The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1923-03-17
BOOK CHAT, BY MARY WHITE
ovINGToN
IAN ETHIOPIAN SAGA"
BY Richmond Haigh

Ills DOCK was puDnSned IN I9iD and
is out Of print but few copies can be
secured through the N. A. "A. C. p,
Room Oh, 20 Fifth Ave, New York
at $l.00 postpaid. / ran across it by
chance and liked it so much that
wanted to write about it in Book Chat.
The Saga is written by white South
African, one who has spent many years
among the natives and has conceived
the idea Of reciting their story in he
roic style. He tells Of conflict be-
tween two tribes; Of the love Of man
and maid; and with this gives pic
tnre of the Ethiopian in his daily life.
fake this description of the women at
the stream.
The women wore the Wilopi, the
hide cut to three corners, behind and
before: from the hips downward, they
wore the Tipito-which IS the full skin
Of goat dressed.
And when they came to the stream,
some went up the stream and some
went down; and they leaned over and
took water in their pots, and then they
took sand in their hands and scrapped
it against the inside of the pots to
clean them; then, when they had
washed the outside of the pots also,
thar they should be pleasing to the
eye, they went to holes, which had
been dug in the sand, away from the
place of washing, and with their Gala
bash ladies, they scooped the water
which filtered into the holes and which
was cold and clean. The young girls
sang and the womens talked and there
was much noise"
It was with her bowl upon her head,
returning from the stream that Name
lubi meets Jamba. the young hero Of
the tale. They are separated for a
time. when one chief wages war against
another chief, but the lovers, unlike
the lovers in many other sagas, meet
again and live happily ever after.
There is description Ola great duel
between two warriors. Matauw and
Bokalobi have been friends for many
years and hold each other iff esteem
a. brave warriors and honorable men.
But the time comes when they serve
different chiefs and the fortunes Of war
bring them face to face in conflict.
"And now when they were coming
together in the fight, they paused and
looked straight across; and they
smiled. Then Bokalobi cried aloud,
'Ho brotherl Is It indeed thus we
meet? Our fathers are good to us.
Let nothing come between us now.
Cast thou first; / am ready
Then Bokalobi. warrior from his
youth, took his casting spear and
threw back his arm. His weight was
upon his right foot, and the toes Of his
left foot touched the ground lightly
before him. His left forearm passed
through the throng-loops of his short
stabbing spear. And the warrior
loosened and pressed his fingers upon
the haft Of his casting spear 50 that the
iron head of it quivered and sang at
his ear.
'Then Bokalobi raised himself well
upon his right foot, and, bringing for
ward his weight, cast the spear"
The fight goes on between the two
brave men until Boksiobi receives a
mortal wound.
"Matauw threw his arms around his
dying friend and gently laid him down
and said, 'Bol1aIobil BokalobiI' And
Bokalobi, the general smiled as he
died for he could not speak; and
Matauw's heart was glad at that
smile"
The description Of the war dance,
of the warriors spring into the air,
like some great forest animal, recalls
the marvellous dance that Simango
gave last winter in New York in the
play, Taboo
THE young men and warriors were
in companies Of tens and twenties, and
then in larger companies. Their
movement was like a dance, but they
came swiftly on. Before each COM
pany moved man who chanted war
song, and those behind him also joined
in the chant; and he in front some
times sprang high in the air and
clashed his spears upon his shield;
then in a while another from the com
pany took up the song and lead"
The interest in the Saga is sus-
tanned and its characters we'll drawn.
II ends with a laugh:
eKamabuli "a victorious chief
laughed for he found no speech And
it was such great laugh that the
people laughed with him. All the peo-
pie joined in the laugh
The book ends with one Of the many
African proverbs running through it.
Time is no longer than rope.D