se in his hand, and
went around through the bushes to the Unyoro Road. All this had been
done very quickly, because, being a hunter, he knew the neighbourhood
well, and while watching the animals in the village, his mind had been
busy forming his plans. Now when he came to the Unyoro Road, he stood
straight up and strode rapidly in the direction of the village which had
been that of his tribe. Arriving near it he crawled up to the gate and
looked in, then traced the fence all around until he came back to the
same gate.

Kibatti now stood up and hailed the animals, crying loud,

"Hullo, hullo there! Are ye all asleep? Will ye not let a poor
benighted stranger in? The night is cold, and I am hungry."

King Buffalo, who was on guard, trotted up to the gate, and looking out
saw a small boy who was naked, except for a scant robe which depended
from his shoulders.

"Who art thou?" demanded the buffalo in his gruffest voice.

Kibatti answered in the thin voice of a fatherless and starving orphan.

"It is I, Kibatti the Little, from Unyoro."

"What dost thou want?"

"Only a little fire to roast my eggs, and a place to sleep. I am a
forest-boy, and live alone in Unyoro. My parents are both dead, and I
have no home. If you will give me work I will stay with you; for then I
shall have plenty to eat. If not, let me sleep here to-night, and in
the morning I will go."

"What work canst thou do?"

"Not much, but I can fetch water and fuel."

"Wait a minute, I will see if our people will let thee in."

The buffalo moved away and woke up the rhinoceros, the elephant, the
lion, the leopard, and hyena, and told them that there was a little
forest-boy seeking a night's lodging. At first the general belief was,
that he belonged to the tribe which had owned the village, but the
buffalo denied that this boy could have known of the country, as he had
come boldly up to the gate from the Unyoro road; besides, was it likely
that a small boy, knowing what had happened, would ever have come back
when those who had destroyed the village were in possession of it? This
last remark settled the matter. King Elephant said,

"As thou wilt, Buffalo. Even if the matter were otherwise, a small boy
can do no harm. Let him in. We will give him plenty of work."

King Buffalo opened the gate and allowed Kibatti to enter, and
introduced him to his friends, King Elephant and the rest, all of whom
smiled as they saw his slender and