ere came the Lion, and said, "Little Tortoise, me water!" When the little Tortoise was about y something, the Lion got hold of it and beat it; ion drank of the water, and since then the anidrink water.

hen the Elephant came back from the hunting, id, "Little Tortoise, is there water ?" The Toranswered, "The animals have drunk the water." Elephant asked, "Little Tortoise, shall I chew or swallow you down ?" The little Tortoise said, allow me, if you please;" and the Elephant lowed it whole.

fter the Elephant had swallowed the little Tor, and it had entered his body, it tore off his liver, t, and kidneys. The Elephant said, "Little Tore, you kill me."

o the Elephant died; but the little Tortoise came of his dead body, and went wherever it liked.

15. THE GIRAFFE AND THE TORTOISE.

(The original, in the Hottentot language, is in Sir G. Grey's Library, G. Krönlein's Manuscript, p. 5.)

THE GIRAFFE.

Thou who descendest river by river,
Thou burnt thornbush (‡aro)!

Thou blue one,*

Who appearest like a distant thornhill

full of people sitting down.

THE Giraffe and the Tortoise, they say, met one day.

The Giraffe said to the Tortoise, "At once I could trample you to death." The Tortoise, being afraid, remained silent. Then the Giraffe said, "At once I could swallow you." The Tortoise said, in answer to this, "Well, I just belong to the family of those whom it has always been customary to swallow." Then the Giraffe swallowed the Tortoise; but when the latter was being gulped down, it stuck in the Giraffe's throat,

* "Because the Giraffe is said to give blue ashes when burnt."-KRÖNLEIN.

the latter could not get it down, he was choked th.

en the Giraffe was dead, the Tortoise crawled d went to the Crab (who is considered as the r of the Tortoise), and told her what had hap. Then the Crab said

he little Crab! I could sprinkle it under its arm with boochoo,*

The crooked-legged little one, I could sprinkle under its arm."

e Tortoise answered its mother and said

"Have you not always sprinkled me,

That you want to sprinkle me now ?"

hen they went and fed for a whole year on the ins of the Giraffe.

In token of approval, according to a Hottentot custom.

16. THE TORTOISES HUNTING THE

OSTRICHES.

(The original, in the Hottentot language, is in Sir G. Grey's Library, G. Krönlein's Manuscript, p. 8.)

ONE day, it is said, the Tortoises held a council how they might hunt Ostriches, and they said, "Let us, on both sides, stand in rows near each other, and let one go to hunt the Ostriches, so that they must flee along through the midst of us." They did so, and as they were many, the Ostriches were obliged to run along through the midst of them. During this they did not move, but, remaining always in the same places, called each to the other, "Are you there ?" and each one answered, "I am here." The Ostriches hearing this, ran so tremendously that they quite exhausted their strength, and fell down. Then the Tortoises assembled by-and-by at the place where the Ostriches had fallen, and devoured them.