The village’s Christmas bull is missing!
It’s a black bull with white spots.
Namukatikoko, Gawaya’s wife, says
she saw the herdsboy lead it over to Mande’s untilled shamba.
Where’s this herdsboy; the whole village is looking for him.
The shadows are getting shorter,
when will people put the pots of meat on fire!
“Who’s this herdsboy?” The whole village is asking.
He is called Sande, the son of Kakaire, of Nabulezi.
Eh, the whole village is looking for Sande, son of Kakaire. Have you seen him?
Who, Sande, that son of Kakaire of Nabulezi?
I saw him riding his bicycle. He was carrying a cock, a bunch of matooke and a sack of flour.
Oh, he must have taken Christmas gifts for his in-laws.
Oooh…his wife is from Nampangala.
Chali, my boy, quickly, go check if he is back.
The chairperson says “let’s move to Mande’s home to see if the bull is there…”
Musilamu is waiting, he has another bull to slaughter in Chaali.
Mande welcomes the village folk but says he has not seen Sande or the said bull!
Banange! Where’s the bull; where’s Sande?
Chali is back: Sande came back from his in-laws’ but went to Budaka to buy rice.
Eh! The committee in charge of the village bull is now charging towards Sande’s home in Sapiri.
They find he just got back; before he hands his wife the rice, no usual casual greetings; “Sande, where’s the bull?”
“I tethered it in Mande’s shamba.”
“We are from there, it’s not there!”
“Nikiii?!”
Sande throws down the bicycle; he is followed by the committee to Mande’s shamba.
Now, at the spot where he tethered the bull is only an abandoned rope tied to a musambya.
The whole village is asking: where’s the bull?
Let us go search, they say.
They divide into five parties.
From one homestead to another they ask: have you seen a bull moving freely here?
How does it look?
It’s a black bull with white spots.
“Oh, I haven’t seen it,” some say.
In this season people’s cattle is stolen – others echo the unspoken fear of the villagers.
It was like this until, Kantoono, Mbulante’s widow, said she saw it around her home,
but she chased it away because it was eating her young maize plants.
“Where did it go?” The party asks.
It went down towards the swamp.
The party rushes to the swamp.
The bull is eating grass in the swamp oblivious of the panic in the village.
It is cornered and a new rope is tightened on its left hind leg.
The other parties are notified that the bull is found…
It is brought to the chairperson’s home to be slaughtered…
Musilamu has reached the end of his patience and is threatening to leave,
a few glances are directed at members who had opposed the suggestion to collect 100/- each for a new rope…
Sande, the herdsboy, is forgotten –
he will get his token of 2kgs, of course.
Some women are ululating,
they’re telling their daughters to rush home and light the fireplace.
The village is left with a thrilling tale
to tell over pots of malwa and in kitchens on Christmas day.
Kaigo Betty.
