When she got home, her brother smiled, and said to her, “What has happened to you, my sister?”

Bright flashes of lightning seemed to be coming from the girl.  She looked almost as if she were made of gold, and the lightning could not escape from her.  Then she took out the betel-box and the necklace, and showed them to her brother, saying that she had found them in the Basolo’s hut.

The Basolo awoke, and found his brass katakia and his fine necklace gone.

“Who has been here?” he cried.

In a frenzy he hunted through his kabir, throwing out of it his old work-knife and his rusty spear-head and all the poor things that he kept in his bag.  Then he began to moan and weep for his betel-box and gold necklace.

By and by he started out to find his lost things.  In the soft soil close to the house, he found the footprints of the woman; and, following the prints, he traced her to the Malaki’s house.  Right there the footprints ended.  The Basolo stood at the foot of the steps, and called, “Who has been in my house?”

Then he ran up the ladder and rushed into the house, screaming to the Malaki’s sister, “Give me back my gold necklace!  If you don’t give it back, I’ll marry you.”

Quick came the woman’s answer, “I don’t like you, and I will not marry you.”

But her brother was angry because she refused to marry the Basolo.  At last she agreed to the match, and said to the Basolo, “Yes, I will marry you; but I can’t let you live in my house.  You must stay in your own house over yonder.”

So the Basolo and the Malaki’s sister agreed to meet and try [103] each other (talabana).  Then the Basolo went home.

Not long after this, there came a day when many men went out to hunt the wild pig and the deer.  And from her house the woman heard the sound of many men gathering in the meadow.  There were Malaki T’oluk Waig and other malaki, who were there ready for the chase.  And the girl thought, “I will go out and see the men.”

Immediately she hurried to dress herself carefully.  She put on nine waists one over another, and similarly nine skirts (panapisan); and then she girded herself with a chain of brass links that went a thousand times round her waist.  Over her left shoulder she hung her small beaded basket (kambol) that was decorated with row upon row of little tinkling bells, a million in all, and each bell as round as a pea.

But the Basolo knew that the girl was dressing to go out, and he was angry that she should want to go where there were so many men gathered.  In order to keep watch on her movements, he climbed up into a hiding-place behind the great leaves of an areca-palm, [104] and waited.  Presently he saw the woman walking to the meadow.  And she staid there just one night.  But the Malaki was alarmed when he found that his sister had gone out to see the men.  And after he had taken off his clothes, he began to put them on again to follow his sister.