There was a hyena, a man-eater; if the maiden brought a youth, the hyena ate him. She brought fifteen youths, and the hyena ate them all.
Now a certain youth heard of the maiden,—his name was Gede,—and he came and said,—"I would like to marry you." She replied,—"Let us go to the keikua and have a talk." The hyena came to eat the youth.
The youth seized the foot of the hyena and said,—"Come hither, maiden, hold on to the hyena's foot for me while I tie it up." The maiden took hold of the hyena's foot.
The youth ran off, he repeated that (action),[1] taking hold he cried out,—"O maiden, the keikua is the place for you. The hyena is your abode. I am off."
He left the maiden with the hyena. She called out to him (to stop); he went off. The hyena leaped on the girl and ate her. At "town-stirring time" (i.e. early morning) the maiden's brethren rose up, saying,—"This sister of ours, when she had had her talk with her young man, used to come home. To-day she has not come back. Something must be wrong. Let us go and see." They went to the keikua. They found the maiden's head lying there; the hyena had eaten her. They said,—"We had better let this alone."
No. 22 is also an interesting story, of a man child and lion cub who were comrades, but for this and many other instructive illustrations of Hausa ideas and beliefs readers must be referred to Mr. Harris's book, which we highly commend to students of Hausa.
The varied and exciting life amidst same surroundings that makes the land of polar bear, and walrus, and blue fox "God's own country" to the Eskimo, the ideas of past and future that his old men have formed in the long Dark of winter, and the myths and tales that explain for him the world around, are all to be met with in Mr. Rasmussen's book,—great vividness being given to the picture by the remarkable illustrations of Count Moltke. The " Danish Literary Expedition to Greenland,"
- ↑ I.e. he went through it in pantomime,—mocked her.
