Makoma walked on and he came to a forest of bao-babs and thorn trees. He was astonished with the size of the trees because they were taller than anything that he had ever seen.
There Makoma saw Chi-gwisa- miti, the giant who had been planting the forests.
Macoma challenged the giant to a fight who had been planting the forest as food for his children who were the elephants.
The huge giant plucked up a bao-bab tree by the root and tried to strike Makoma with it. But Makoma sprang aside and the tree sank deep into the soft earth. At that time Makoma whirled the Nu-endo the hammer and felled the giant with one blow.
Chi-gwisa-miti also shrank and he asked Makoma to take him as his servant.
From there, Makoma moved on. And he at last came to a land which was barren and rocky and not a single thing grew there.
In the middle of this region he found a man eating fire.
"What are you doing?" Makoma looked around and he was confused.
"I am eating fire." The man laughed, "my name is Chi-idea-moto. And I am the flame spirit and I can waste and destroy what I like." The flame spirit blew a flame at Makoma but Makoma sprang behind a rock, just in time.
The ground on which Makoma stood turned into molten glass by the heat of the flame spirit's breath.
Then Makoma flung his hammer at Chi-idea-moto and struck him.
The hammer knocked the flame spirit, helpless.
Makoma placed the being in his sack.
Now. Makuma was a great man for he had the strength to make hills, the power to lead rivers over dry waste lands, the power to plant trees and the power to produce fire whenever he wanted.
Adapted from Rhodesian folktales
No comments:
Post a Comment