all the people in the spirit land were cannibals, and when they heard
there was a human being in their country, they would come down and
kill her and eat her. The skull's mother then hid Afiong, and as she
had looked after her so well, she promised she would send her back to
her country as soon as possible, providing that she promised for the
future to obey her parents. This Afiong readily consented to do. Then
the old woman sent for the spider, who was a very clever hairdresser,
and made him dress Afiong's hair in the latest fashion. She also
presented her with anklets and other things on account of her
kindness. She then made a Ju Ju and called the winds to come and
convey Afiong to her home. At first a violent tornado came, with
thunder, lightning and rain, but the skull's mother sent him away as
unsuitable. The next wind to come was a gentle breeze, so she told the
breeze to carry Afiong to her mother's house, and said good-bye to
her. Very soon afterwards the breeze deposited Afiong outside her
home, and left her there.
When the parents saw their daughter they were very glad, as they had
for some months given her up as lost. The father spread soft animals'
skins on the ground from where his daughter was standing all the way
to the house, so that her feet should not be soiled. Afiong then
walked to the house, and her father called all the young girls who
belonged to Afiong's company to come and dance, and the feasting and
dancing was kept up for eight days and nights. When the rejoicing was
over, the father reported what had happened to the head chief of the
town. The chief then passed a law that parents should never allow
their daughters to marry strangers who came from a far country. Then
the father told his daughter to marry a friend of his, and she
willingly consented, and lived with him for many years, and had many
children.
IX
_The King who Married the Cock's Daughter_
King Effiom of Duke Town, Calabar, was very fond of pretty maidens,
and whenever he heard of a girl who was unusually good-looking, he
always sent for her, and if she took his fancy, he made her one of his
wives. This he could afford to do, as he was a rich man, and could pay
any dowry which the parents asked, most of his money having been made
by buying and selling slaves.
Effiom had two hundred and fifty wives, but he was never content, and
wanted to have all the finest women in the land. Some of the king's
friends, who were always on the look-out for pretty girls, told Effiom
that the Cock's daughter was a lovely virgin, and far superior to any
of the king's wives. Directly the king heard this he sent for the
Cock, and said he intended to have his daughter as one of his wives.
The Cock, being a poor man, could not resist the order of the king, so
he brought his daughter, who was very good-looking and pleased the
king immensely. When the king had paid the Cock a dowry of six
puncheons of palm-oil, the Cock told Effiom that if he married his
daughter he must not forget that she had the natural instincts of a
hen, and that he should not blame Adia unen (his daughter) if she
picked up corn whenever she saw it. The king replied that he did not
mind what she ate so long as he possessed her.
The king then took Adia unen as his wife, and liked her so much, that
he neglected all his other wives, and lived entirely with Adia unen,
as she suited him exactly and pleased him more than any of his other
wives. She also amused the king, and played with him and enticed him
in so many different ways that he could not live without her, and
always had her with him to the exclusion of his former favourites,
whom he would not even speak to or notice in any way when he met them.
This so enraged the neglected wives that they met together, and
although they all hated one another, they agreed so far that they
hated the Cock's daughter more than any one, as now that she had come
to the king none of them ever had a chance with him. Formerly the
king, although he always had his favourites, used to favour different
girls with his attentions when they pleased him particularly. That was
very different in their opinion to being excluded from his presence
and all his affections being concentrated on one girl, who received
all his love and embraces. In consequence of this they were very
angry, and determined if possible to disgrace Adia unen. After much
discussion, one of the wives, who was the last favourite, and whom the
arrival of the Cock's daughter had displaced, said: "This girl, whom
we all hate, is, after all, only a Cock's daughter, and we can easily
disgrace her in the king's eyes, as I heard her father tell the king
that she could not resist corn, no matter how it was thrown about."
Very shortly after the king's wives had determined to try and disgrace
Adia unen, all the people of the country came to pay homage to the
king. This was done three times a year, the people bringing yams,
fowls, goats, and new corn as presents, and the king entertained them
with a feast of foo-foo, palm-oil chop, and tombo.[7] A big dance was
also held, which was usually kept up for several days and nights.
Early in the morning the king's head wife told her servant to wash one
head of corn, and when all the people were present she was to bring it
in a calabash and throw it on the ground and then walk away. The corn
was to be thrown in front of Adia unen, so that all the people and
chiefs could see.
[Footnote 7: Tombo is an intoxicating drink made from the juice which
is extracted from the tombo palm, and which ferments very quickly. It
is drawn from the tree twice a day--in the morning very early, and
again in the afternoon.]
About ten o'clock, when all the chiefs and people had assembled, and
the king had taken his seat on his big wooden chair, the servant girl
came and threw the corn on the ground as she had been ordered.
Directly she had done this Adia unen started towards the corn, picked
it up, and began to eat. At this all the people laughed, and the king
was very angry and ashamed. The king's wives and many people said that
they thought the king's finest wife would have learnt better manners
than to pick up corn which had been thrown away as refuse. Others
said: "What can you expect from a Cock's daughter? She should not be
blamed for obeying her natural instincts." But the king was so vexed,
that he told one of his servants to pack up Adia unen's things and
take them to her father's house. And this was done, and Aida unen
returned to her parents.
That night the king's third wife, who was a friend of Adia unen's,
talked the whole matter over with the king, and explained to him that
it was entirely owing to the jealousy of his head wife that Adia unen
had been disgraced. She also told him that the whole thing had been
arranged beforehand in order that the king should get rid of Adia
unen, of whom all the other wives were jealous. When the king heard
this he was very angry, and made up his mind to send the jealous woman
back to her parents empty-handed, without her clothes and presents.
When she arrived at her father's house the parents refused to take her
in, as she had been given as a wife to the king, and whenever the
parents wanted anything, they could always get it at the palace. It
was therefore a great loss to them. She was thus turned into the
streets, and walked about very miserable, and after a time died, very
poor and starving.
The king grieved so much at having been compelled to send his
favourite wife Adia unen away, that he died the following year. And
when the people saw that their king had died of a broken heart, they
passed a law that for the future no one should marry any bird or
animal.
X
_The Woman, the Ape, and the Child_
Okun Archibong was one of King Archibong's slaves, and lived on a farm
near Calabar. He was a hunter, and used to kill bush buck and other
kinds of antelopes and many monkeys. The skins he used to dry in the
sun, and when they were properly cured, he used to sell them in the
market; the monkey skins were used for making drums, and the antelope
skins were used for sitting mats. The flesh, after it had been well
smoked over a wood fire, he also sold, but he did not make much money.
Okun Archibong married a slave woman of Duke's house named Nkoyo. He
paid a small dowry to the Dukes, took his wife home to his farm, and
in the dry season time she had a son. About four months after the
birth of the child Nkoyo took him to the farm while her husband was
absent hunting. She placed the little boy under a shady tree and went
about her work, which was clearing the ground for the yams which would
be planted about two months before the rains. Every day while the
mother was working a big ape used to come from the forest and play
with the little boy; he used to hold him in his arms and carry him up
a tree, and when Nkoyo had finished her work, he used to bring the
baby back to her. There was a hunter named Edem Effiong who had for a
long time been in love with Nkoyo, and had made advances to her, but
she would have nothing to do with him, as she was very fond of her
husband. When she had her little child Effiong Edem was very jealous,
and meeting her one day on the farm without her baby, he said: "Where
is your baby?" And she replied that a big ape had taken it up a tree
and was looking after it for her. When Effiong Edem saw that the ape
was a big one, he made up his mind to tell Nkoyo's husband. The very
next day he told Okun Archibong that he had seen his wife in the
forest with a big ape. At first Okun would not believe this, but the
hunter told him to come with him and he could see it with his own
eyes. Okun Archibong therefore made up his mind to kill the ape. The
next day he went with the other hunter to the farm and saw the ape up
a tree playing with his son, so he took very careful aim and shot the
ape, but it was not quite killed. It was so angry, and its strength
was so great, that it tore the child limb from limb and threw it to
the ground. This so enraged Okun Archibong that seeing his wife
standing near he shot her also. He then ran home and told King
Archibong what had taken place. This king was very brave and fond of
fighting, so as he knew that King Duke would be certain to make war
upon him, he immediately called in all his fighting men. When he was
quite prepared he sent a messenger to tell King Duke what had
happened. Duke was very angry, and sent the messenger back to King
Archibong to say that he must send the hunter to him, so that he could
kill him in any way he pleased. This Archibong refused to do, and
said he would rather fight. Duke then got his men together, and both
sides met and fought in the market square. Thirty men were killed of
Duke's men, and twenty were killed on Archibong's side; there were
also many wounded. On the whole King Archibong had the best of the
fighting, and drove King Duke back. When the fighting was at its
hottest the other chiefs sent out all the Egbo men with drums and
stopped the fight, and the next day the palaver was tried in Egbo
house. King Archibong was found guilty, and was ordered to pay six
thousand rods to King Duke. He refused to pay this amount to Duke, and
said he would rather go on fighting, but he did not mind paying the
six thousand rods to the town, as the Egbos had decided the case. They
were about to commence fighting again when the whole country rose up
and said they would not have any more fighting, as Archibong said to
Duke that the woman's death was not really the fault of his slave Okun
Archibong, but of Effiong Edem, who made the false report. When Duke
heard this he agreed to leave the whole matter to the chiefs to
decide, and Effiong Edem was called to take his place on the stone. He
was tried and found guilty, and two Egbos came out armed with cutting
whips and gave him two hundred lashes on his bare back, and then cut
off his head and sent it to Duke, who placed it before his Ju Ju. From
that time to the present all apes and monkeys have been frightened of
human beings; and even of little children. The Egbos also passed a law
that a chief should not allow one of his men slaves to marry a woman
slave of another house, as it would probably lead to fighting.
XI
_The Fish and the Leopard's Wife; or, Why the Fish lives in the Water_
Many years ago, when King Eyo was ruler of Calabar, the fish used to
live on the land; he was a great friend of the leopard, and frequently
used to go to his house in the bush, where the leopard entertained
him. Now the leopard had a very fine wife, with whom the fish fell in
love. And after a time, whenever the leopard was absent in the bush,
the fish used to go to his house and make love to the leopard's wife,
until at last an old woman who lived near informed the leopard what
happened whenever he went away. At first the leopard would not believe
that the fish, who had been his friend for so long, would play such a
low trick, but one night he came back unexpectedly, and found the fish
and his wife together; at this the leopard was very angry, and was
going to kill the fish, but he thought as the fish had been his friend
for so long, he would not deal with him himself, but would report his
behaviour to King Eyo. This he did, and the king held a big palaver,
at which the leopard stated his case quite shortly, but when the fish
was put upon his defence he had nothing to say, so the king addressing
his subjects said, "This is a very bad case, as the fish has been the
leopard's friend, and has been trusted by him, but the fish has taken
advantage of his friend's absence, and has betrayed him." The king,
therefore, made an order that for the future the fish should live in
the water, and that if he ever came on the land he should die; he also
said that all men and animals should kill and eat the fish whenever
they could catch him, as a punishment for his behaviour with his
friend's wife.
XII
_Why the Bat is Ashamed to be seen in the Daytime_
There was once an old mother sheep who had seven lambs, and one day
the bat, who was about to make a visit to his father-in-law who lived
a long day's march away, went to the old sheep and asked her to lend
him one of her young lambs to carry his load for him. At first the
mother sheep refused, but as the young lamb was anxious to travel and
see something of the world, and begged to be allowed to go, at last
she reluctantly consented. So in the morning at daylight the bat and
the lamb set off together, the lamb carrying the bat's drinking-horn.
When they reached half-way, the bat told the lamb to leave the horn
underneath a bamboo tree. Directly he arrived at the house, he sent
the lamb back to get the horn. When the lamb had gone the bat's
father-in-law brought him food, and the bat ate it all, leaving
nothing for the lamb. When the lamb returned, the bat said to him,
"Hullo! you have arrived at last I see, but you are too late for food;
it is all finished." He then sent the lamb back to the tree with the
horn, and when the lamb returned again it was late, and he went
supperless to bed. The next day, just before it was time for food,
the bat sent the lamb off again for the drinking-horn, and when the
food arrived the bat, who was very greedy, ate it all up a second
time. This mean behaviour on the part of the bat went on for four
days, until at last the lamb became quite thin and weak. The bat
decided to return home the next day, and it was all the lamb could do
to carry his load. When he got home to his mother the lamb complained
bitterly of the treatment he had received from the bat, and was
baa-ing all night, complaining of pains in his inside. The old mother
sheep, who was very fond of her children, determined to be revenged on
the bat for the cruel way he had starved her lamb; she therefore
decided to consult the tortoise, who, although very poor, was
considered by all people to be the wisest of all animals. When the old
sheep had told the whole story to the tortoise, he considered for some
time, and then told the sheep that she might leave the matter entirely
to him, and he would take ample revenge on the bat for his cruel
treatment of her son.
Very soon after this the bat thought he would again go and see his
father-in-law, so he went to the mother sheep again and asked her for
one of her sons to carry his load as before. The tortoise, who
happened to be present, told the bat that he was going in that
direction, and would cheerfully carry his load for him. They set out
on their journey the following day, and when they arrived at the
half-way halting-place the bat pursued the same tactics that he had on
the previous occasion. He told the tortoise to hide his drinking-horn
under the same tree as the lamb had hidden it before; this the
tortoise did, but when the bat was not looking he picked up the
drinking-horn again and hid it in his bag. When they arrived at the
house the tortoise hung the horn up out of sight in the back yard, and
then sat down in the house. Just before it was time for food the bat
sent the tortoise to get the drinking-horn, and the tortoise went
outside into the yard, and waited until he heard that the beating of
the boiled yams into foo-foo had finished; he then went into the house
and gave the drinking-horn to the bat, who was so surprised and angry,
that when the food was passed he refused to eat any of it, so the
tortoise ate it all; this went on for four days, until at last the bat
became as thin as the poor little lamb had been on the previous
occasion. At last the bat could stand the pains of his inside no
longer, and secretly told his mother-in-law to bring him food when the
tortoise was not looking. He said, "I am now going to sleep for a
little, but you can wake me up when the food is ready." The tortoise,
who had been listening all the time, being hidden in a corner out of
sight, waited until the bat was fast asleep, and then carried him very
gently into the next room and placed him on his own bed; he then very
softly and quietly took off the bat's cloth and covered himself in it,
and lay down where the bat had been; very soon the bat's mother-in-law
brought the food and placed it next to where the bat was supposed to
be sleeping, and having pulled his cloth to wake him, went away. The
tortoise then got up and ate all the food; when he had finished he
carried the bat back again, and took some of the palm-oil and foo-foo
and placed it inside the bat's lips while he was asleep; then the
tortoise went to sleep himself. In the morning when he woke up the bat
was more hungry than ever, and in a very bad temper, so he sought out
his mother-in-law and started scolding her, and asked her why she had
not brought his food as he had told her to do. She replied she had
brought his food, and that he had eaten it; but this the bat denied,
and accused the tortoise of having eaten the food. The woman then said
she would call the people in and they should decide the matter; but
the tortoise slipped out first and told the people that the best way
to find out who had eaten the food was to make both the bat and
himself rinse their mouths out with clean water into a basin. This
they decided to do, so the tortoise got his tooth-stick which he
always used, and having cleaned his teeth properly, washed his mouth
out, and returned to the house.
When all the people had arrived the woman told them how the bat had
abused her, and as he still maintained stoutly that he had had no food
for five days, the people said that both he and the tortoise should
wash their mouths out with clean water into two clean calabashes; this
was done, and at once it could clearly be seen that the bat had been
eating, as there were distinct traces of the palm-oil and foo-foo
which the tortoise had put inside his lips floating on the water. When
the people saw this they decided against the bat, and he was so
ashamed that he ran away then and there, and has ever since always
hidden himself in the bush during the daytime, so that no one could
see him, and only comes out at night to get his food.
The next day the tortoise returned to the mother sheep and told her
what he had done, and that the bat was for ever disgraced. The old
sheep praised him very much, and told all her friends, in consequence
of which the reputation of the tortoise for wisdom was greatly
increased throughout the whole country.
XIII
_Why the Worms live Underneath the Ground_
When Eyo III. was ruling over all men and animals, he had a very big
palaver house to which he used to invite his subjects at intervals to
feast. After the feast had been held and plenty of tombo had been
drunk, it was the custom of the people to make speeches. One day after
the feast the head driver ant got up and said he and his people were
stronger than any one, and that no one, not even the elephant, could
stand before him, which was quite true. He was particularly offensive
in his allusions to the worms (whom he disliked very much), and said
they were poor wriggling things.
The worms were very angry and complained, so the king said that the
best way to decide the question who was the stronger was for both
sides to meet on the road and fight the matter out between themselves
to a finish. He appointed the third day from the feast for the
contest, and all the people turned out to witness the battle.
The driver ants left their nest in the early morning in thousands and
millions, and, as is their custom, marched in a line about one inch
broad densely packed, so that it was like a dark-brown band moving
over the country. In front of the advancing column they had out their
scouts, advance guard, and flankers, and the main body followed in
their millions close behind.
When they came to the battlefield the moving band spread out, and as
the thousands upon thousands of ants rolled up, the whole piece of
ground was a moving mass of ants and bunches of struggling worms. The
fight was over in a very few minutes, as the worms were bitten in
pieces by the sharp pincer-like mouths of the driver ants. The few
worms who survived squirmed away and buried themselves out of sight.
King Eyo decided that the driver ants were easy winners, and ever
since the worms have always been afraid and have lived underground;
and if they happen to come to the surface after the rain they hide
themselves under the ground whenever anything approaches, as they fear
all people.
XIV
_The Elephant and the Tortoise; or, Why the Worms are Blind and Why
the Elephant has Small Eyes_
When Ambo was king of Calabar, the elephant was not only a very big
animal, but he had eyes in proportion to his immense bulk. In those
days men and animals were friends, and all mixed together quite
freely. At regular intervals King Ambo used to give a feast, and the
elephant used to eat more than any one, although the hippopotamus used
to do his best; however, not being as big as the elephant, although he
was very fat, he was left a long way behind.
As the elephant ate so much at these feasts, the tortoise, who was
small but very cunning, made up his mind to put a stop to the elephant
eating more than a fair share of the food provided. He therefore
placed some dry kernels and shrimps, of which the elephant was very
fond, in his bag, and went to the elephant's house to make an
afternoon call.
When the tortoise arrived the elephant told him to sit down, so he
made himself comfortable, and, having shut one eye, took one palm
kernel and a shrimp out of his bag, and commenced to eat them with
much relish.
When the elephant saw the tortoise eating, he said, as he was always
hungry himself, "You seem to have some good food there; what are you
eating?"
The tortoise replied that the food was "sweet too much," but was
rather painful to him, as he was eating one of his own eyeballs; and
he lifted up his head, showing one eye closed.
The elephant then said, "If the food is so good, take out one of my
eyes and give me the same food."
The tortoise, who was waiting for this, knowing how greedy the
elephant was, had brought a sharp knife with him for that very
purpose, and said to the elephant, "I cannot reach your eye, as you
are so big."
The elephant then took the tortoise up in his trunk and lifted him up.
As soon as he came near the elephant's eye, with one quick scoop of
the sharp knife he had the elephant's right eye out. The elephant
trumpeted with pain; but the tortoise gave him some of the dried
kernels and shrimps, and they so pleased the elephant's palate that he
soon forgot the pain.
Very soon the elephant said, "That food is so sweet, I must have some
more"; but the tortoise told him that before he could have any the
other eye must come out. To this the elephant agreed; so the tortoise
quickly got his knife to work, and very soon the elephant's left eye
was on the ground, thus leaving the elephant quite blind. The tortoise
then slid down the elephant's trunk on to the ground and hid himself.
The elephant then began to make a great noise, and started pulling
trees down and doing much damage, calling out for the tortoise; but
of course he never answered, and the elephant could not find him.