Life As A Bull amongst the kraal
It was on a sunny day when Tumi, a teenager boy who grew up in the rural area’s. Where he spent the whole afternoon and evening spending time guarding the cattle’s while they go grazing in the brush. His best security was his dog that could alarm him incase of any danger around the bush. Or help with guiding the cattle’s on which way to travel and how graze.
One morning Tumi woke up and made porridge for breakfast. He was called by his grandfather as two bulls had started fighting in the kraal. He went out running reaching for his jacket and boots as he had just changed into his casual clothes. He got out and found two men nearby jumping the kraal to try stop the war, but it got worse that one got hurt. The bull had used it’s horn to try attack the other then it missed to run into the kraal gate which was loosened up when the two kraals nearby were separated by a fence in between. The fence in between had be destroyed that was why the bulls had started fighting. As soon as the kraals gate had been open most cows in the kraals fled away.
Making it hard to stop them from getting lost. It was eight cows including one bull. As one was injured and has stayed on the floor for medical attention. Tumi immediately called his dog’s on the cows. That had made it easy to stop four of the cows allowing three to further disappear into the bush. It was still early in the morning. Tumi’s grandfather had suggested that his grandson went after the cows with the dogs. While he remained behind to fix the kraals fence. The two men had been next to each other as the man that had survived was nursing the injured man on the floor. As they had called an ambulance to come take the injured man to the clinic or hospital as his head was badly injured.
Tumi’s grandfather had taken out his knife to kill the bull on the floor as it was losing blood and was badly injured. To prevent the meat from spoiling he decided to kill and skin the bull. Cutting it into smaller pieces to have it store and beginning to have it dried with salt and spice only. As the fridges were fully filled with meat that had been stored for distribution or sale. This made his heart feel pain and tears filled the eye’s as this had made more meat to be killed before the required time. This also reduced the number of the cows within the kraal.
The ambulance arrived and Tumi had finished preparing for the hunting process as and had started on the journey. The good part about the village is that it was near the river so it would be hard for the cows to jump the river. This would make them travel along the river boundaries. Plus the bush near the river would be the perfect place to graze as it was during autumn. He travelled with four dogs and a stick used to hit the cattle’s if they had no responded to the man giving out instructions. As he disappeared into the bush his grandfather had wished him luck and promised him the best surprise of his life if he came back with the cows. Especially the bull as it was the only one left.
He had travelled about ten kilometers deep into the wood when he had heard and noticed that he was not alone in the bush. He had noticed a young man who was waiting on a rock when his cattle’s grazed. Tumi had noticed two of his grandfather’s cows as they were moving along with the other cattle’s. He approached the boy and introduced himself to the teenage boy. Whose name was Mpho, he immediately began explaining how his cows got lost. Mpho listened and then gave Tumi the two cows while laughing at how he had been stressed about staying in the bush till at night as it would be dangerous. He immediately took the two cows and began for home. Before he left his dogs had started fighting with Mpho’s dogs that turned into a big fight that they both had to use sticks to separate the dogs. Mpho had noticed a man around the village walking with a bull tied with a rope and left with it to his home. Tumi immediately thanked Mpho and took the two cows home as he had recognized the man they were talking about.
He went back home and found his grandfather done with reinstalling the kraals fence and had made it stronger. He was sitting outside the house drinking tea while looking for his grandson to appear in the bush with the cows. Tumi got closer to his home that is when his grandfather went out of the yard running filled with happiness that his grandson had managed to find two of the cows lost. He immediately open the kraals gate and let the cows back inside the kraal then locked it up. They sat down to have tea and biscuits while Tumi explained what had happened to the bull.
His grandfather had suggested that he rests for some few minutes before they attempt traveling to the go get the remaining bull. He told his grandfather about the boy he had met in the bushes and his name, mostly how his dogs and the other dogs had started fighting making noise in the bush. They finally finished eating biscuits and drinking tea. They immediately started their journey to the old man who had taken the lost bull found near the river grazing and took the bull alone as it had meant more wealth for him.
They arrived at the man’s house and found him about to remove the bell on the bulls neck as it had a name tag for easy recognition to who the bull belonged to. The old man’s name was Matome and he was the only one who had cows and no one to look after them. They arrived in the yard with greetings and immediately started speaking out about the incident that had occurred earlier on. The man explained to them on how he got the cow’s alone in the bush and only took the bull only. He decided to give them the bull back and immediately ask for forgiveness as he never knew or saw anyone near the cows. They also mentioned the bell’s shaped and the name on the tag.
This made it hard for them to live without sitting down for tea as it was now evening, sun down. They left and headed back home, Tumi had also volunteer to take the old man’s cattle’s for grazing when he took his grandfather’s cattle’s for grazing. They arrived at home and Tumi was so tired that he went to bed earlier that day without having supper or anything else to eat. His grandfather was busy catching up on the men in hospital and how badly injured was the other man. He did this while looking at his kraals and how one bull was missing from the other kraal. This made him sad and happy filled with mixed emotions but satisfied of the cows got.
THE END
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