The Setting Sun and the Rolling World

Two young men, Nharo and Chemai, set out on foot for a bus station in the predawn hours. The five-mile walk requires them to cross an unnamed mountain. The hike frightens Chemai because he believes witches and ghostly drummers populate the mountain. By contrast, the more educated Nharo dismisses Chemai’s superstitious fears. Chemai also claims that there is a hidden gold mine atop the mountain that European explorers tried to plunder, only to be cast off by the Spirit of the Mountain. Moreover, he says that efforts to build a road over the mountain failed because the developers’ instruments mysteriously stopped working.

As the path grows darker amid thick foliage, Nharo becomes frightened despite himself. The two sense what feels like warm breath on their faces, which Chemai attributes to a witch. When they exit into a lighter, less forested area, they discover a black goat following them. Nharo laughs at the goat, aware of the old legend that if a person insults a black goat, it will follow them for the rest of their life. In this instance the legend appears to be true; the goat follows the pair across the mountain.

The pair decide to take a detour to a nearby village, where Nharo’s grandmother Jape lives.