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The Fire on the Hill
Long, long ago there was a lake of cold water in Kenya. Many animals came at night to the lake to drink some water. But people never came to the lake at night: the animals could kill and eat them.
Now, a rich man who had a beautiful daughter once said: „The young man, who will go to the lake in the evening and stay in the cold water till morning, will have my daughter for his wife.”
There lived a poor young man who loved the rich man’s daughter very much. He said to his mother, „I shall try to stay all night in the lake and then marry my dear girl”.
„No, no”, the mother said, „you are my only son!”. The water in the lake is very cold, and the animals will eat you up. Don’t go there!” She cried and cried, but her son said: „Mother, don’t cry, I must try. I love her so much!”
So the young man went to the girl’s father. He told him that he wanted to go to the lake and stay in the cold water all night. The rich man sent his servants to the place where they could watch the young man.
When night carne, the young man went to the lake and his mother followed him, but he didn’t see her. There was a hill forty paces away from the place where the young man went into the water. The woman climbed up the hill and made up a fire there. The wild animals saw the fire and were afraid to go near that place.
The young man saw the fire too. He understood that his mother was there. He thought of his mother’s love, and it was easier for him to stay all night in the very cold water.
Morning came. The young man went to the rich man’s house. The rich man saw him and said, „My servants say that there was a fire on the hill forty paces from the lake. It warmed you and that is why you could stay all night in the water. So you can’t marry my daughter. Good-bye”.
The young man was very angry. He went to the judge. “Well”,
the judge said, „this is a very simple case”.
The next morning the young man with his mother and the rich man with his servants came before the judge. There were many people there who wanted to hear the case.
