Sinyaire village is surrounded by
hills.
Many snakes live in the forest on
those hills.
The biggest snake was called
Unyalego by the villagers.
This snake scared many people.
It swallowed whole goats and
sheep.
Tsatsi le leng, Apiyo, Ajoh le Atieno ba ne ba ya morung hoy a rwalla patsi.
One day, sisters Apiyo, Ajoh and
Atieno were going to the forest to
fetch firewood.
The girls’ grandmother warned,
“Beware of Unyalego the big snake.
Do not take anything from the
forest except the wood.”
Only Ajoh did not pay attention to
her grandmother.
Banana ba ile ba pakela lebese, dipanana, dipatata, le metsi. Ba ile ba nka diropo ho tlama patsi le sekele ho kapa patsi. Ba tloha ho ya morung.
The girls packed milk, bananas,
sweet potatoes and water.
They took ropes for tying firewood
and a sharp machete for chopping
the wood.
Then they left for the forest.
Tseleng, banana ba ne ba qoqa, ba tsheha. Hanghang, Apiyo, e moholo ho bona, a re, “Tholang. Re se le moo Unyalego a dulang.”
Atieno called to the others, “Look,
here are Unyalego’s golden teeth.
Let us take them.”
Apiyo reminded them, “Don’t forget
grandmother’s warning. We must
not take anything from the forest
except firewood.”
Ajoh a re, “Ha ke tshepe nkgono. Ke nahana hore o buile jwalo feela ho re thibela hore re se be le seo re se batlang. O mona. Ke tla nka meno a kgauta.”
U-Ajoh wathi, “Andiyikholelwa mna into ethethwa ngumakhulu. Ndicinga ukuba ubesitsho nje kuba engafuni ukuba sizithathele izinto esizithandayo. Unomona umakhulu. Ndiza kuwathatha mna la mazinyo egolide.” Oodadewabo bakhathazeka kakhulu ngale nto. “Ajoh, uze ungathi khange sikuxelele.” U-Ajoh akazange abahoye.
Ajoh said, “I don’t trust
grandmother. I think she said that
to stop us having what we want. I
want the golden teeth.”
Her sisters were worried. “Ajoh, we
warned you,” they said.
Ajoh did not care.
Motsotsong oo, Unyalego a tla ho batla meno a hae. O ne a kgenne hobane o ne a sa fumane meno a hae a kgauta kae kapa kae.
At that moment Unyalego came
looking for his golden teeth. He was
furious when he could not find the
teeth.
Then Unyalego heard the girls
chatting and laughing. He hid under
a rock next to the road where the
girls would pass on their way back.
The sisters were going home
carrying their firewood on their
heads.
Suddenly, they heard “Hzzzzzzzz!”
There was Unyalego with his mouth
wide open, ready to bite. The girls
were terrified.
Unyalego a botsa banana, “Ke mang ya nkileng meno a ka a kgauta?” Yaba ha ho ya arabang.
Unyalego asked the girls, “Who
took my golden teeth?” No one
answered.
The snake decided to test the girls.
“Whoever is innocent, will be able
to sing without mistakes. She will
go home with her firewood.
But the guilty one will sing badly.
She will be my food for the next
three days!”
Apiyo a qala ho bina ka lentswe le hlakileng. Yaba Atieno o bina pina.
Apiyo started to sing with a clear
voice:
“Sio mimi, sio mimi aliye na meno,
Mwenye meno bado yuko nyuma.”
Then Atieno sang the song. She also
sang well.
La ho qetela, ya ba nako ya Ajoh. O ne a tshohile. O ile a atamela a qala ho bina. Empa pina ya hae ke ha e utlwhala e le mpe ebile mantswe a fosahetse.
Lastly, it was Ajoh’s turn. She was
scared. She stepped forward and
started singing. But her singing
sounded terrible and the words
were wrong.
Unyalego shouted, “Can’t you sing
properly like the others?”
The snake knew that Ajoh took his
golden teeth.
Unyalego a kwenya Ajoh. Bana babo ba mathela motseng ho ya tlaleha taba eo.
Bimbilili! U-Unyalego wamginya u-Ajoh. Oodadewabo babaleka bagoduka bayokuxela esi senzo sibi kangaka esenzekileyo.
Unyalego opened his huge jaws and
swallowed Ajoh.
Her sisters ran back to the village.
They told everyone the story of
what happened.
“I warned her, if only she had
listened,” the girls’ grandmother
said sadly.
