Mkaaah Jeechonee, the Boy Hunter

”

He was, of course, very much troubled at this; and his mother said, “Now, where do you expect to find this noondah? You don’t know where it is, and you don’t know what it looks like. You’ll get sick over this; you’re not looking so well now as you did. Come, stay at home.”

But he said: “There are three things, one of which I shall do: I shall die; I shall find the noondah and kill it; or I shall return home unsuccessful. In any case, I’m off again.”

This time he went farther than before, saw a zebra, killed it, bound it, and dragged it home, singing,

“Oh, mother, I have killed

The noondah, eater of the people.”

Of course his mother had to tell him, once again, “My son, this is not the noondah, eater of the people.”

After a good deal of argument, in which his mother’s persuasion, as usual, was of no avail, he went off again, going farther than ever, when he caught a giraffe; and when he had killed it he said: “Well, this time I’ve been successful. This must be the noondah.” So he dragged it home, singing,

“Oh, mother, I have killed

The noondah, eater of the people.”

Again his mother had to assure him, “My son, this is not the noondah, eater of the people.” She then pointed out to him that his brothers were not running about hunting for the noondah, but staying at home attending to their own business. But, remarking that all brothers were not alike, he expressed his determination to stick to his task until it came to a successful termination, and went off again, a still greater distance than before.

While going through the wilderness he espied a rhinoceros asleep under a tree, and turning to his attendants he exclaimed, “At last I see the noondah.”

“Where, master?” they all cried, eagerly.

“There, under the tree.”

“Oh-h! What shall we do?” they asked.

And he answered: “First of all, let us eat our fill, then we will attack it. We have found it in a good place, though if it kills us, we can’t help it.”

So they all took out their arrowroot cakes and ate till they were satisfied.