Buhlaluse Benkosi and Mbulumakhasana

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Buhlaluse Benkosi. Her parents loved her dearly. She wore the finest royal clothes, with strings of colourful beads around her neck, her waist and her arms. Some were red, some were white, and some were as blue as the sky. Others were as green as the grass in summer. There were orange beads and purple beads too.

Do you know what beads are, children? They are tiny little balls strung together to make jewellery.

Now, Buhlaluse’s parents hoped that she would marry a prince, the son of a king who lived far, far away.

When the time came for her to leave home, everything was made ready. Her mother packed her beautiful clothes into a bag, along with fragrant oils and sweet perfumes. Then she dressed her daughter in her loveliest beads, placing them around her neck, her waist, her arms and her ankles.

What a beautiful bride she would make!

Food was packed for the journey, and at last the day of her departure arrived. Buhlaluse said a tearful goodbye to her parents and set off with three companions. It would take them three days to reach her new home.

They walked and walked, stopping now and then to rest. When the sun went down on the first day, they asked to spend the night at a homestead along the way.

By sunset on the second day, they were still far from their destination. Once again, they needed somewhere to sleep. This time, they came upon a few old, tumbledown huts. The people who had once lived there had moved away, leaving the homestead in ruins.

But the place was not quite as deserted as it seemed.

“Hello there!” the travellers called from the gateway, which had almost disappeared among the weeds. Even the path into the courtyard was overgrown.

They approached the hut that looked a little better than the others.

“Hello! Is anyone home?” called Buhlaluse Benkosi.

“Come in! Come in, visitors!”

Out of the hut came a strange creature. It looked like uxamu, only it had no scales. It was as big as a person, with a head like uxamu’s and a long tail that dragged along the ground.

“Welcome, travellers!” it said.

They returned the greeting, but they could not help staring. What sort of monster was this?

Buhlaluse asked whether they might stay for the night. The creature agreed at once, never taking its eyes off the beautiful princess.

“What is your name? I am Mbuyumakhashana.”

“My name is Buhlaluse Benkosi. I am on my way to marry a prince. What did you say your name was?”

“Mbuyumakhashane.”

Mbulumakhasana insisted that Buhlaluse should share its hut. A wedding! The news pleased the creature very much, and already it was hatching a plan.

The three companions settled into another hut, while Mbulu helped itself to the food Buhlaluse had brought for the journey.

Buhlaluse did not complain. She was a kind girl, and she could see that the creature was hungry. It was one of God’s creatures, after all.

When it had finished eating, Mbulu rummaged through her bag and asked to try on some of her clothes. Buhlaluse agreed. The creature took off its rags, put on her fine clothes and went to sleep in them.

But when morning came, Mbulumakhasana began ordering her about. It told Buhlaluse to put on the rags it had taken off. Then it seized her beautiful beads and put them on itself.

It took her bridal cloth too, the lovely cloth she was to wrap around herself when she arrived at her new home. You see, her face was to remain covered until the wedding, which would take place two weeks later.

When Buhlaluse asked for her things back, the creature turned on her.

“Be quiet, or I’ll thrash you with my tail!”

Buhlaluse was so frightened that she dared not say another word. She put on the creature’s rags.

Imagine her companions’ astonishment when they saw her! There stood their princess in torn old clothes, while Mbulu wore all her bridal finery.

But before they could do anything, Mbulumakhasana threatened them too.

“Do as I say, or you’ll feel my tail!”

They were all afraid.

“I am the bride now,” the creature told them. “Buhlaluse is my servant.”

And so they set off on the last part of their journey. As they drew near the king’s homestead, Mbulumakhasana wrapped itself in the beautiful bridal cloth and curled its tail beneath the clothes, well out of sight.

The royal household had been expecting them and welcomed them warmly. A hut had been prepared for the bride and her companions, and there they were to stay until the wedding.

Each morning, Buhlaluse and her companions rose to sweep the courtyard, fetch water, gather firewood and cook.

Before long, the king noticed the beautiful girl who worked so hard. Perhaps she, too, might find a husband and settle there, he thought.

As Buhlaluse went about her work, she would sing. Day after day, the king heard the same song, until he grew curious about its words.

One day, he hid near a rock where she often sat. Soon she came along, singing as usual. This time, he was close enough to hear every word. It was such a sorrowful song.

Father, Mother, where are you?
It is I, Buhlaluse Benkosi.
Mbulumakhasana tricked me,
Took my clothes away,
Stole my place beside the prince,
And made me its slave.
Father, Mother, where are you?

The king, who was the prince’s father, could hardly believe his ears. He said nothing, but decided to find out what had happened.

Meanwhile, Buhlaluse and her companions were the only ones who saw Mbulu without its bridal covering. Whenever it changed clothes, they marvelled at how plump it had grown in just a few days.

Now, something strange was happening at the royal homestead. Each morning, a great deal of amasi was missing from the calabash where it was kept. Amasi, children, is thick sour milk.

“Someone is stealing the amasi!” came the announcement. “Who can the thief be?”

Gogo, an old woman who lived at the royal homestead, suspected the visitors at once. There had been no thief before they arrived. Why should the amasi suddenly begin disappearing now?

What nobody knew was that Mbulu was very fond of amasi. It had sniffed out the calabash, and every night it crept out and sucked up the milk with its long tail.

But Gogo had a plan.

She sent word that the next day, before the wedding, everyone would have to jump over a pit in the courtyard. At the bottom would be an enormous pot filled with thick curds of amasi.

Gogo was sure the thief would give itself away. Anyone who could not keep away from the amasi at night would surely find those curds too tempting to pass by!

So a pit was dug, and a great pot of thick curds was placed inside it.

Mbulu did not want to come out of the maidens’ hut. But everyone had to jump. There would be no exceptions, not even for the bride.

First came the people of the royal household. One after another, they leapt across the pit. Then came the bride’s companions, and they too landed safely on the other side.

At last, only Mbulumakhasana remained.

The creature tried to leap across. But just as it jumped, its tail slipped free. Out it uncurled, down it went, straight into the pot! There it stayed, greedily sucking up the amasi.

Oh, what a sight! A bride with a tail!

The men came running with their clubs. Mbulumakhasana scrambled out of the pit and fled, with sticks and stones flying after it.

Then the truth came out. Everyone heard how the creature had tricked Buhlaluse Benkosi, stolen her beautiful clothes and taken her place as the bride.

A grand wedding was arranged for the very next day. At last, Buhlaluse Benkosi married her prince, and they lived happily ever after.