected to extinguish the flames!
[13] The Anyasa name for a hippopotamus is mvu, the Yao name is ndomondo. The first word is undoubtedly taken from the snorting of the animal, while the second word may be taken from the splash with which the animal returns to the river after feeding on the bank.
[14] On such a journey as ours the traveller may make every day so much of a Sabbath or so little of a Sabbath (as the case may be) that he loses his reckoning. It is exceedingly easy for a person to do this, and having nothing to refer to he becomes quite helpless. We were told that on one occasion, on Lake Nyassa, a party of Missionaries mistook their days, and while “one day in seven” was diligently observed by them, “the first day of the week” was profaned!
[15] The longer one labours in Africa the more does he feel what a call there is in that land for Missionary effort. Christian agency could effect a great deal more if better directed. Here we have a land teeming with population. Each Missionary has a field for himself alone, perhaps as extensive as Great Britain which has its thousands of Clergy. In a quiet rural parish of Scotland we may have the United Presbyterian, the Free Church, and the Church of Scotland (all three Presbyterian.) This gives us three clergymen doing a work which one clergyman could easily accomplish. In the interests of Christ’s Kingdom this is surely a pernicious arrangement which is all the worse if the various Christian bodies instead of fighting with Home Heathenism fight with each other. What a great deal might be done “to make disciples of all nations” by employing existing agents! But it is said “Clergymen are unwilling to go to heathen lands”. This raises the question, ‘What encouragement have they to become Missionaries?’ The Church of England, for instance, has no difficulty in finding Clergymen who will become Bishops. A great deal depends upon the inducements that are held out, and we may say so without implying that the English Bishop is more mercenary or less self-denying than a city Missionary.
[16] Since the above was written we have received the sad news that this devoted servant of God has been called away. His death will be a great loss not only to his own Mission, but to the whole cause of African Missions. While at Blantyre we occasionally corresponded with him, and it was with interest and sympathy that he looked upon our work in the region once occupied by one of his predecessors. Indeed he had himself laboured for a short time as far inland as Morumbala. His contributions to the study of African languages are of the greatest value.
[17] Clapping the hands is a form of salutation. His elder brother whom he succeeded is now his god.
[18] Besides regarding the strength of armies, the natives look greatly to the cleverness of those that possess tempting property, believing, as they do, that a clever man is sure to have a powerful war-medicine.
[19] Here we may trace some hazy idea about the use of spectacles.
[20] We translate the sorcerer’s name.
[21] Simwe was the name of the chief.
[22] The fruit of a native tree. The creation of these men reminds us of the story of Cadmus, while a disappearance of this kind is common in other native tales; sometimes the people go away because “called by their birth names” (§ 52).
[23] Parenthetical remark made by the narrator.
[24] This character is always given to the hyena (litunu), which corresponds to the wolf in European tales.
[25] Nothing is commoner than to see natives carrying porridge in leaves.
[26] The original is Rabbit or Hare.
[27] This would be the certain result of shouting “war”.
[28] Monkeys are an article of food.
[29] A native version of “Once upon a time there lived a man”.
[30] A similar story is found in Bishop Callaway’s Zulu collection. The name of the hero there is Uthlakanyana.
[31] I translated this from Chinyasa, I had also several Yao versions of the tale, one of which says that the occasion of the bargain was that they had knocked their hoes together.
[32] The word for “roast” in Chiyao is Kalanga, hence the name Kalikalanje.
[33] Or field.
[34] It is quite common to see this mode of wearing the hair. As the natives wear so little clothing, it is difficult to describe a person so as to make identification easy.
[35] Perhaps preparatory to hoeing.
[36] In some of the largest native pumpkins a rabbit might be concealed.
[37] This story comes from a native of Quilimane, and resembles a European tale found in Grimm’s Collection.
[38] The Anyasa have the same word for bees as for honey. If we were to translate the above so as to make this evident, we should have “much honey of life,” or, “much living honey”. The Yao have two different words.
[39] Many tales speak of fatal results from bees. The unclothed native we might think, would be peculiarly helpless among them. Still, by using fire, he soon secures the honey.
[40] Nyama applies to the animal when alive, as well as to the flesh.
[41] In this way it is usual for villagers on the river banks to challenge canoes. It would be very unusual for the crews to pass on without heeding the call, for then the villagers might fire on them. It is no excuse to speak of “being in a hurry” in this land. The same rule applies in the case of strangers passing a village. Europeans, however, are understood to be always in great haste, and are seldom interrupted.
[42] The Hottentots have tales whose main feature is an incident like this.
[43] A man stays at his wife’s village.
[44] A present of calico is usual at betrothals.
[45] The ordinary dress does not distinguish a male from a female, bangles would.
[46] All these arrangements are concessions that the hare obtains before the “marriage.”
[47] A cleverness like this is much prized and practised by the natives.
[48] The man is allowed his meat and the compensation besides. But for the promise made by the thief, his life would not have been spared. All these fables are in exact accordance with native customs.
[49] This is one way in which the natives may “over-draw their bills”. The promise does not seem in the least strange to those acquainted with the slave system.
[51] A general that led an army against the Scotch Highlanders was said to have committed a great mistake in putting his baggage behind his army, and not in front. If the goods had been in front, they would have absorbed all his enemy’s attention! The appearance of eatables will divert the mind of a native king amidst the most pressing civil cases.
[52] Anything sweet is greatly liked. We often used to give the natives sweetmeats. At first they were afraid to taste them. After a time, however, their desire for these things became insatiable.
[54] Simple humour like this is greatly enjoyed by the natives. I suppose their hares (sungula) like English ones, are most easily killed by a stroke on the head.
[55] The village according to native law (97), would belong to their father-in-law, and neither they nor their wives could succeed him. The father-in-law even if he had no younger brothers, would be succeeded by the children of his eldest sister.
[56] People always march in Indian or rather in African file. The paths do not admit of two going abreast. Even after a wide road is made, the natives still march behind each other (one by one), in a long line.
[57] Natives often act thus, knowing perhaps that the value of their word is very little.
[58] Abridged. In the native tales we always have repetitions like what are found in Homer’s Iliad and such ancient books.
[59] In these genderless languages, we have for father-in-law and mother-in-law the same word in the original. But for native glosses, I should have been inclined to translate ‘father-in-law’ all through.
[60] “Tie” is always used for “build”. Their houses are “tied” together. Even in the houses built for the mission there was not a single iron nail.
[61] Same word.
[62] Private parties often settle differences thus. Two women will roll in the mud biting and scratching each other like furies. They don’t tear each other’s hair, their hair being so short; but their comparative nudity makes biting convenient.
[63] A good specimen of native divorce.
[64] This tale is exceedingly common—in various versions.
[65] Hoeing is one method of self-preservation, when one is caught by a bush fire. These fires are exceedingly dangerous. The smoke accompanying them is quite blinding. On one occasion I was rescued by natives from considerable danger.
[66] The usual good-bye.
[67] A common experience in these unsettled lands.
[68] The natives sleep through this treatment. The European awakes with a scream!
[69] Natives are fond of working out a long series of this kind.
[70] A great element in native rejoicings. It is the negro’s bread.
[71] The word here includes heart, lungs, liver, stomach, entrails—all the inner part of the animal. The natives eat these first, and may preserve the rest of the meat.
[72] Many Zulu stories have incidents like the above. In another version I was told that the instrument used by the old man was his teeth.
[73] The great number of birds have their names formed from their notes, the root being often doubled as ngwale-gwale.
[74] A tale which is very common under various form. Such tales are meant to impress the mind of the young African girl with the danger of not taking the husband that she has been bound to. They are used in connection with the mysteries, and have built up a public opinion which is too strong for any poor girl to resist. Many young girls applied at the mission to be freed from this kind of bondage.
[75] Used for anointing (ornamenting) the person.
[76] This is a native proverb which applies to people that are not moved by the prospect of danger.
[77] Communicated by Mr. Buchanan.
[78] In the rainy season, streams that one can easily leap over, become in a few hours quite impassible.
[79] There being no windows it is very dark inside native huts.
[80] Natives do not keep food or even flour in readiness, and the slow cooking is a great trial to a hungry man.
[81] Their porridge like our bread is seldom eaten alone—but milk is not used to it.
[82] The brother and sister, though sharing their food with each other, eat apart.
[83] When a man goes to hoe, one of his reasons is that he may be on the spot to keep his wives from trifling!
[84] The natives have two names for a rhinoceros according to the number of its horns. Similarly they have one word for a black cat and quite a different word for a red cat. If we try to derive the names of all animals, &c., from sounds produced by them or associated with them we meet a difficulty here. The natives have about twenty different names for beads according as they are black, blue, &c., &c. The scarcity of adjectives makes this necessary to some extent.
[85] Such stories, stupid as they seem, are valued by the guardians of children and impress the infant mind with lessons of obedience.