Specimens of Bushman Folklore, by W.H.I. Bleek and L.C. Lloyd, [1911], at sacred-texts.com
#KAGA'RA[1] AND !HAUNU, WHO FOUGHT EACH OTHER WITH LIGHTNING.
They formerly, #kagara formerly went to fetch his younger sister, he went to take her away; he went to take her away from !haunu[2]; and he took (her) back to her parents.
!haunu gave chase to his brother-in-law, he passed along behind the hill.
The clouds came, clouds which were unequalled in beauty (lit. "clouds which not beautiful like them"); they vanished away.
#kagara said:[3] "Thou must walk on." His younger sister walked, carrying (a heavy burden of)
[1 A bird (it) is; a little bird (it) is; it resembles the Lanius Collaris (a Butcher-Bird).
2. A man (it) is; the Rain (it) is. I think that a Rain's Sorcerer (he) seems to have been. His name resembles (that of) the mucus which we are used to blow out of our nose, which is thick, that which the Bushmen call !hau!haung.
3. To his younger sister.]
things, (her) husband's things. He (#kagara) said: "Thou must walk on; for, home is not near at hand."
!haunu passed along behind (the hill).
The clouds came, the clouds vanished away.
#kagara said: "Thou must walk on, for, thou art the one who dost see." And he, because the house became near) he exclaimed: "Walk on! Walk on!" He waited for his younger sister; his younger sister came up to his side. He exclaimed: "What things can these be, which thou dost heavily carry?"
Then !haunu sneezed, on account of it;[3] blood poured out of his nostrils; he stealthily lightened at his brother-in-law. His brother-in-law fended him quickly off,[4] his brother-in-law also stealthily lightened at him. He quickly fended off his brother-in-law. His brother-in-law also lightened at him. He (#kagara) said: "Thou must come (and) walk close beside me; for, thou art the one who dost see that husband does not allow us time; for, he does not singly lighten."
They (#kagara and !haunu) went along angry with
[1. The things which the wife carried, they resembled water; they, in this manner, were pushing at her; while they felt that they were not hard, they did in this manner (i.e. swayed forward), behind her back.
2. !haunu was the one from whose nostrils blood came out, when he intended to sneeze. He sneezed on account of his things, to which #kagara did in this manner (i.e. felt at roughly).
3. In the word ||khabbe(t) the t is barely pronounced. The meaning of this word is explained by the narrator as follows: (He) fends off his brother-in-law (by motioning with his arm). Fending off (it) is, when other people are fighting their fellows with their fists. Fending off is that which they are wont to do, they wave off with the arm, while they fend off the other one's arm. He (#kagara) fended off the other one's lightning.]
each other. !haunu had intended that he should be the one lightening to #kagara to whisk away
#kagara. #kagara was one who was strong (lit. "was not light", or "did not feel light"), he continued to fend off his younger sister's husband, !haunu. His younger sister's husband was also lightening at him; he was lightening at his brother-in-law. Then he stealthily lightened at his younger sister's husband with black lightning,[1] he, lightening, whisked him up (and carried him to a little distance).
His younger sister's husband, in this manner, lay dying; he, in this manner, he thundered,[2] while #kagara bound up his head[3] with the net, he, returning, arrived at home.
He went to lie down in the hut, while !haunu lay thundering;[4] he thundered there, while #kagara went to lie down, when he had rubbed them (i.e. himself and his younger sister) with buchu,[5] buchu, buchu, buchu, he lay down.
[1. Black lightning is that which kills us, that which we do not perceive it come; it resembles a gun, we are merely startled by the clouds' thundering, while the other man lies, shrivelled up lies.
2. As he lay.
3. His head ached; his head was splitting (with pain).
4. To thunder is !kuerriten; but the narrator explained that !ke!keya here means 'to lie thundering'; and illustrated the expression by saying that "the Bushmen are wont to say that the springbok is one which goes to lie bleating; it is not willing to die quickly".
5. Buchu (in Webster's international Dictionary of 1902) is stated to be, "A South African shrub (Barosma)".]
Note by the Narrator.
My grandmothers used to say: "#kagara and his companion are those who fight in the East, he and !haunu."
When the clouds were thick, and the clouds, when the clouds were thick, and the clouds were at this place, and the clouds resembled a mountain, then, the clouds were lightening, on account of it. And my grandmothers used to say: "It is #kagara, with !haunu."