Once upon a time, there was a girl, who had no father and no mother. But they left her all their cattle, their, sheep and their goats. But the girl had no one to help her look after them. So she said, “Well – what can I do? I must let the sheep and the goats wander away by themselves, and just keep the cattle only.”
And that is what she did. But even then the cattle were far too many for her. Every day, men would come and steal one or two and she didn’t know how to stop them.
Then, one morning, when she was walking down the Valley of Choncho, near the Gomo refu-refu, the High Hill, who should cross her path right in front of her, but a Great Baboon.
“Oh! Baboon, “she said to herself, “If only you were a man, you would herd my cattle for me.”
Now the Baboon heard what she said, and he called out, “Yes, I’ll herd your cattle for you if you’ll give me some of those oranges you have there.”
“Ooh! Thank you, thank you!” said the girl. “Of course I’ll give you some oranges. But won’t the men be angry if they find you, a Baboon, herding my cattle for me? Aren’t you afraid?”
“Afraid? Never! Or my name’s not Mapandangare the Brave!”
“I’ll tell you what we’ll do. You climb on my back and I’ll carry you up to the top of the Gomo refu-refu, the High Hill – it’s too steep for men, only Baboons can climb up here – and then you can look out for the thieves who come to steal your cattle. When you see them, you call out to me, “Mapandangare, wa munawe, Mapandangare the Brave, “and I’ll go after the men and shoot them down with my bow and arrows.”
And so that’s just what he did. He put the girl onto his back, and he took her all the way up to the very top of the Gomo refu-refu. He brought her plenty of food and plenty of water – so she was quite alright – and then he went down again to herd the cattle.
Well, it wasn’t long before she saw some of the men coming to steal her cattle. So she quickly called out from the top of the High Hill.
“Mapandangare wa munawe
Mapandangare wa muna
Mapandangare wa munawe
Mapandangare wa muna
Ngombe dza enda zokwadi”
“Mapandangare the Brave!
Mapandangare the Brave!
Mapandangare the Brave!
Mapandangare the Brave!
The cattle are going for certain.”
Mapandangare heard her and he called up to her from below,
“Dzaenda no wa Kwa ani?”
Dzaenda no wa Kwa Chibi.”
“A! – andichezo – A!
andichezo – A!
andichezo – A!”
Who are they going with?”
They go with the people of Chibi.”
“Ah! – Thus and thus – Ah!
Thus and thus – Ah!
Thus and thus – Ah!”
Off he went galloping, galloping towards the men who were trying to drive away the cattle. As he went, he put his arrows into his little sheath which he always carried on his back.
“A! – andichezo – A!
andichezo – A!
andichezo – A!”
“Ah! – Thus and thus – Ah!
Thus and thus – Ah!
Thus and thus – Ah!”
Ant then, when he saw the men, he took his arrows, put them in the bow and shot them.
“Mini-mini tika! Munawo misewe!
Mini-mini tote! Munawo misewe!
Zururu tibu! Munawo misewe!
Zururu tibu! Munawo misewe!”
“Fly straight my arrow!
Fly straight my arrow!
Fly straight my arrow!
Fly straight my arrow!”
And so he killed off all the men, except the last one. Then he went up to him, took his little knife out of his belt, and cut off his two ears.
“Gwa! Gwa! “ And he said, “You! You go back, to your people, and you tell them what Mapandangare, the Great Baboon, is doing here, in the Valley of Choncho, by the Gomo refu-refu …. And don’t you come again!”
Then Mapandangare went back to his herding in the Valley of Choncho in the shade of the trees.
But it wasn’t very long before the girl looked out from the top of the High Hill and she saw still more men coming to steal her cattle.
So again she called out,
“Mapandangare wa munawe
Mapandangare wa muna
Mapandangare wa munawe
Mapandangare wa muna
Ngombe dza enda zokwadi”
“Mapandangare the Brave!
Mapandangare the Brave!
Mapandangare the Brave!
Mapandangare the Brave!
The cattle are going for certain.”
“Zaenda nowa kwa ani?”
“Who are they going with?”
“Zaenda nowa kwa Gutu.”
“This time with the people of Gutu!”
“A! – andichezo – A!
andichezo – A!
andichezo – A!”
“Ah! – Thus and thus – Ah!
Thus and thus – Ah!
Thus and thus – Ah!”
So he shot them all with his arrows, except of the last one. Then he went up to him, took his little knife out of his belt and cut off his two ears, “Gwa! Gwa!”
And he said, “You! You go back, to your people, and you tell them what Mapandangare, the Great Baboon, is doing here, in the Valley of Choncho, by the Gomo refu-refu …. And don’t you come again!”
Well it didn’t take long before all the cattle thieves in that country were driven away by Mapandangare, the Brave.
Then he climbed up the High Hill again, took the girl on his back and brought her down safely to her home.
And that is how Ma[andangare, the Great Baboon, looked after her cattle for her in the Valley of choncho, by the Gomo refu-redu, the High Hill.
And they both lved happily ever after.
And that was the end of that story!
Stories and pictures reproduced from the book ‘The Lion on the Path and other African stories’ told by Hugh Tracey
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