ECHOES OF THE DUNES - THE MANTIS AND THE HARTEBEES
While out searching for gambroo (a wild plant resembling a cucumber) a group of sisters of the desert came across a wily old Mantis. Knowing that children are curious and could possibly try to capture him the old Mantis used his magic powers to transform himself into a Hartebees. The Mantis also knew that these children would not be carrying knives and therefore would not be able to dismember his body with the flint knives that they knew how to fashion out of stone. However, when the children straw him stretched out on the sand they saw that his horns were turned backwards. They jumped for joy at the sight of this great animal just lying there and knew that there would be great celebration that night if they took home the meat. The older children had learned how to strike the stone in just the right way to make a knife and they set about it with great fervour. As they were skinning the Hartebeest the Mantis snatched back his skin and the children had to work together and hold the