Page:Swahili tales.djvu/37

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SULTAN DARAI.
17

ready; come and call me, that we may go when the time I was told to go is come."

He went to the woman's, and told her, "Your husband greets you, are you ready here? the bridegroom wants to come." And she said, "Is it not we who are ready and waiting for him to come, and the time is passing; go and tell him to come quickly."

He ran and found his kinsman standing at his door, ready and wanting to start. He said, "Your wife sends her compliments." He said, "Now then! what news?" He said, "No news except for you to be quick; you are called, and they there are ready waiting for you to go; come along, quick, the time is passing." And they set out and left the house, and went till they got to his wife's house, and he stood outside. His kinsman went in and said, "Now then woman, the bridegroom is come, and wants to come into the house." And she said, "He may, let him pass," and he went.

And they stayed in her house, he and his wife and his child and his wife's child, till the space of seven days was ended. And he said, "My wife." She said, "Yes, master." He said, "To-morrow, Thursday, I shall go to work; take care and stay with your daughter and the young child." So in the morning when it was light, he went away to his work.

The woman there behind cooked food and gave the children their shares, each one separately; and she gave her daughter good rice, and her husband's daughter she gave the hard dry scorched rice.

At noon when her father came, "Dish up the food, mistress." The woman went into the kitchen and dished up the food, and went to lay for her husband, and gave him water to wash with. And he said, "Call the children and let us eat our food." The woman said, "Ah! master, are the