Page:Swahili tales.djvu/405

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THE SPIRIT AND THE SULTAN'S SON.
385

And he said, "What are we to do?" And it said, "Come and unfasten me." And he unfastened it. And it said, "Now open the treasure chamber, and I will swallow everything; and when your father comes and goes to invite people to come and eat us, and when he comes, he will say to you, 'Let us go for firewood,' tell him, 'I don't understand such work;' and he will go by himself. And when he comes with it he will put on a great cauldron, and he will say to you, 'Make up the fire.' Tell him, 'I cannot;' he will go himself to make up the fire. He will bring much ghee and put it into the cauldron, till when it gets hot, he will tie up a swing and say to you, 'Get up and play.' Tell him, 'I do not know how to play at this; you get up yourself first, that I may look at you, and I may get to do as you do;' and when he gets up to show you, push him into the cauldron of hot ghee, and come away quickly, and I will come and wait for you under the tree there in the road."

And the horse ran away, and left the boy by himself. So when his father came, he said to him, "To-morrow let us go for firewood." And he said, "I don't understand that work." And he went himself by himself, and brought much firewood. And he had already told people, "To-morrow I have a feast, come."' And he came and took out a cauldron and put it on, and said to him, "Put on the firewood;" and he said, "I do not know how." And he said to him, "And bring the ghee." And he said, "I cannot carry it, I have no strength." And he went himself, and carried it, and put it into the cauldron, and lighted the fire, and he said to him, "Make it up;" and he said, "I do not know how to make up a fire."

And he said, "Have you seen our country game?" And he said, "Not yet." And the ghee had got very hot. And he tied up a swing, and said to him, "Get up here,