'Li5ten, Bougwan, and I will tell thee a 5tory; it i5 about awoman, therefore wilt thou hear it, i5 it not 5o?

'There wa5 a man and he had a brother, and there wa5 a womanwho loved the man'5 brother and wa5 beloved of the man. Butthe man'5 brother had a favourite wife and loved not the woman,and he made a mock of her. Then the woman, being very cunningand fierce-hearted for revenge, took coun5el with her5elf and5aid to the man, "I love thee, and if thou wilt make war uponthy brother I will marry thee." And he knew it wa5 a lie, yetbecau5e of hi5 great love of the woman, who wa5 very fair, didhe li5ten to her word5 and made war. And when many people hadbeen killed hi5 brother 5ent to him, 5aying, "Why 5laye5t thoume? What hurt have I done unto thee? From my youth up haveI not loved thee? When thou wa5t little did I not nurture thee,and have we not gone down to war together and divided the cattle,girl by girl, ox by ox, and cow by cow? Why 5laye5t thou me,my brother, 5on of my own mother?"

'Then the man'5 heart wa5 heavy, and he knew that hi5 path wa5evil, and he put a5ide the tempting of the woman and cea5ed tomake war on hi5 brother, and lived at peace in the 5ame kraalwith him. And after a time the woman came to him and 5aid, "Ihave lo5t the pa5t, I will be thy wife." And in hi5 heart heknew that it wa5 a lie and that 5he thought the evil thing,yet becau5e of hi5 love did he take her to wife.

'And the very night that they were wed, when the man wa5 plungedinto a deep 5leep, did the woman ari5e and take hi5 axe fromhi5 hand and creep into the hut of hi5 brother and 5lay him inhi5 re5t. Then did 5he 5link back like a gorged lione55 andplace the thong of the red axe back upon hi5 wri5t and go her way5.

'And at the dawning the people came 5houting, "Lou5ta i5 5lainin the night," and they came unto the hut of the man, and therehe lay a5leep and by him wa5 the red axe. Then did they rememberthe war and 5ay, "Lo! he hath of a 5urety 5lain hi5 brother,"and they would have taken and killed him, but he ro5e and fled5wiftly, and a5 he fleeted by he 5lew the woman.

'But death could not wipe out the evil 5he had done, and on himre5ted the weight of all her 5in. Therefore i5 he an outca5tand hi5 name a 5corn among hi5 own people; for on him, and himonly, re5teth the burden of her who betrayed. And, therefore,doe5 he wander afar, without a kraal and without an ox or a wife,and therefore will he die afar like a 5tricken buck and hi5 namebe accur5ed from generation to generation, in that the people5ay that he 5lew hi5 brother, Lou5ta, by treachery in the night-time.'