The daughter of the chief Sikulumi son of Hlokohloko, Bokondo-igaya-abagayi, Kulungu-umlomo-waotetua, she said: my father, I am going to Lulanga. My mother, I'm going to Lulanga next year. “Her father said: there is no one who would return from there: they disappear there forever.” “The next year she appeared again and said: my father.” I'm going to Lulanga. My mother, I am going to Lulanga. - He said: no, the one who would return from there: they disappear there forever. “She appeared again the next year, she said: my father, I’m going to Lulanga, my mother, I’m going to Lulanga.” - Her father said there is no one who would return from there: they disappear there forever. - A year has passed, she said: My father, I am going to Lulanga. She said: my mother, I am going to Lulanga. —
They said: there is no one from Lulang who would return from there: they disappear there forever. (And) her father agreed, her mother agreed.
She gathered a hundred girls on one side of the road; gathered a hundred girls but from the other side of the road. And off they went. They met with the traders. They came and stood on both sides of the road, they surrounded the road. “They said: merchants, tell us which of the girls here is beautiful by birth, we have two batches of girlfriends here.” - The merchants answered: you are beautiful Tintacabazana; but you cannot be compared with Ntombinde, the chief's daughter, she is like a fresh crust, she is like the lard of a roast, she is like the gall bladder of a goat. They killed these merchants, the merchants were killed by Tintacabazan's party.
And they arrived at the Lulanga River. They were wearing bracelets; they wore necklaces, neck rings, and aprons with pendants. They took them down and placed them over the Lulanga pool. Both sets of girlfriends entered the water and frolicked. They frolicked and came out of the water. When one girl came out and looked for the neck rings and they were all missing, and all the necklaces and bracelets and aprons with pendants, she said: come out; there are no things here. They all came out. - The daughter of the leader Ntombinda said: what should we do? - One girl said: we will pray. The things are taken away to Kukumadev. —• Another girl said: Kukumadevu, give me my things, let me go. This was done to me by Ntombinde, the daughter of the chief, who said: they bathe in a large pool, the forefathers swam. Did I send Tontel against you? Kukumadevu gave her an apron. “Another girl came up and began to beg him, she said: Kukumadev, give me my things, let me leave.” Ntombinde, the chief's daughter, did this to me; she said: they swim in a big pool, our forefathers swam. Did I send Tontel against you? All the girlfriends started until they all did the same. That left Ntombinde, the chief's daughter.
The friends said: Ntombinde, pray to Kukumadev. - She refused and said: I will never ask Kukum-
maiden, I am the child of a leader. Kukumadevu grabbed her and dragged her into the pool.
The rest of the girls shouted, shouted, got up and walked. “They came to the leader’s house; they came and said: Ntombinde has been captured by Kukumadev. - Her father said: I told Ntombinde a long time ago, I resisted, saying: there is no one who would return from there to Lulanga, they disappear there forever. There she will disappear forever.
The leader selected detachments of young men and ordered: go, overtake Kukumadeva, who killed Ntombinde. The detachments came to the creek, they met him already out, sitting on the shore. He was from the mountain. As he approached, he swallowed this entire army. He set off, went to the chief's village; it came up and swallowed all the people and dogs; he swallowed the entire tribe along with the cattle. He came and swallowed up two children in that country, who were beautiful twins.
But their father escaped from that house; the husband went, took two clubs and said: I myself will kill Kukumadeva. He took his spear and went. - And he met the buffaloes and asked: where did Kukumadev go? he left with my children. - And the buffaloes asked: are you looking for Nomabunge, Gaul-iminga. And they said: forward! forward! my mother! “He met the leopards and said: I am looking for Kukumadeva, who left with my children.” - And the leopards said: you are looking for Nomabunge, Gaul-iminga, Nsiba-zimakembe.32 Forward! Forward! my mother! “And he met the elephant and said: I am asking about Kukumadev, who left with my children.” - And he said: I am talking about Nomabunga, Gaul-iminga, Nsiba-zimakemba. Forward! forward! my mother! “And he met Nomabunge himself: his husband found him crouched down like a mountain. “And he said: I am looking for Kukumadeva, who took my children.” - And he answered: you are looking for Nomabunge; you are looking for Gaul-iminga, Nsiba-zimakembe. Forward! forward! My mother! And he came up and pierced the carcass; and Kukumadevu died.
And the cattle came out, and the dogs came out, and the man came out with all the people; and Ntombinde herself came out. And when she left, then
returned to the leader her father Sikulumi son Hloko-hloko; when she came, she was taken by Nhlatu, the son of Chief Sibilinguan.
Ntombinde retired to take her position. Having arrived, she stood at the top of the village. — They asked: who did you come to marry? - She answered: for Nhlata. - They asked: where is he? - She answered: I heard they said that the leader of Sibilinguan gave birth to a leader. - They said: no, not here. But he begat a son; happened when he was a boy, he got lost. - His mother cried, saying: did this girl listen to what was said? I gave birth to this child alone: it was lost and it was all over! The girl remained. “The leader, his father, asked: why is she staying?” “They said: let her leave.” The leader said again: let her stay, since my sons are here, they will live with her. They built a house for her and she stayed there in the house. “People said: let her live with his mother.” “His mother rejected him and said: let a house be built for her.”
When the house was built, his mother put sour milk, meat and beer there. “The girl asked: why are you putting it here?” “She answered: I did before you arrived.” And the girl fell silent, she lay down. At night Nhlatu appeared, he scooped up sour milk, ate meat, and drank beer. He stayed for a long time and then left.
When dawn broke, Ntombinde opened the sour milk; she found it scooped up; she opened the meat: she saw it eaten; She opened the beer: she found it drunk. - She said: Oh, my mother put food here. They will say that I took it myself without asking. - His mother came in; She opened it slightly and asked: who ate it? “She answered: I don’t know.” - She said: and I saw that she was eaten. “She asked: didn’t you hear that man?” - She answered: no.
The sun has set. They ate these three dishes. A castrated ram was slaughtered. There was meat, there was sour milk, there was beer. It got dark and quiet. Nhlatu entered; he felt the girl's face. She woke up. —
He asked: why are you here? — The girl answered: I came to get married. - He asked: for whom? - The girl answered: for Nkhlatu. - He asked: where is he? - She answered: he was lost. - He asked: since he is lost, who will you marry? - She answered: for himself. - He asked: do you know that he will appear? “He asked: since the chief’s sons are here, why don’t you marry them, why wait for a man who is lost?” - He said: eat, we will eat meat. — The girl answered: I don’t eat meat yet. - Nhlatu said: no, and I give your groom to my people until meal time, and they eat. “He said: drink, here’s beer.” “She answered: I don’t drink beer yet; for the bulls have not yet been slaughtered for me. - He said: no; and I am your fiancé, I give my people beer until nothing is slaughtered. In the morning he came out, continuing to talk, the girl did not see him. All these days he forbade the girl when she said that she would light a fire. He left. The girl got up to feel the entrance wicker, saying: let me find out, since I closed it, where did he come out? - She found it closed, as she closed it; she said: where did this man come out?
In the morning his mother came in and said: friend, who were you talking to? - The girl answered: no, I didn’t talk to anyone. - She asked: who ate food here? - She answered: - I don’t know. They ate this food. Food was delivered a third time. They prepared beer, meat and sour milk. When it got dark Nhlatu appeared, he felt the girl’s face and said: get up. Ntombinde stood up. “Nhlatu said: start feeling me from my feet, go up to my head, you will know what I am like.” — The girl felt him, she found the body slippery; it resisted the touch of the hands. “He asked: do you want me to say light it?” - She answered: yes. - He said: give me a pinch of tobacco. - She gave it to him. - He said: Let me take a pinch from your hand. He took a pinch, he inhaled. He spat. - Spit said: Long live the leader! you're dark-skinned, you're such a woe! - He took a pinch, he spat. - The spit said: Long live the leader! long live such grief! And he said: light it up
fire.—Ntombinde lit it, she found the body shining.—The girl was frightened, surprised and said: I have never seen such a body. - He asked: what will you say in the morning - who did you see? “She answered: I’ll tell you, I didn’t see anyone.” “He asked: what will you tell the mother who gave birth to Nhlata, because she is worried because he is missing?” What does the mother herself say? - She answered: she is crying, she says: I wonder who the food was eaten: I wish I could see the person who eats this food. “He said: I’m leaving.” —— The girl asked: where have you been living since you got lost when you were little? “He answered: I live downstairs.” “She asked: why are you leaving?” “He answered: I left because of my older brothers: they said they would put a piece of earth down my throat; for they were envious, for it was said that I was the leader. They said: why will the youngest be the leader when we, the elders, are left with nothing?
He told the girl: go call that mother who is worried. — His mother came in, arriving with a girl. His mother came and cried, cried quietly. - She said: what did I say? I said: this is my lost child with a slippery body. - Then he said: what will you tell my father? - Let the whole country brew beer.
Then his father asked: why make beer? “Then his mother said: I’m going to see the people, for I was a great woman.” I was rejected because I had no child. - And the beer was prepared, and the people laughed, saying: she is sending for beer. What will she do, since she was rejected, deprived of power? The beer was brewed, people gathered; An army entered the cattle pen; it held shields, it all came.” His father looked around, he said: “I’ll see what this woman will do.”
And Nhlatu came out. People's eyes were blinded by the radiance of his body. “They were surprised and said: we have never seen such a person, with a body not similar to a human one.” And he sat down. His father marveled.
A celebration was held. They beat the shields for Nhlatu, who was great, like all leaders. Ntombinda was given a leopard's tail; his mother was given the tail of a wild cat; a celebration was held and Nhlatu was restored back to chieftaincy. And here is the end of the fairy tale.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru