Mulondo looks for Samsoni

The Mulondo Children

The story so far:
Samsoni disappears from the house during play one morning, Muko and Nalu are instructed to find him.

The story continues:
When Muko returned, Samsoni wasn’t with him.

“The fishermen told me a boy of about seven years came down to the lake and got into a canoe with some rough-looking men. The canoe was loaded with household property and it had a motor engine on one end. It sped off towards the islands,” he said. Mrs. Mulondo clutched her heart and began gasping for air.

“Help her Muko!” Nalu shouted. Muko held his mother as Nalu fanned her with a plate.
“What’s happening to my wife!” Mr. Mulondo threw his newspaper down, pushed past his daughter and tried to help Mrs. Mulondo lie down.

“I’m fine,” Mrs. Mulondo struggled to sit up. “I’m not the one we should be worrying about, it’s Samsoni!”
“Samsoni!” Mr. Mulondo exclaimed. “What’s happened to him?”

“He got into a boat with a gang of thieves,” Muko said.
“Hajati called him a scoundrel!” Nalu added

“My youngest son Samsoni!” Mr. Mulondo frowned. “it can’t be.”
“That’s what I said!” his wife cried. “I think you had better go down to the lakeshore and find out if it’s true.”

Nalu and Muko followed their father out of the gate, past the shops and down the sandy path to the lake. A group of fishermen were fixing their nets near some old canoes.

“Which one of them did you speak to?” Mr Mulondo asked Muko.
“The one in a yellow T-shirt.” Mr Mulondo approached the fisherman who remembered seeing Samsoni get into the boat.

“But he didn’t get in willingly,” the fishermen said. “He was forced. The poor boy was dragged in by the bearded one, the one with very red eyes.”

“Why didn’t you stop them!” Mr. Mulondo shouted.
The fisherman shrugged, “We thought he was their son.”
The sound of an engine starting made them all turn. “Go with that boat. It’s heading for the island they went to.”

Muko and his father waded through the water and joined the people who were being helped onto the boat.

“Tell your mother we’ve gone,” Mr. Mulondo called over to Nalu. She inturn stayed and watched until the boat disappeared.

Nalu had only walked a few steps along the path heading home when a small figure stepped out from some bushes in front of her.
“Samsoni!“ she screamed. “What are you doing here!”

Activity
1. What happened to Mrs. Mulondo?
2. What did the fishermen see?
3. Which fisherman saw Samsoni get into the boat and why didn’t they do anything?
4. Where does Nalu find Samsoni?