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 neighbour pushed her away , saying , ` No , I shall have none left for my children . ' So the woman went into another house , and drank all the water she could find ; but the more she drank the more thirsty she became . She wandered in this manner through the whole village till she had drunk every water-pot dry . Then she rushed off to the nearest spring , and swallowed that , and when she had finished all the springs and wells about she drank up first the river and then a lake .
But XXXXX this time she had drunk so much that she could not rise from the ground .
about as at by from in on that till with