everything he got with his bow and arrows, which required a lot of
skill.
When his little son was old enough, he gave him a small bow and some
small arrows, and taught him how to shoot. The little boy was very
quick at learning, and by continually practising at lizards and small
birds, soon became expert in the use of his little bow, and could hit
them almost every time he shot at them.
When the boy was ten years old his father died, and as he thus became
the head of his father's house, and was in authority over all the
slaves, they became very discontented, and made plans to kill him, so
he ran away into the bush.
Having nothing to eat, he lived for several days on the nuts which
fell from the palm trees. He was too young to kill any large animals,
and only had his small bow and arrows, with which he killed a few
squirrels, bush rats, and small birds, and so managed to live.
Now once at night, when he was sleeping in the hollow of a tree, he
had a dream in which his father appeared, and told him where there was
plenty of treasure buried in the earth, but, being a small boy, he was
frightened, and did not go to the place.
One day, some time after the dream, having walked far and being very
thirsty, he went to a lake, and was just going to drink, when he heard
a hissing sound, and heard a voice tell him not to drink. Not seeing
any one, he was afraid, and ran away without drinking.
Early next morning, when he was out with his bow trying to shoot some
small animal, he met an old woman with quite long hair. She was so
ugly that he thought she must be a witch, so he tried to run, but she
told him not to fear, as she wanted to help him and assist him to rule
over his late father's house. She also told him that it was she who
had called out to him at the lake not to drink, as there was a bad Ju
Ju in the water which would have killed him. The old woman then took
Ayong to a stream some little distance from the lake, and bending
down, took out a small shining stone from the water, which she gave to
him, at the same time telling him to go to the place which his father
had advised him to visit in his dream. She then said, "When you get
there you must dig, and you will find plenty of money; you must then
go and buy two strong slaves, and when you have got them, you must
take them into the forest, away from the town, and get them to build
you a house with several rooms in it. You must then place the stone in
one of the rooms, and whenever you want anything, all you have to do
is to go into the room and tell the stone what you want, and your
wishes will be at once gratified."
Ayong did as the old woman told him, and after much difficulty and
danger bought the two slaves and built a house in the forest, taking
great care of the precious stone, which he placed in an inside room.
Then for some time, whenever he wanted anything, he used to go into
the room and ask for a sufficient number of rods to buy what he
wanted, and they were always brought at once.
This went on for many years, and Ayong grew up to be a man, and became
very rich, and bought many slaves, having made friends with the Aro
men, who in those days used to do a big traffic in slaves. After ten
years had passed Ayong had quite a large town and many slaves, but one
night the old woman appeared to him in a dream and told him that she
thought that he was sufficiently wealthy, and that it was time for him
to return the magic stone to the small stream from whence it came. But
Ayong, although he was rich, wanted to rule his father's house and be
a head chief for all the Inde country, so he sent for all the Ju Ju
men in the country and two witch men, and marched with all his slaves
to his father's town. Before he started he held a big palaver, and
told them to point out any slave who had a bad heart, and who might
kill him when he came to rule the country. Then the Ju Ju men
consulted together, and pointed out fifty of the slaves who, they
said, were witches, and would try to kill Ayong. He at once had them
made prisoners, and tried them by the ordeal of Esere bean[10] to see
whether they were witches or not. As none of them could vomit the
beans they all died, and were declared to be witches. He then had them
buried at once. When the remainder of his slaves saw what had
happened, they all came to him and begged his pardon, and promised to
serve him faithfully. Although the fifty men were buried they could
not rest, and troubled Ayong very much, and after a time he became
very sick himself, so he sent again for the Ju Ju men, who told him
that it was the witch men who, although they were dead and buried, had
power to come out at night and used to suck Ayong's blood, which was
the cause of his sickness. They then said, "We are only three Ju Ju
men; you must get seven more of us, making the magic number of ten."
When they came they dug up the bodies of the fifty witches, and found
they were quite fresh. Then Ayong had big fires made, and burned them
one after the other, and gave the Ju Ju men a big present. He soon
after became quite well again, and took possession of his father's
property, and ruled over all the country.
[Footnote 10: The Esere or Calabar bean is a strong poison, and was
formerly much used by the natives. These beans are ground up in a
stone mortar, and are then swallowed by the accused person. If the man
dies he is considered guilty, but if he lives, he is supposed to have
proved his innocence of whatever the charge may have been which was
brought against him. Death generally ensues about two hours after the
poison is administered. If the accused takes a sufficient amount of
the ground-up beans to make him vomit it will probably save his life,
otherwise he will die in great pain.]
Ever since then, whenever any one is accused of being a witch, they
are tried by the ordeal of the poisonous Esere bean, and if they can
vomit they do not die, and are declared innocent, but if they cannot
do so, they die in great pain.
XXXIV
_The Slave Girl who tried to Kill her Mistress_
A man called Akpan, who was a native of Oku, a town in the Ibibio
country, admired a girl called Emme very much, who lived at Ibibio,
and wished to marry her, as she was the finest girl in her company. It
was the custom in those days for the parents to demand such a large
amount for their daughters as dowry, that if after they were married
they failed to get on with their husbands, as they could not redeem
themselves, they were sold as slaves. Akpan paid a very large sum as
dowry for Emme, and she was put in the fatting-house until the proper
time arrived for her to marry.
Akpan told the parents that when their daughter was ready they must
send her over to him. This they promised to do. Emme's father was a
rich man, and after seven years had elapsed, and it became time for
her to go to her husband, he saw a very fine girl, who had also just
come out of the fatting-house, and whom the parents wished to sell as
a slave. Emme's father therefore bought her, and gave her to his
daughter as her handmaiden.
The next day Emme's little sister, being very anxious to go with her,
obtained the consent of her mother, and they started off together, the
slave girl carrying a large bundle containing clothes and presents
from Emme's father. Akpan's house was a long day's march from where
they lived. When they arrived just outside the town they came to a
spring, where the people used to get their drinking water from, but no
one was allowed to bathe there. Emme, however, knew nothing about
this. They took off their clothes to wash close to the spring, and
where there was a deep hole which led to the Water Ju Ju's house. The
slave girl knew of this Ju Ju, and thought if she could get her
mistress to bathe, she would be taken by the Ju Ju, and she would then
be able to take her place and marry Akpan. So they went down to bathe,
and when they were close to the water the slave girl pushed her
mistress in, and she at once disappeared. The little girl then began
to cry, but the slave girl said, "If you cry any more I will kill you
at once, and throw your body into the hole after your sister." And she
told the child that she must never mention what had happened to any
one, and particularly not to Akpan, as she was going to represent her
sister and marry him, and that if she ever told any one what she had
seen, she would be killed at once. She then made the little girl carry
her load to Akpan's house.
When they arrived, Akpan was very much disappointed at the slave
girl's appearance, as she was not nearly as pretty and fine as he had
expected her to be; but as he had not seen Emme for seven years, he
had no suspicion that the girl was not really Emme, for whom he had
paid such a large dowry. He then called all his company together to
play and feast, and when they arrived they were much astonished, and
said, "Is this the fine woman for whom you paid so much dowry, and
whom you told us so much about?" And Akpan could not answer them.
The slave girl was then for some time very cruel to Emme's little
sister, and wanted her to die, so that her position would be more
secure with her husband. She beat the little girl every day, and
always made her carry the largest water-pot to the spring; she also
made the child place her finger in the fire to use as firewood. When
the time came for food, the slave girl went to the fire and got a
burning piece of wood and burned the child all over the body with it.
When Akpan asked her why she treated the child so badly, she replied
that she was a slave that her father had bought for her. When the
little girl took the heavy water-pot to the river to fill it there was
no one to lift it up for her, so that she could not get it on to her
head; she therefore had to remain a long time at the spring, and at
last began calling for her sister Emme to come and help her.
When Emme heard her little sister crying for her, she begged the Water
Ju Ju to allow her to go and help her, so he told her she might go,
but that she must return to him again immediately. When the little
girl saw her sister she did not want to leave her, and asked to be
allowed to go into the hole with her. She then told Emme how very
badly she had been treated by the slave girl, and her elder sister
told her to have patience and wait, that a day of vengeance would
arrive sooner or later. The little girl went back to Akpan's house
with a glad heart as she had seen her sister, but when she got to the
house, the slave girl said, "Why have you been so long getting the
water?" and then took another stick from the fire and burnt the little
girl again very badly, and starved her for the rest of the day.
This went on for some time, until, one day, when the child went to the
river for water, after all the people had gone, she cried out for her
sister as usual, but she did not come for a long time, as there was a
hunter from Akpan's town hidden near watching the hole, and the Water
Ju Ju told Emme that she must not go; but, as the little girl went on
crying bitterly, Emme at last persuaded the Ju Ju to let her go,
promising to return quickly. When she emerged from the water, she
looked very beautiful with the rays of the setting sun shining on her
glistening body. She helped her little sister with her water-pot, and
then disappeared into the hole again.
The hunter was amazed at what he had seen, and when he returned, he
told Akpan what a beautiful woman had come out of the water and had
helped the little girl with her water-pot. He also told Akpan that he
was convinced that the girl he had seen at the spring was his proper
wife, Emme, and that the Water Ju Ju must have taken her.
Akpan then made up his mind to go out and watch and see what happened,
so, in the early morning the hunter came for him, and they both went
down to the river, and hid in the forest near the water-hole.
When Akpan saw Emme come out of the water, he recognised her at once,
and went home and considered how he should get her out of the power
of the Water Ju Ju. He was advised by some of his friends to go to an
old woman, who frequently made sacrifices to the Water Ju Ju, and
consult her as to what was the best thing to do.
When he went to her, she told him to bring her one white slave, one
white goat, one piece of white cloth, one white chicken, and a basket
of eggs. Then, when the great Ju Ju day arrived, she would take them
to the Water Ju Ju, and make a sacrifice of them on his behalf. The
day after the sacrifice was made, the Water Ju Ju would return the
girl to her, and she would bring her to Akpan.
Akpan then bought the slave, and took all the other things to the old
woman, and, when the day of the sacrifice arrived, he went with his
friend the hunter and witnessed the old woman make the sacrifice. The
slave was bound up and led to the hole, then the old woman called to
the Water Ju Ju and cut the slave's throat with a sharp knife and
pushed him into the hole. She then did the same to the goat and
chicken, and also threw the eggs and cloth in on top of them.
After this had been done, they all returned to their homes. The next
morning at dawn the old woman went to the hole, and found Emme
standing at the side of the spring, so she told her that she was her
friend, and was going to take her to her husband. She then took Emme
back to her own home, and hid her in her room, and sent word to Akpan
to come to her house, and to take great care that the slave woman knew
nothing about the matter.
So Akpan left the house secretly by the back door, and arrived at the
old woman's house without meeting anybody.
When Emme saw Akpan, she asked for her little sister, so he sent his
friend, the hunter, for her to the spring, and he met her carrying her
water-pot to get the morning supply of water for the house, and
brought her to the old woman's house with him.
When Emme had embraced her sister, she told her to return to the house
and do something to annoy the slave woman, and then she was to run as
fast as she could back to the old woman's house, where, no doubt, the
slave girl would follow her, and would meet them all inside the house,
and see Emme, who she believed she had killed.
The little girl did as she was told, and, directly she got into the
house, she called out to the slave woman: "Do you know that you are a
wicked woman, and have treated me very badly? I know you are only my
sister's slave, and you will be properly punished." She then ran as
hard as she could to the old woman's house. Directly the slave woman
heard what the little girl said, she was quite mad with rage, and
seized a burning stick from the fire, and ran after the child; but the
little one got to the house first, and ran inside, the slave woman
following close upon her heels with the burning stick in her hand.
Then Emme came out and confronted the slave woman, and she at once
recognised her mistress, whom she thought she had killed, so she stood
quite still.
Then they all went back to Akpan's house, and when they arrived
there, Akpan asked the slave woman what she meant by pretending that
she was Emme, and why she had tried to kill her. But, seeing she was
found out, the slave woman had nothing to say.
Many people were then called to a play to celebrate the recovery of
Akpan's wife, and when they had all come, he told them what the slave
woman had done.
After this, Emme treated the slave girl in the same way as she had
treated her little sister. She made her put her fingers in the fire,
and burnt her with sticks. She also made her beat foo-foo with her
head in a hollowed-out tree, and after a time she was tied up to a
tree and starved to death.
Ever since that time, when a man marries a girl, he is always present
when she comes out of the fatting-house and takes her home himself, so
that such evil things as happened to Emme and her sister may not occur
again.
XXXV
_The King and the 'Nsiat Bird_
When 'Ndarake was King of Idu, being young and rich, he was very fond
of fine girls, and had plenty of slaves. The 'Nsiat bird was then
living at Idu, and had a very pretty daughter, whom 'Ndarake wished to
marry. When he spoke to the father about the matter, he replied that
of course he had no objection personally, as it would be a great
honour for his daughter to marry the king, but, unfortunately, when
any of his family had children, they always gave birth to twins,
which, as the king knew, was not allowed in the country; the native
custom being to kill both the children and throw them into the bush,
the mother being driven away and allowed to starve. The king, however,
being greatly struck with Adit, the bird's daughter, insisted on
marrying her, so the 'Nsiat bird had to agree. A large amount of dowry
was paid by the king, and a big play and feast was held. One strong
slave was told to carry Adit 'Nsiat during the whole play, and she sat
on his shoulders with her legs around his neck; this was done to show
what a rich and powerful man the king was.
After the marriage, in due course Adit gave birth to twins, as her
mother had done before her. The king immediately became very fond of
the two babies, but according to the native custom, which was too
strong for any one to resist, he had to give them up to be killed.
When the 'Nsiat bird heard this, he went to the king and reminded him
that he had warned the king before he married what would happen if he
married Adit, and rather than that the twins should be killed, he and
the whole of his family would leave the earth and dwell in the air,
taking the twins with them. As the king was so fond of Adit and the
two children, and did not want them to be killed, he gladly consented,
and the 'Nsiat bird took the whole of his family, as well as Adit and
her two children, away, and left the earth to live and make their home
in the trees; but as they had formerly lived in the town with all the
people, they did not like to go into the forest, so they made their
nests in the trees which grew in the town, and that is why you always
see the 'Nsiat birds living and making their nests only in places
where human beings are. The black birds are the cocks, and the
golden-coloured ones are the hens. It was the beautiful colour of Adit
which first attracted the attention of 'Ndarake and caused him to
marry her.
XXXVI
_Concerning the Fate of Essido and his Evil Companions_
Chief Oborri lived at a town called Adiagor, which is on the right
bank of the Calabar River. He was a wealthy chief, and belonged to the
Egbo Society. He had many large canoes, and plenty of slaves to paddle
them. These canoes he used to fill up with new yams--each canoe being
under one head slave and containing eight paddles; the canoes were
capable of holding three puncheons of palm-oil, and cost eight hundred
rods each. When they were full, about ten of them used to start off
together and paddle to Rio del Rey. They went through creeks all the
way, which run through mangrove swamps, with palm-oil trees here and
there. Sometimes in the tornado season it was very dangerous crossing
the creeks, as the canoes were so heavily laden, having only a few
inches above the water, that quite a small wave would fill the canoe
and cause it to sink to the bottom. Although most of the boys could
swim, it often happened that some of them were lost, as there are many
large alligators in these waters. After four days' hard paddling they
would arrive at Rio del Rey, where they had very little difficulty in
exchanging their new yams for bags of dried shrimps and sticks with
smoked fish on them.[11]
[Footnote 11: A stick of fish consisted of two sticks with a big fish
in the middle of each and small fish at each end, there being eight
fish on each stick, making sixteen in all. These sticks were then tied
together, and smoked over wood fires until they were quite dried. One
stick of fish would sell at Calabar in the dry season time for from
3s. 6d. to 5s. a stick, and a stick would be got for five large yams
which cost Chief Oborri only 1s., so a large profit was made on each
canoe load--the canoes carrying about a thousand yams each. A bag of
shrimps would be bartered for twenty-five large yams, and the shrimps
would be sold for 15s., being a profit of 10s. on each bag. At the
present time, however, the same sized bag of shrimps, in the wet
season, would sell at Calabar for L3, 10s., and in the dry season for
between L1, 10s. and L2.]
Chief Oborri had two sons, named Eyo I. and Essido. Their mother
having died when they were babies, the children were brought up by
their father. As they grew up, they developed entirely different
characters. The eldest was very hard-working and led a solitary life;
but the younger son was fond of gaiety and was very lazy, in fact, he
spent most of his time in the neighbouring towns playing and dancing.
When the two boys arrived at the respective ages of eighteen and
twenty their father died, and they were left to look after themselves.
According to native custom, the elder son, Eyo I., was entitled to the
whole of his father's estate; but being very fond of his younger
brother, he gave him a large number of rods and some land with a
house. Immediately Essido became possessed of the money he became
wilder than ever, gave big feasts to his companions, and always had
his house full of women, upon whom he spent large sums. Although the
amount his brother had given him on his father's death was very large,
in the course of a few years Essido had spent it all. He then sold
his house and effects, and spent the proceeds on feasting.
While he had been living this gay and unprofitable life, Eyo I. had
been working harder than ever at his father's old trade, and had made
many trips to Rio del Rey himself. Almost every week he had canoes
laden with yams going down river and returning after about twelve days
with shrimps and fish, which Eyo I. himself disposed of in the
neighbouring markets, and he very rapidly became a rich man. At
intervals he remonstrated with Essido on his extravagance, but his
warnings had no effect; if anything, his brother became worse. At last
the time arrived when all his money was spent, so Essido went to his
brother and asked him to lend him two thousand rods, but Eyo refused,
and told Essido that he would not help him in any way to continue his
present life of debauchery, but that if he liked to work on the farm
and trade, he would give him a fair share of the profits. This Essido
indignantly refused, and went back to the town and consulted some of
the very few friends he had left as to what was the best thing to do.
The men he spoke to were thoroughly bad men, and had been living upon
Essido for a long time. They suggested to him that he should go round
the town and borrow money from the people he had entertained, and then
they would run away to Akpabryos town, which was about four days'
march from Calabar. This Essido did, and managed to borrow a lot of
money, although many people refused to lend him anything. Then at
night he set off with his evil companions, who carried his money, as
they had not been able to borrow any themselves, being so well known.
When they arrived at Akpabryos town they found many beautiful women
and graceful dancers. They then started the same life again, until
after a few weeks most of the money had gone. They then met and
consulted together how to get more money, and advised Essido to return
to his rich brother, pretending that he was going to work and give up
his old life; he should then get poison from a man they knew of, and
place it in his brother's food, so that he would die, and then Essido
would become possessed of all his brother's wealth, and they would be
able to live in the same way as they had formerly. Essido, who had
sunk very low, agreed to this plan, and they left Akpabryos town the
next morning. After marching for two days, they arrived at a small hut
in the bush where a man who was an expert poisoner lived, called
Okponesip. He was the head Ju Ju man of the country, and when they had
bribed him with eight hundred rods he swore them to secrecy, and gave
Essido a small parcel containing a deadly poison which he said would
kill his brother in three months. All he had to do was to place the
poison in his brother's food.
When Essido returned to his brother's house he pretended to be very
sorry for his former mode of living, and said that for the future he
was going to work. Eyo I. was very glad when he heard this, and at
once asked his brother in, and gave him new clothes and plenty to eat.