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Nindu acel, afoyo obedo
kawothu idhu nam.
One day, Rabbit was walking by the riverside.
Rau obedo keca de, ma ewothu
ka camu lum mabecu becu.
Hippo was there too, going for a stroll and eating some nice green grass.
Rau nwango oneno ongo nia
afoyo obedo keca ka rek egam
enyono wii tyend afoyo.
Afoyo ugoyo nduru man ecaku
kok iwi Rau, “in i Rau! I copu
neno ngo nia itye ka nyonu
tyenda?”
Hippo didn’t see that Rabbit was there and she accidentally stepped on Rabbit’s foot.
Rabbit started screaming at Hippo, “You Hippo! Can’t you see that you’re stepping on my foot?”
Rau ukwayo kisa ibang afoyo,
“Tim ira kisa jarimba. Nwango
aneni ongo. Kayo tim ira kisa!”
Ento afoyo okwero ni winju man
emedire asu ku kok iwi Rau, “I
nyon mi pyem!” Nindu moku,
ibeno! Ibi culu pire!”
Hippo apologised to Rabbit, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. Please forgive me!”
But Rabbit wouldn’t listen and he shouted at Hippo, “You did that on purpose! Someday, you’ll see! You’re going to pay!”
Kan afoyo ocidhu ka sayu mac man ewacu ire, “Cidhi, iwang rau kan ewok kud ipii
kacamu lum. Enyonu wii tyenda!”
Mac, ogamu nia, “Lembe moku ope, afoyo, jarimba. Abitimu kite ma ikwayu
kude.”
Rabbit went to find Fire and said, “Go, burn Hippo when she comes out of the water to eat grass. She stepped on me!”
Fire answered, “No problem, Rabbit, my friend. I’ll do just what you ask.”
Yor ingeye, rau obedo ka camu
lum kama bor ku ndhu nam ma.
“Lewu!” Mac umwoc kan ucaku
ni wangu yuk wii rau zo.
Later, Hippo was eating grass far from the river when, “Whoosh!” Fire burst into flame. The flames began to burn Hippo’s hair.
Rau ucaku ywak man eringo
ipii. Yuk wiye zo nwangu odaru
wang imac.
Rau obedo ka ywak asu, yuk
wiya owang ii mac! I wangu yuk
wiya zo! Yuk wiya zo ocidhu!
Yuk wiya maleng, yuk wiya
maleng!
Hippo started to cry and ran for the water. All her hair was burned off by the fire.
Hippo kept crying, “My hair has burned in the fire! My hair is all gone! My beautiful hair!”
Eni re mukethu rau Kendu bicidhu ongo zo kamabor ku dhu pii lworu ma nia mac
biwange kude.
Afoyo anyongo onego makwe, ma mac owangu rau, ewacu, “Epoy enwanga!”
Rabbit was happy that Hippo’s hair was burned.
And to this day, for fear of fire, the hippo never goes far from the water.
