the house, only to find the king's daughter was absent. He asked the
skull where she was, and he replied that she had gone out by the back
door, but he did not know where she had gone to. Being a spirit,
however, he very soon guessed that she had gone home; so he followed
as quickly as possible, shouting out all the time.
When the girl heard his voice she ran as fast as she could, and at
last arrived at her father's house, and told him to take at once a
cow, a pig, a sheep, a goat, a dog, a chicken, and seven eggs, and cut
them into seven parts as a sacrifice, and leave them on the road, so
that when the spirit man saw these things he would stop and not enter
the town. This the king did immediately, and made the sacrifice as his
daughter had told him.
When the spirit man saw the sacrifice on the road, he sat down and at
once began to eat.
When he had satisfied his appetite, he packed up the remainder and
returned to the spirit land, not troubling any more about the king's
daughter.
When the king saw that the danger was over, he beat his drum, and
declared that for the future, when people died and went to the spirit
land, they should not come to earth again as spirits to cure sick
people.
XXIX
_How the Tortoise overcame the Elephant and the Hippopotamus_
The elephant and the hippopotamus always used to feed together, and
were good friends.
One day when they were both dining together, the tortoise appeared and
said that although they were both big and strong, neither of them
could pull him out of the water with a strong piece of tie-tie, and he
offered the elephant ten thousand rods if he could draw him out of the
river the next day. The elephant, seeing that the tortoise was very
small, said, "If I cannot draw you out of the water, I will give you
twenty thousand rods." So on the following morning the tortoise got
some very strong tie-tie and made it fast to his leg, and went down to
the river. When he got there, as he knew the place well, he made the
tie-tie fast round a big rock, and left the other end on the shore for
the elephant to pull by, then went down to the bottom of the river and
hid himself. The elephant then came down and started pulling, and
after a time he smashed the rope.
Directly this happened, the tortoise undid the rope from the rock and
came to the land, showing all people that the rope was still fast to
his leg, but that the elephant had failed to pull him out. The
elephant was thus forced to admit that the tortoise was the winner,
and paid to him the twenty thousand rods, as agreed. The tortoise then
took the rods home to his wife, and they lived together very happily.
After three months had passed, the tortoise, seeing that the money was
greatly reduced, thought he would make some more by the same trick, so
he went to the hippopotamus and made the same bet with him. The
hippopotamus said, "I will make the bet, but I shall take the water
and you shall take the land; I will then pull you into the water."
To this the tortoise agreed, so they went down to the river as before,
and having got some strong tie-tie, the tortoise made it fast to the
hippopotamus' hind leg, and told him to go into the water. Directly
the hippo had turned his back and disappeared, the tortoise took the
rope twice round a strong palm-tree which was growing near, and then
hid himself at the foot of the tree.
When the hippo was tired of pulling, he came up puffing and blowing
water into the air from his nostrils. Directly the tortoise saw him
coming up, he unwound the rope, and walked down towards the
hippopotamus, showing him the tie-tie round his leg. The hippo had to
acknowledge that the tortoise was too strong for him, and reluctantly
handed over the twenty thousand rods.
The elephant and the hippo then agreed that they would take the
tortoise as their friend, as he was so very strong; but he was not
really so strong as they thought, and had won because he was so
cunning.
He then told them that he would like to live with both of them, but
that, as he could not be in two places at the same time, he said that
he would leave his son to live with the elephant on the land, and that
he himself would live with the hippopotamus in the water.
This explains why there are both tortoises on the land and tortoises
who live in the water. The water tortoise is always much the bigger of
the two, as there is plenty of fish for him to eat in the river,
whereas the land tortoise is often very short of food.
XXX
_Of the Pretty Girl and the Seven Jealous Women_
There was once a very beautiful girl called Akim. She was a native of
Ibibio, and the name was given to her on account of her good looks, as
she was born in the spring-time. She was an only daughter, and her
parents were extremely fond of her. The people of the town, and more
particularly the young girls, were so jealous of Akim's good looks and
beautiful form--for she was perfectly made, very strong, and her
carriage, bearing, and manners were most graceful--that her parents
would not allow her to join the young girls' society in the town, as
is customary for all young people to do, both boys and girls belonging
to a company according to their age; a company consisting, as a rule,
of all the boys or girls born in the same year.
Akim's parents were rather poor, but she was a good daughter, and gave
them no trouble, so they had a happy home. One day as Akim was on her
way to draw water from the spring she met the company of seven girls,
to which in an ordinary way she would have belonged, if her parents
had not forbidden her. These girls told her that they were going to
hold a play in the town in three days' time, and asked her to join
them. She said she was very sorry, but that her parents were poor, and
only had herself to work for them, she therefore had no time to spare
for dancing and plays. She then left them and went home.
In the evening the seven girls met together, and as they were very
envious of Akim, they discussed how they should be revenged upon her
for refusing to join their company, and they talked for a long time as
to how they could get Akim into danger or punish her in some way.
At last one of the girls suggested that they should all go to Akim's
house every day and help her with her work, so that when they had made
friends with her they would be able to entice her away and take their
revenge upon her for being more beautiful than themselves. Although
they went every day and helped Akim and her parents with their work,
the parents knew that they were jealous of their daughter, and
repeatedly warned her not on any account to go with them, as they were
not to be trusted.
At the end of the year there was going to be a big play, called the
new yam play, to which Akim's parents had been invited. The play was
going to be held at a town about two hours' march from where they
lived. Akim was very anxious to go and take part in the dance, but her
parents gave her plenty of work to do before they started, thinking
that this would surely prevent her going, as she was a very obedient
daughter, and always did her work properly.
On the morning of the play the jealous seven came to Akim and asked
her to go with them, but she pointed to all the water-pots she had to
fill, and showed them where her parents had told her to polish the
walls with a stone and make the floor good; and after that was
finished she had to pull up all the weeds round the house and clean up
all round. She therefore said it was impossible for her to leave the
house until all the work was finished. When the girls heard this they
took up the water-pots, went to the spring, and quickly returned with
them full; they placed them in a row, and then they got stones, and
very soon had the walls polished and the floor made good; after that
they did the weeding outside and the cleaning up, and when everything
was completed they said to Akim, "Now then, come along; you have no
excuse to remain behind, as all the work is done."
Akim really wanted to go to the play; so as all the work was done
which her parents had told her to do, she finally consented to go.
About half-way to the town, where the new yam play was being held,
there was a small river, about five feet deep, which had to be crossed
by wading, as there was no bridge. In this river there was a powerful
Ju Ju, whose law was that whenever any one crossed the river and
returned the same way on the return journey, whoever it was, had to
give some food to the Ju Ju. If they did not make the proper sacrifice
the Ju Ju dragged them down and took them to his home, and kept them
there to work for him. The seven jealous girls knew all about this Ju
Ju, having often crossed the river before, as they walked about all
over the country, and had plenty of friends in the different towns.
Akim, however, who was a good girl, and never went anywhere, knew
nothing about this Ju Ju, which her companions had found out.
When the work was finished they all started off together, and crossed
the river without any trouble. When they had gone a small distance on
the other side they saw a small bird, perched on a high tree, who
admired Akim very much, and sang in praise of her beauty, much to the
annoyance of the seven girls; but they walked on without saying
anything, and eventually arrived at the town where the play was being
held. Akim had not taken the trouble to change her clothes, but when
she arrived at the town, although her companions had on all their best
beads and their finest clothes, the young men and people admired Akim
far more than the other girls, and she was declared to be the finest
and most beautiful woman at the dance. They gave her plenty of palm
wine, foo-foo, and everything she wanted, so that the seven girls
became more angry and jealous than before. The people danced and sang
all that night, but Akim managed to keep out of the sight of her
parents until the following morning, when they asked her how it was
that she had disobeyed them and neglected her work; so Akim told them
that the work had all been done by her friends, and they had enticed
her to come to the play with them. Her mother then told her to return
home at once, and that she was not to remain in the town any longer.
When Akim told her friends this they said, "Very well, we are just
going to have some small meal, and then we will return with you." They
all then sat down together and had their food, but each of the seven
jealous girls hid a small quantity of foo-foo and fish in her clothes
for the Water Ju Ju. However Akim, who knew nothing about this, as her
parents had forgotten to tell her about the Ju Ju, never thinking for
one moment that their daughter would cross the river, did not take any
food as a sacrifice to the Ju Ju with her.
When they arrived at the river Akim saw the girls making their small
sacrifices, and begged them to give her a small share so that she
could do the same, but they refused, and all walked across the river
safely. Then when it was Akim's turn to cross, when she arrived in the
middle of the river, the Water Ju Ju caught hold of her and dragged
her underneath the water, so that she immediately disappeared from
sight. The seven girls had been watching for this, and when they saw
that she had gone they went on their way, very pleased at the success
of their scheme, and said to one another, "Now Akim is gone for ever,
and we shall hear no more about her being better-looking than we are."
As there was no one to be seen at the time when Akim disappeared they
naturally thought that their cruel action had escaped detection, so
they went home rejoicing; but they never noticed the little bird high
up in the tree who had sung of Akim's beauty when they were on their
way to the play. The little bird was very sorry for Akim, and made up
his mind that, when the proper time came, he would tell her parents
what he had seen, so that perhaps they would be able to save her. The
bird had heard Akim asking for a small portion of the food to make a
sacrifice with, and had heard all the girls refusing to give her any.
The following morning, when Akim's parents returned home, they were
much surprised to find that the door was fastened, and that there was
no sign of their daughter anywhere about the place, so they inquired
of their neighbours, but no one was able to give them any information
about her. They then went to the seven girls, and asked them what had
become of Akim. They replied that they did not know what had become of
her, but that she had reached their town safely with them, and then
said she was going home. The father then went to his Ju Ju man, who,
by casting lots, discovered what had happened, and told him that on
her way back from the play Akim had crossed the river without making
the customary sacrifice to the Water Ju Ju, and that, as the Ju Ju was
angry, he had seized Akim and taken her to his home. He therefore told
Akim's father to take one goat, one basketful of eggs, and one piece
of white cloth to the river in the morning, and to offer them as a
sacrifice to the Water Ju Ju; then Akim would be thrown out of the
water seven times, but that if her father failed to catch her on the
seventh time, she would disappear for ever.
Akim's father then returned home, and, when he arrived there, the
little bird who had seen Akim taken by the Water Ju Ju, told him
everything that had happened, confirming the Ju Ju's words. He also
said that it was entirely the fault of the seven girls, who had
refused to give Akim any food to make the sacrifice with.
Early the following morning the parents went to the river, and made
the sacrifice as advised by the Ju Ju. Immediately they had done so,
the Water Ju Ju threw Akim up from the middle of the river. Her
father caught her at once, and returned home very thankfully.
He never told any one, however, that he had recovered his daughter,
but made up his mind to punish the seven jealous girls, so he dug a
deep pit in the middle of his house, and placed dried palm leaves and
sharp stakes in the bottom of the pit. He then covered the top of the
pit with new mats, and sent out word for all people to come and hold a
play to rejoice with him, as he had recovered his daughter from the
spirit land. Many people came, and danced and sang all the day and
night, but the seven jealous girls did not appear, as they were
frightened. However, as they were told that everything had gone well
on the previous day, and that there had been no trouble, they went to
the house the following morning and mixed with the dancers; but they
were ashamed to look Akim in the face, who was sitting down in the
middle of the dancing ring.
When Akim's father saw the seven girls he pretended to welcome them as
his daughter's friends, and presented each of them with a brass rod,
which he placed round their necks. He also gave them tombo to drink.
He then picked them out, and told them to go and sit on mats on the
other side of the pit he had prepared for them. When they walked over
the mats which hid the pit they all fell in, and Akim's father
immediately got some red-hot ashes from the fire and threw them in on
top of the screaming girls, who were in great pain. At once the dried
palm leaves caught fire, killing all the girls at once.
When the people heard the cries and saw the smoke, they all ran back
to the town.
The next day the parents of the dead girls went to the head chief, and
complained that Akim's father had killed their daughters, so the chief
called him before him, and asked him for an explanation.
Akim's father went at once to the chief, taking the Ju Ju man, whom
everybody relied upon, and the small bird, as his witnesses.
When the chief had heard the whole case, he told Akim's father that he
should only have killed one girl to avenge his daughter, and not
seven. So he told the father to bring Akim before him.
When she arrived, the head chief, seeing how beautiful she was, said
that her father was justified in killing all the seven girls on her
behalf, so he dismissed the case, and told the parents of the dead
girls to go away and mourn for their daughters, who had been wicked
and jealous women, and had been properly punished for their cruel
behaviour to Akim.
MORAL.--Never kill a man or a woman because you are envious of their
beauty, as if you do, you will surely be punished.
XXXI
_How the Cannibals drove the People from Insofan Mountain to the Cross
River (Ikom)_
Very many years ago, before the oldest man alive at the present time
can remember, the towns of Ikom, Okuni, Abijon, Insofan, Obokum, and
all the other Injor towns were situated round and near the Insofan
Mountain, and the head chief of the whole country was called Agbor.
Abragba and Enfitop also lived there, and were also under King Agbor.
The Insofan Mountain is about two days' march inland from the Cross
River, and as none of the people there could swim, and knew nothing
about canoes, they never went anywhere outside their own country, and
were afraid to go down to the big river. The whole country was taken
up with yam farms, and was divided amongst the various towns, each
town having its own bush. At the end of each year, when it was time to
dig the yams, there was a big play held, which was called the New Yam
feast. At this festival there was always a big human sacrifice, fifty
slaves being killed in one day. These slaves were tied up to trees in
a row, and many drums were beaten; then a strong man, armed with a
sharp matchet, went from one slave to another and cut their heads off.
This was done to cool the new yams, so that they would not hurt the
stomachs of the people. Until this sacrifice was made no one in the
country would eat a new yam, as they knew, if they did so, they would
suffer great pain in their insides.
When the feast was held, all the towns brought one hundred yams each
as a present to King Agbor. When the slaves were all killed fires were
lit, and the dead bodies were placed over the fires to burn the hair
off. A number of plantain leaves were then gathered and placed on the
ground, and the bodies, having been cut into pieces, were placed on
the plantain leaves.
When the yams were skinned, they were put into large pots, with water,
oil, pepper, and salt. The cut-up bodies were then put in on top, and
the pots covered up with other clay pots and left to boil for an hour.
The king, having called all the people together, then declared the New
Yam feast had commenced, and singing and dancing were kept up for
three days and nights, during which time much palm wine was consumed,
and all the bodies and yams, which had been provided for them, were
eaten by the people.
The heads were given to the king for his share, and, when he had
finished eating them, the skulls were placed before the Ju Ju with
some new yams, so that there should be a good crop the following
season.
But although these natives ate the dead bodies of the slaves at the
New Yam feast, they did not eat human flesh during the rest of the
year.
This went on for many years, until at last the Okuni people noticed
that the graves of the people who had been buried were frequently dug
open and the bodies removed. This caused great wonder, and, as they
did not like the idea of their dead relations being taken away, they
made a complaint to King Agbor. He at once caused a watch to be set on
all newly dug graves, and that very night they caught seven men, who
were very greedy, and used to come whenever a body was buried, dig it
up, and carry it into the bush, where they made a fire, and cooked and
ate it.
When they were caught, the people made them show where they lived, and
where they cooked the bodies.
After walking for some hours in the forest, they came to a place where
large heaps of human bones and skulls were found.
The seven men were then securely fastened up and brought before King
Agbor, who held a large palaver of all the towns, and the whole
situation was discussed.
Agbor said that this bad custom would necessitate all the towns
separating, as they could not allow their dead relations to be dug up
and eaten by these greedy people, and he could see no other way to
prevent it. Agbor then gave one of the men to each of the seven towns,
and told some of them to go on the far side of the big river and make
their towns there. The others were to go farther down the river on the
same side as Insofan Mountain, and when they found suitable places,
they were each to kill their man as a sacrifice and then build their
town.
All the towns then departed, and when they had found good sites, they
built their towns there.
When they had all gone, after a time Agbor began to feel very lonely,
so he left the site of his old town and also went to the Cross River
to live, so that he could see his friends.
After that the New Yam feast was held in each town, and the people
still continued to kill and eat a few slaves at the feast, but the
bodies of their relations and friends were kept for a long time above
ground until they had become rotten, so that the greedy people should
not dig them up and eat them.
This is why, even at the present time, the people do not like to bury
their dead relations until they have become putrid.
XXXII
_The Lucky Fisherman_
In the olden days there were no hooks or casting nets, so that when
the natives wanted to catch fish they made baskets and set traps at
the river side.
One man named Akon Obo, who was very poor, began to make baskets and
traps out of bamboo palm, and then when the river went down he used to
take his traps to a pool and set them baited with palm-nuts. In the
night the big fish used to smell the palm-nuts and go into the trap,
when at once the door would fall down, and in the morning Akon Obo
would go and take the fish out. He was very successful in his fishing,
and used to sell the fish in the market for plenty of money. When he
could afford to pay the dowry he married a woman named Eyong, a native
of Okuni, and had three children by her, but he still continued his
fishing. The eldest son was called Odey, the second Yambi, and the
third Atuk. These three boys, when they grew up, helped their father
with his fishing, and he gradually became wealthy and bought plenty of
slaves. At last he joined the Egbo society, and became one of the
chiefs of the town. Even after he became a chief, he and his sons
still continued to fish.
One day, when he was crossing the river in a small dug-out canoe, a
tornado came on very suddenly, and the canoe capsized, drowning the
chief. When his sons heard of the death of their father, they wanted
to go and drown themselves also, but they were persuaded not to by the
people. After searching for two days, they found the dead body some
distance down the river, and brought it back to the town. They then
called their company together to play, dance, and sing for twelve
days, in accordance with their native custom, and much palm wine was
drunk.
When the play was finished, they took their father's body to a
hollowed-out cavern, and placed two live slaves with it, one holding a
native lamp of palm-oil, and the other holding a matchet. They were
both tied up, so that they could not escape, and were left there to
keep watch over the dead chief, until they died of starvation.
When the cave was covered in, the sons called the chiefs together, and
they played Egbo[9] for seven days, which used up a lot of their late
father's money. When the play was over, the chiefs were surprised at
the amount of money which the sons had been able to spend on the
funeral of their father, as they knew how poor he had been as a young
man. They therefore called him the lucky fisherman.
[Footnote 9: The Egbo society would meet together and would be
provided with palm wine and food, as much as they could eat and drink,
which frequently cost a lot of money. Dancing and singing would also
be kept up and a band would play, consisting of drums made of
hollowed-out trunks of trees, beaten with two pieces of soft wood,
native made bells and rattles made of basket work, with stones inside,
the bottom consisting of hard dried skin, and covered all over with
long streamers of fibre. Other drums are also played by hand; these
are made out of hollow wood, covered at one end with dried skin, the
other end being left open. The drummer usually sits on two of these
drums, which have a different note, one being a deep sound, and the
other slightly higher.]
XXXIII
_The Orphan Boy and the Magic Stone_
A chief of Inde named Inkita had a son named Ayong Kita, whose mother
had died at his birth.
The old chief was a hunter, and used to take his son out with him when
he went into the bush. He used to do most of his hunting in the long
grass which grows over nearly all the Inde country, and used to kill
plenty of bush buck in the dry season.