Many years ago there were two small boys living at Okuni, named Ori
Namfup and Ori, they were great friends and always used to play
together. One day in the rainy season when the native pear trees were
covered with fruit, Ori said to his friend let us climb up to the top
of two of these pear trees, and when we are high up we can play at
stoning one another. They very soon climbed up to the highest branches
of the trees, collecting the fruit as they went, and started throwing
them at one another, when suddenly Ori lost his hold and fell to the
ground, breaking his neck. Ori Namfup was very frightened, and ran into
the town and told the people that Ori had fallen from a tree, and was
dead. His friends then came and carried the body of Ori to the head
chief. When the father of Ori heard that his son was dead, he went
to the chief and demanded that Ori Namfup’s father should give him
two slaves to replace the son he had lost. But the chief refused, and
said that as Ori had been killed accidentally it was not right that
two slaves should be given as compensation. But Ori’s father being
obstinate and very headstrong, insisted upon his claim so fiercely
that the chief gave in and ordered the slaves to be paid. Ori Namfup’s
father then bought two slaves and handed them over to Ori’s father, in
order to settle the matter and so that there should be no bad feeling
between them.
The chiefs then made a law that, for the future, whenever a man killed
another by accident, he should pay two slaves to the father of the dead
man, but he should not be killed as he would have been if he had killed
the man on purpose.