IN THE COURSE OF TIME, a man had three sons. Once, the oldest one went with his mother to dig up eddos tubers. As they were thus occupied, he saw a seed-bulb. And he said, “Why, there is a seed-bulb as handsome as my little brother.” But his mother said to him, “How can a seed-bulb be as handsome as a human child?” He, however, hid the seed-bulb, and the mother tied up the eddos to carry them home. The boy hid the seed-bulb in the hollow of a tree and, using a magic formula, said, “Msura Kwivire-vire tsa kambingu na kasanga.”

The following day he went there again. The seedling had now become a child. Whenever his mother cooked food, he carried some to it, again and again. Every day he carried food there, but he himself grew leaner and leaner. His father and mother noticed how lean he had grown and asked him, “Son, what is it that makes you so lean? Where is the food going that we always cook for you? Your younger brothers have not become so lean!” Then one of his younger brothers decided to watch the food being cooked. He saw his older brother receive his share severed on a plate, and that he did not eat it but carried it away as though to save it. His brothers followed him at a distance to spy on him and saw how he put it into the hollow of a tree. thereupon they returned home and said to their mother, “We saw how our brother out the food there into the hollow of a tree and brought it to a child living there.” And she said to them, “Whose child would inhabit the hollow of a tree?” Thereupon they said to her, “Come on, we will go and direct you there, you-who-have-nursed-us!” And they led their mother there and showed her the place. And behold! there in the hollow of the tree was a little child! So his mother approached the child and killed it.

After she had killed the child, the older brother Mrile carried food there as usual but did not find the child; instead he found it slain. There upon he went home and wept copiously. Then his parents asked him, “Mrile, why do you cry?” And he answered, “It is because of the smoke.” So they said, “Sit down here at the lower end.” Yet his tears still continued unrestrained. Again they said to him, “Why do you cry all the time?” And he answered, “It is nothing but the smoke.”” Then they responded, “Take your father’s chair along with you and go into the courtyard and sit down!” He took the chair, sat down on it in the courtyard, yet the tears continued.

Suddenly he said, “Chair, raise yourself up high like my father’s rope whereby he suspends the honey barrel in the virgin Forest and in the steppe.” About this time his younger brothers entered the courtyard. They saw how he was traveling upward the sky. They informed their mother, “Mrile has travelled up toward the sky.” But he said, “Why do you talk about your oldest brother traveling up toward the sky? Is there a road, you-who-have-nursed-us!” So his mother came to investigate and found that he had indeed ascended high up.

There upon his mother cried:

“Mrile return

Return, my child,

Return!”

But Mrile answered:

“I shall return no more,

I shall return no more,

Mother, Ah, I,

I shall return no more,

I shall return no more.”

Thereupon his younger brother cried:

“Mrile, return,

Return, our brother,

Return!

Come home,

Come home!”

But he said: “Oh, I,

I shall return no more,

I shall return no more,

My brothers,

I shall return no more,

I shall return no more.”

Thereupon his father came and spoke:

“Mrile, here is your food,

Here is your food,

Mrile, here it is!

Mrile,here is your food,

Here is your food!”

But he answered, saying:

“I want no more,

I want no more,

My father, Ah, I,

I want no more,

I want no more.”

Thereupon his tribal companions came and sang:

“Mrile, come home!

Come home!

Mrile, come!

Come home!

Come home!

Mrile, come!”

Thereupon his uncle came and sang:

“Mrile, come home,

Come home!

Mrile, come!

Come home,

Come home!”

But he sang in reply:

“Ah, I,

I shall return no more,

I shall return no more.

Uncle, Ah, I,

I shall return no more,

I shall return no more!”

And he disappeared, so that they could not see him any more

After a while, Mrile encountered wood-gatherers. He greeted them, “Wood-gatherers, good day! Please show me the way to Moon-King.” But they answered him, “Gather some wood, then we will direct you there.” So he cut some firewood for them. Then they told him, “Just go straight ahead, and you will encounter some grass-cutters!” So he went on and soon encountered some grass-cutters. “Grass-cutters, good day!” They returned the greeting. “Please show me the road to Moon-King.” But they said to him, “Cut some grass first, then we will direct you there.” So he cut some grass for them. Thereupon they told him, “Just go straight ahead, and you will encounter some tillers.” So he went on and soon encountered some tillers. “You who are tilling there, good day!” And they said to him, “First till for us, then we will direct you there.” So he tilled for them. There upon they told him, “Just go straight ahead and then you will encounter some herdsmen.” He went on and soon encountered some s=herdsmen. “You, tending the herd there, good day!” Good day!” Please direct me to Moon-King!” But they told him, “Watch the herd for us for a while, and we will direct you there!” So he helped them with the grazing for a while.

Then they said to him, “Just go straight ahead to the bean-harvesters!” “You there, harvesting beans, good day! Please direct me to Moon-King!” “Help us pick beans a little, then we will direct you there!” So he picked some beans. Thereupon they said, “Just go further along this road to the millet-reapers!” Soon he encountered some millet-reapers. “You, millet-reapers, greetings! Please direct me to Moon-King!” “Help us first reap some millet, then we will direct you there!” “Now go further along the road to the people who seek banana stalks!” These, in turn, he saluted: “You, banana-stalk seekers, greetings! Please direct me to Moon-King!” “Help us seek banana stalks first, then we will direct you there!” So he found them some banana stalks. Then they told him, “Just go straight ahead, until you come to the people who carry water!” “You water-carriers, greetings! Please show me the way to Moon-King!” “Go straight ahead to the people who are just eating in their houses!” “You, house-owners, greetings! Please direct me to Moon-King!” “Come, first eat something, then we will direct you there.”

After a while he encountered people who ate raw food. They were the people of the Moon-King. And he said to them, “Why do you not cook with fire?” But they answered him thus, “What is that, fire?” He said to them, “One cooks food with it until it is done.” Then they said to him, “We know nothing about fire!” And he said to them, “If I prepare you some tasty food by means of fire, what will you give me?” The Moon-King said, “We shall rent you large cattle and some small stock.” And Mrile said to them, “Good, gather a lot of dry wood for me, and I will bring you the fore.” So they gathered some wood, but they went behind the house where they were not seen by other people. Mrile, then, brought forth a fire-drill and a fire-board and struck fire, there, behind the house. They then lit the firewood and he placed green bananas in it for roasting. Then he said to Moon-King,”Try to eat these bananas which I have roasted in the fire.” Moon-King ate the banana and noticed how nice it tasted. thereupon Mrile put meat in to cook and said to him, “Now you must eat cooked for them all kinds of eatable things, all well done. Finally, Moon-King had the people called and he said to them, “A medicine-man has come from below there, from below there!”

Now Moon-King spoke, “Tribute shall be paid to this man to buy his fire from him.” Then they asked him, “What shall be paid you?” And he said, “Let one person bring a cow, another a goat, another something from the granary!” So they carried all these things to him. Then he distributed fire among them, whereon they went to cook their food.

After a while he reflected: “How can I reach home again, if I cannot send a message there?” So he ordered all the various birds to come to him. They came to the palce where he was staying. Then he spoke to Raven: “If i send you to my homeland as a messenger, what will you say when you get there?” Raven said, “I shall speak thus: ‘Coorooh, coorooh, coorooh!” So he chased him away. Then Rhinoceros-Bird came. “You, Rhiniceros-Bird, of I send you, how will you speak to them?” He answered, “I shall say, ‘Ngaa, ngaa, ngaa!‘ ” So he chased him away, and Hawk appeared. “You, Hawk, if I send you into the homeland as a messenger, what will you say?” Hawk answered thus: “Chiri-i-i-o!” So he chased him away too. Thereupon he spoke to Buzzard: “If I send you, what will you say?” Buzzard answered, “I shall say, ‘Cheng, cheng, cheng!’ “

So he chased him away. And thus he examined in turn all the birds, every species around there, without finding a bird who understood anything. Then, finally, he called Mocking-Bird. “You, Mocking-Bird, if I send you, what message will you deliver?” Mocking-Bird answered:

“Mrile will come the day after tomorrow,

The day after tomorrow;

Mrile will come the day after tomorrow,

The day after tomorrow,

The day after tomorrow.

Save some fat for him in the spoon!

Save some fat for him in the spoon!”

Thereupon Mrile said, “Well, that is good, go ahead!”

Then Mocking-Bird went and reached the gate to the court of Mrile’s father, and he sang thus:

“Mrile wants me to tell you:

He will come the day after tomorrow,

The day after tomorrow,

He will come the day after tomorrow.

The day after tomorrow,

Save some fat for him in the spoon!”

And Mrile’s father set out into the courtyard saying, “My, what is this being the shouts in the courtyard and tells me that Mrile will come the day after tomorrow? For, surely, he has perished long ago!” He drove him away and the bird disappeared.

Then Mocking-Bird went to Mrile and said, “I have been there.” But Mrile spoke to him thus: “No, you have not been there. If you have been there – what does one find there, in my Homeland?” And he said to him, “Go a second time, and when you get there, be sure to pick up my father’s stick and come back therewith, so that I can be certain you have been there.” So Mocking-Bird returned for a second time, picked up the stick and carried it to Mrile. The children in the house saw hime take it, but they could not snatch it away from him.

Then Mocking-Bird brought it to Mrile. Thereupon Mrile was certain that Mocking-Bird had really been there. Now Mrile said, “Well, I shall now set out on my journey home.” Moon-King let him go with his cattle.

So he started out with his cattle. On the way he grew tired. Now he had a bull with him, and the bull spoke to him and said, “Since you are so tired out, If I take you upon my back, what will you do?” If I take you upon back, will you eat me when they slaughter me?” And Mrile answered him, “No, I will not eat you.” So he climbed on the bull’s back, and the bull supported him. Finally he arrived, singing:

“No possessions do I lack,

The stock is mine, hae!

No possessions do I lack, The cattle are mine, hae!

No possessions do i lack,

The small stock are mine, hae!

No possessions do I lack, Mrile comes home, hae!

No possessions do I lack.”

And so Mrile came home. When he arrived at home, his father and mother smeared him with fat. Then he spoke to them thus: “This bull you shall feed until he grows old. Even when he grow old, I shall not eat his meat.” But said, “Should this bull, that my son has taken so great trouble with, be devoured without his eating therefrom?” And she his the fat, she hid it in the honey pot. When she knew that the meat had been used up, she ground flour, took the fat and added it thereto. So she brought it to her son, and Mrile tasted it. When he had tasted it with his mouth, the meat spoke to him: “Do you dare to consume me, me who have taken you on my back?” And it said to him, “Therefore be consumed, as you consume me!

Then Mrile sang:

“My mother, I told you:

Serve me not the meat of the bull!”

But when he tasted it for a second time, his foot sank into the ground. And he sang:

“My mother, I told you:

Serve me not the meat of the bull!”

Thereupon he consumed the meal completely. Suddenly, he was wallowed up.

And this is the end of the story.

[ CHAGA ]