“Anything you like,” she responded.

“Then bring us castor-oil seed!”

Manyope ran to her hut and returned with a basket full of castor-oil seed, which she put down for the birds. When the doves had picked up all the seeds, they told her to give them a knife and two goats’ horns. One of the birds took the knife, perched on Manyope’s leg, and made two incisions in her belly. The other bird drew blood from the wound and let it pour into the horns. Then they told her to bring two mealie seeds, one red and one white. They put a seed grain in each of the horns. Then they told her, “Put each horn in a calabash and hide the calabashes in your hut. Pour water into them regularly but do not look inside. We are sure you will have good luck.” At that, the two turtledoves flew away.

Prince Masilo, who had immediately fallen in love with Soyane, asked her where she lived. She pointed to the old, dilapidated hut on the hill.

Manyope took the two horns home, put them in two fresh calabashes, and hid them in her hut. She watered them faithfully until one day, lo and behold, the calabashes began to tremble! She heard a boy’s voice calling out, “Soyane, let us get out, this place is getting too narrow for me!” A little girl’s voice answered, “Yes, Sole, we are ready to come out.”

Manyope took the two calabashes and held them above her bed, upside down. And slowly there appeared two little baby heads. She helped each one slide out of his calabash. Manyope had become the mother of a baby boy and a baby girl. What joy! What joy! But she kept the children in her hut for fear of the nasty crows. She told the children, “Remember, never go out, for the crows will kill and eat you.”

Now the woman had a reason for digging and planting. Ten, fifteen years passed. The children grew up prosperously but, heeding their mother’s warning, they never ventured out during daylight.