Outa Karel's Stories Part 6

"Ai! but the girl was pleased! She clapped her hands and danced, shaking herself like Outa's people do when they are happy, and singing:--

'The little stars! The tiny stars!

They make a road for other stars.

Ash of wood-fire! Dust of the Sun!

They call the Dawn when Night is done!'

"Then she took some of the roots she had been eating and threw them into the sky, and there they hung and turned into large stars. The old roots turned into stars that gave a red light, and the young roots turned into stars that gave a golden light. There they all hung, winking and twinkling and singing. Yes, singing, my baasjes, and this is what they sang:--

'We are children of the Sun!

It's so! It's so! It's so!

Him we call when Night is done!

It's so! It's so! It's so!

Bright we sail across the sky By the Stars' Road, high, so high; And we, twinkling, smile at you, As we sail across the blue!

It's so! It's so! It's so!'

"Baasjes know, when the stars twinkle up there in the sky they are like little children nodding their heads and saying, 'It's so! It's so! It's so!'" At each repet.i.tion Outa nodded and winked, and the children, with antics of approval, followed suit.

"Baasjes have sometimes seen a star fall?" Three little heads nodded in concert.

"When a star falls," said the old man impressively, "it tells us someone has died. For the star knows when a person's heart fails and the person dies, and it falls from the sky to tell those at a distance that someone they know has died. [5]

"One star grew and grew till he was much larger than the others. He was the Great Star, and, singing, he named the other stars. He called each one by name, till they all had their names, and in this way they knew that he was the Great Star. No other could have done so. Then when he had finished, they all sang together and praised the Great Star, who had named them. [6]

"Now, when the day is done, they walk across the sky on each side of the Stars' Road. It shows them the way. And when Night is over, they turn back and sail again by the Stars' Road to call the Daybreak, that goes before the Sun. The Star that leads the way is a big bright star. He is called the Dawn's-Heart Star, and in the dark, dark hour, before the Stars have called the Dawn, he shines--ach! baasjes, he is beautiful to behold! The wife and the child of the Dawn's-Heart Star are pretty, too, but not so big and bright as he. They sail on in front, and then they wait--wait for the other Stars to turn back and sail along the Stars' Road, calling, calling the Dawn, and for the Sun to come up from under the world, where he has been lying asleep.

"They call and sing, twinkling as they sing:--

'We call across the sky, Dawn! Come, Dawn!

You, that are like a young maid newly risen, Rubbing the sleep from your eyes!

You, that come stretching bright hands to the sky, Pointing the way for the Sun!

Before whose smile the Stars faint and grow pale, And the Stars' Road melts away.

Dawn! Come Dawn!

We call across the sky, And the Dawn's-Heart Star is waiting.

It's so! It's so! It's so!'

"So they sing, baasjes, because they know they are soon going out.

"Then slowly the Dawn comes, rubbing her eyes, smiling, stretching out bright fingers, chasing the darkness away. The Stars grow faint and the Stars' Road fades, while the Dawn makes a bright pathway for the Sun. At last he comes with both arms lifted high, and the brightness, streaming from under them, makes day for the world, and wakes people to their work and play.

"But the little Stars wait till he sleeps again before they begin their singing. Summer is the time when they sing best, but even now, if baasjes look out of the window they will see the Stars, twinkling and singing."

The children ran to the window and gazed out into the starlit heavens. The last sight Outa had, as he drained the soopje gla.s.s the Baas was just in time to hand him, was of three little heads bobbing up and down in time to the immemorial music of the Stars, while little Jan's excited treble rang out: "Yes, it's quite true, Outa. They do say, 'It's so! It's so! It's so!'"

VIII.

WHY THE HARE'S NOSE IS SLIT.

The curtains had not yet been drawn nor the shutters closed, and little Jan looked with wide serious eyes at the full moon sailing serenely in the cold sky. Then he sighed as though thoughts too big for expression stirred within him, and turned absently towards the purring fire.

"And why does the big man make such a sighing?" asked Outa Karel. "It is like the wind in the mealie land at sun-under."

Little Jan's eyes slowly withdrew their gaze from some inward vision and became conscious of the old native. "Outa," he said, "why is the moon so far away, and so beautiful, and so golden?"

"Ach! to hear him now! How can Outa tell? It is maar so. Just like gra.s.s is green and fire is hot, so the Moon is far away and beautiful and golden. But she is a cruel lady sometimes, too, and it is through her that the poor Little Hare runs about with a slit in his nose to-day."

"Tell us, Outa." Little Jan dropped on to the rug beside the basket of mealie-cobs, and the others edged nearer.

"And why do you call the Moon a lady?" asked Pietie of the inquiring mind.

"But doesn't baasje know that the Moon is a lady? O yes, and for all her beauty she can be cross and cruel sometimes like other ladies, as you will hear."

"Long, long ago, when the world was quite young, the Lady Moon wanted someone to take a message to Men. She tried first one creature and then another, but no! they were all too busy, they couldn't go. At last she called the Crocodile. He is very slow and not much good, but the Lady Moon thought she would pinch his tail and make him go quickly. So she said to him: 'Go down to Men at once and give them this message: "As I die and, dying, live, so also shall you die, and, dying, live."'

"Baasjes know how the Moon is sometimes big and round----so"--and Outa's diminutive hands described a wide circle and remained suspended in the air--"like she is now in the sky. Then every night she gets smaller and smaller, so--so--so--so--so----till----clap!"--the crooked fingers come together with a bang--"there's no more Moon: she is dead. Then one night a silver horn hangs in the sky--thin, very thin. It is the new Moon that grows, and grows, and gets beautiful and golden." By the aid of the small claw-like hands the moon grew to the full before the children's interested eyes. "And so it goes on, always living, and growing, and dying, and living again.

"So the Lady Moon pinched old Oom Crocodile's tail, and he gave one jump and off he started with the message. He went quickly while the Moon watched him, but soon he came to a bend in the road. Round he went with a great turn, for a Crocodile's back is stiff like a plank, he can't bend it; and then, when he thought he was out of sight, he went slower and slower--drif-draf-drippity-drif-draf, drif-draf-drippity-drif-draf, like a knee-haltered horse. He was toch too lazy.

"All of a sudden there was a noise--sh-h-h-h-h--and there was the Little Hare. 'Ha! ha! ha!' he laughed, 'what is the meaning of this drif-draf-drippity-drif-draf? Where are you going in such a hurry, Oom Crocodile?'

"'I can't stop to speak to you, Neef Haasje,' said Oom Crocodile, trying to look busy and to hurry up. 'The Lady Moon has sent me with a message to Men.'

"'And what is the message, Oom Crocodile?'

"'It's a very important one: "As I die and, dying, live, so also shall you die and, dying, live."'

"'Ach, but that is a stupid message. And you can't ever run, Oom, you are so slow. You can only go drif-draf-drippity-drif-draf like a knee-haltered horse, but I go sh-h-h-h-h like the wind. Give the message to me and I will take it.'

"'Very well,' said the lazy Crocodile, 'but you must say it over first and get it right.'

"So Neef Haasje said the message over and over, and then--sh-h-h-h-h--he was off like the wind. Here he was! there he was! and you could only see the white of his tail and his little behind legs getting small in the distance.

"At last he came to Men, and he called them together and said: 'Listen, Sons of the Baboon, a wise man comes with a message. By the Lady Moon I am sent to tell you: "As I die and, dying, perish, so shall you also die and come wholly to an end."'

"Then Men looked at each other and shivered. All of a sudden the flesh on their arms was like goose-flesh. 'What shall we do? What is this message that the Lady Moon has sent? "As I die and, dying, perish, so shall you also die and come wholly to an end."'

"They shivered again, and the goose-flesh crept right up their backs and into their hair, and their hair began to rise up on their heads just like--ach no, but Outa forgets, these baasjes don't know how it is to feel so." And the wide smile which accompanied these words hid the expression of sly teasing which sparkled in Outa's dancing black eyes, for he knew what it was to be taken to task for impugning the courage of his young listeners.