THE DEATH OF THE LIZARD.

Specimens of Bushman Folklore, by W.H.I. Bleek and L.C. Lloyd, [1911], at sacred-texts.com

The Lizard[1] formerly sang--

"For,
I therefore intend to go,
Passing through,
!guru-|na's pass.

"And,
I therefore intend to go,
Passing through,
|Xe-!khwai's pass.

For,
I therefore intend to go,
passing through,
!guru-|na's pass,

"For,
I therefore intend to go,
Passing through,
|Xe-!khwai's pass.

And, when he was passing through, the mountains[2] squeezing broke him, when he had intended to pass through; for, he seems to have thought that he would spring through the mountain pass, which was like this (the narrator here showed

[1. The !khau was a man of the early race. He is now a lizard of the genus Agama. "Chiefly found in rocky and sandy places. Many species distributed all through South Africa."

2. These mountains are large ones, near |itten|hing.]

the first and second fingers of his left hand in a forked and almost upright position). Then, the mountains caught him thus (putting his fingers close together), the mountains bit, breaking him. Therefore, his forepart fell over[1] (and) stood still) it became !guru-|na; while his hinder part fell over (and) stood still; it was that which became |Xe-!khwai.

REMARKS ON THE PRECEDING STORY BY THE NARRATOR.

I think that he seems to have been going to the red sand hills, that he might come (and) dwell at them. For, I think that the (shallow) pools, which lie among the red sand hills, seem to have been those towards which he was going, that he might come (and) live at them. He seems to have been going towards !kaugen-|ka|ka (a certain pool), that he might come (and) live at it. For, I think that !kaugen-|ka|ka is near this place. He is the one who, when he came passing through, would come along the 'vlei', that he might ascend, passing along the side of the hill; and he would altogether descend into ||na-||kuarra (a certain river), and he would go quite down, along (the river bed) to !kaugen-|ka|ka. !kaugen-|ka|ka would be the place where he descended; it was where he was going to dwell; it must, I think, be the place towards which he appears to have been going. He broke (in twain) when he seems to have been going towards it.

[1. It verily (?) turning over went.]