The moment it touched the soil it became a huge rock , whose steep sides were smooth as glass , and on the top of it our hero hastily seated himself . It was in vain that the nyamatsanes tried to climb up and reach him ; they slid down again much faster than they had gone up ; and by sunset they were quite worn out , and fell asleep at the foot of the rock . No sooner had the nyamatsanes tumbled off to sleep than the man stole softly down and fled away as fast as his legs would carry him , and by the time his enemies were awake he was a very long way off . They sprang quickly to their feet and began to sniff the soil round the rock , in order to discover traces of his footsteps , and they galloped after him with terrific speed . The chase continued for several days and nights ; several times the nyamatsanes almost reached him , and each time he was saved by his little pebble . Between his fright and his hurry he was almost dead of exhaustion when he reached his own village , where the nyamatsanes could not follow him , because of their enemies the dogs , which swarmed over all the roads . So they returned home . Then our friend staggered into his own hut and called to his wife : ` Ichou ! how tired I am ! Quick , give me something to drink . Then go and get fuel and light a fire . ' So she did what she was bid , and then her husband took the nyamatsane 's liver from his pouch and said to her , ` There , I have brought you what you wanted , and now you know that I love you truly . ' And the wife answered , ` It is well . Now go and take out the children , so that I may remain alone in the hut , ' and as she spoke she lifted down an old stone pot and put on the liver to cook . Her husband watched her for a moment , and then said , ` Be sure you eat it all yourself . Do not give a scrap to any of the children , but eat every morsel up . ' So the woman took the liver and ate it all herself . Directly the last mouthful had disappeared she was seized with such violent thirst that she caught up a great pot full of water and drank it at a single draught . Then , having no more in the house , she ran in next door and said , ` Neighbour , give me , I pray you , something to drink . ' The neighbour gave her a large vessel quite full , and the woman drank it off at a single draught , and held it out for more .
But the XXXXX pushed her away , saying , ` No , I shall have none left for my children . '
days door fire morsel neighbour nights nyamatsane nyamatsanes soil vessel