spent the whole night rolling around,
turning upside down, tumbling,
being swallowed up between gushing ravines,
river-banks and giant mountain peaks.
And the two men, like feathers,
were carried away, spewn forth thousands of times
against hard objects that injured them.
Lightning struck an animal lair
where Stinking-Mouth had taken refuge with his mate 93.
The male was killed and the female stood up,
struck out, not knowing where to go,
came upon the two men buffeted by the wind.
She took them for the murderers of her mate,
fell upon the first one to come
within range of her claws, and pounced on him.
She wrung his neck, opened his abdomen, removed
his intestines and emptied them! Alas, Demburu!
“Oh evening trip in the rainy season!” he said,
“Never to be undertaken! Where are you now, Hammadi?”
As soon as Demburu's soul fell and died,
the storm abated as though by magic.
The sun came out and rose, all splendid.
Hamtudo managed to locate the caravan oxen
and made sure their loads of gold were intact.
He transported Demburu's body to the road,
sat on a stone and began to cry.
Turning his back to the road, he said:
“Oh Demburu, why didn't we take the advice
that Hammadi tried to force on us? 94
Now I begin to understand
that the old hunchback
was not so insane as he seemed.
We were the fools! Hammadi understood
and came out the better! If only he were still here,
he would help me bury our friend
and would inherit his gold,