And the lightning came. But when he learns that he must kill Ombure: “It is your father,” he cries, “and it is my master.” And, frightened, he went away. But Alena Kiri comes to help her son, and she brings Ngonomane, the fetish stone. And in the name of Ngonomane, Ngurangurane says: “Lightning, I command you to strike.”
And the lightning strikes, for he could not disobey. On the head, between the eyes, he strikes Ombure, and Ombure remains immobile, thunderstruck, dead. He who has killed him, it is Ngurangurane, but Ngurangurane killed him with the help of Ngonomane.
And the end of this story, here it is:
Ngurangurane hastens back to the village. “All you, men of the village,” he says, “all you, come,” and they all came on the bank of the lake. Ombure is there, lying dead, immense. “He who has killed Ombure, the crocodile, it is I, Ngurangurane. He who has avenged the chief of his race, it is I; he who has freed you, it is I, Ngurangurane.”
All rejoiced and, around the corpse, they danced the fanki, the great funeral dance; they danced the fanki for the spirit of Ombure must be appeased.
And this is the end of Ombure.
Self-pronouncing Words
The vowels are pronounced very much as they are in Latin.
A-f’-ong
A-ku-ren’-gan
A-le’-na-Ki-ri
A-nan’-si
An’-sa
A-wi-re’-hu
Bo’-a
Can-e-tie-tie
D’zan
E’-dem
Ef’-f-ong
E’-Jimm
Fangs
Gu-lu’
Ig’-we
I-san-tim
I-ven’-ga
Kai-ku’-z
Kâ-kâ-re’-kââ
Kin-tu’
Ko-do’-ko
Kro Kro
Ku-du
K’we-ku
K’we’-ku-Tsin
Lu-em’-ba
Ma-vun’gu (u like oo in noon)
Ma-vu-ng-u-a-a-a
Mbru-kâ-kâ
Mu-gas’-sa
Mu-zi’-mu
Nam-b’
N’gan-e-sa
N’go-no’-ma-ne’
N’gu-ran-gu-ra-ne
N’jam’-bi
N’j-am’-bo
N’tun
O-bs-si
O-bas’-si
O-be’-gud
O-du-dua’
O-hi’-a
O-kn’
O-lo-run
Om’-bu-re
O’r’-sha
Wah-wah
Wa-ka-san’-ke
Wa-lum’-b
African Myths and Folk Tales Page 12
