_Author’s Note._
It is a universal custom throughout the district that when food or
drink is brought for strangers the provider of the food should first
taste it, to show that it is not poisoned.
In connection with the above it may be of interest to note the
formalities which are invariably observed whenever tombo is brought for
people to drink, even when there are only a few present.
The “pourer out” (Ka-ammum (Ingor) pour drink) takes the demijon or
calabash of tombo in his right hand and places it on his knee, then he
takes a glass or small calabash in his left hand and having poured a
little tombo into the glass he presents it to the chief or the head man
present, who makes a little speech asking God (Ossor wor) to be good
to them to prevent their children from dying, and to give them good
yam crops, etc. He then throws the tombo on the ground. Having handed
the glass back, it is filled and given to the chief’s small boy, who
stands behind him, to drink. The “pourer out” then pours out a glass
and drinks it himself. After that the next glass is given to the chief
who throws it on the ground as a libation to the dead ancestors, then
the glass will be filled again, and the chief drinks it.
The tombo is then poured out glass after glass and handed round until
there is only one glass left in the calabash and that is drunk by the
chief’s small boy who drank the first glass, he leaves a little in the
bottom of the glass and gives it to the chief who throws the contents
on the ground to propitiate the evil spirits.
The reason that the glass is presented with the left hand of the
“pourer out” is, that formerly the natives were afraid of being seized
by the hand, when they held out the tombo, by some man who would seize
them on behalf of a third person who owed him a debt, and if they held
the glass out in their right hand and were caught by it they could not
get at their knives which are worn on their right side, to protect
themselves. On all other occasions things are given and taken with the
right hand as the left hand is looked upon as “unclean” for certain
reasons, and it is considered in consequence an insult to offer or take
anything with the left hand. Natives eat their food with their right
hands only.--[E.D., 20.6.10.]
XVII.--HOW CHIEF ALANKOR AND ALL HIS FAMILY WERE KILLED BY A BIG FROG,
OR WHY THE COCK CROWS AT DAWN.
A long time ago, Chief Alankor was one of the head chiefs of Ikom, he
was rich and powerful. This chief had five wives and several children
by each, but he disliked them all with the exception of the last born
whose name was Eba. Wherever he went, whether it was into the forest to
fell timber for making canvas, or to visit neighbouring towns, he used
to take his little son with him and spoil him in many ways.
When all the people were working, including the women and children
on the farm, Eba always stood with his father in the shade of a tree
throughout the heat of the day, and when it was time to go home in
the evening, and all the others were carrying heavy loads, some of
firewood, and others of food, Eba only carried his father’s bag,
containing his snuff and horn. After the bush had been cut and burnt,
and the ground prepared for the farm the Chief waited until some
heavy rains had fallen, and then proceeded to distribute the yams for
planting. Eba carried the yams round for the others to plant. As he
was putting the yams into the basket, he took a great fancy to one
particular yam-tail which he thought he would like to take home and
eat, so he placed the yam-tail behind the tree where his father was
standing, and then took the remaining yams out to the people on the
farm to plant. When the work for the day was finished, and it was time
to go home, Chief Alankor called his people together and started off,
Eba carrying his father’s bag as usual, but he entirely forgot his
yam-tail which he had left behind the tree until they got half way
home. Eba then told his father, that he wished to return to the farm as
he had left something behind which he wanted to get.
His father told him that it was most unusual for anyone to return to
the farm after the work was over as it was well known that anyone
going back might meet some evil thing. But Eba said he was not afraid,
and as his father did not like to refuse his favourite son anything
he allowed him to go, and told his people to sit down and wait until
Eba came back. Eba then hurried back to the place where he had left
his yam-tail, but when he got there he found the yam-tail was turning
itself into a frog, which grew larger and larger every moment. Eba was
very frightened, but continued to look at the frog until suddenly he
caught its eye, when he dropped down dead.
Chief Alankor waited for some time for Eba, and as he did not come,
sent two of his slaves back to fetch him, and then went on with the
rest of his people.
Soon after they reached the house, food was brought for the chief, but
he could not eat anything as he was anxious about his favourite son,
and was expecting him to return with the two slaves every minute. When
it became dark, as they did not return, Alankor sent four more slaves
after the other two, and told them to search the farm all over for his
son, but they did not return either.
The chief became more anxious as it got later, and there were no signs
of any of the people he had sent out, so just before midnight he sent
eight more slaves with fire-brands, to help in the search. When the day
was about to break, and there was no message from any of his people,
Chief Alankor became thoroughly frightened, and called the rest of his
slaves together, and having armed them with bows and arrows to protect
themselves, he sent them off after the others and warned them to be
very careful how they went. As nothing was heard from the last lot, the
chief armed himself and his sons, and told his wives that he was going
himself to look for Eba and the slaves who were lost.
He then started off. As the chief did not return, the wives and
daughters went out to the farm to look for him and try to find out what
had happened to everybody, thus leaving the house deserted except for
the cattle and the fowls. When the morning came, the cock went to the
cow, the sheep and goats, and said, “As our master is missing we should
all go and look for him.” So they started off, the cow leading the way,
followed by the goats and sheep, and then came the hens and chickens,
but the cock stayed some distance behind them all.
When they reached the farm, the cock flew up to the top of a high tree
to watch and see what happened to everybody. On looking round the farm
he saw the bodies of Chief Alankor and all his family, including the
slaves, lying on the ground apparently dead. Some little distance off
he saw a creature like a gigantic frog covered with hair, sitting down
with its head bent down, as he watched the cow and other animals walked
past the monster, and as they looked in its eyes they fell down dead,
one after the other.
The cock was very frightened, and flew down from the top of his tree
and ran off as fast as he could to his friend the rabbit, and told him
what had happened to his master and all his household, including the
animals and hens.
The rabbit said that he thought he could bring the Chief and all his
people back to life again, but they must be very careful not to let the
frog look at them as if he did they would surely die. They then set off
together for the farm, but they went by a different path so as to come
in at the back of the frog. The rabbit then began burrowing, and the
cock went into the bush and cut some strong tie-tie one end of which
he made fast to a tree. He then sat down to wait for the rabbit. After
a time, the rabbit came out and said that he had burrowed away until
he had come just under where the frog was sitting, and that he had
made holes so that they could get at both his hind legs without being
seen. The rabbit then led the way into the hole, and the cock followed
dragging the tie-tie with him. When they got to the place where the
evil monster was, they tied both of his legs very securely with the
tie-tie, and then went back by the way they had come. When they got to
the mouth of the hole, the cock cut a small piece of tie-tie and flew
to the top of a tree, taking great care not to look in the direction of
the frog.
He then tied his head in such a way that he could not catch the frog’s
eye. The rabbit remained in the hole so that he could not see or be
seen. The cock then called out to the frog to make all the people come
to life again at once or else he and the rabbit would kill him.
The frog tried to jump away, but found that he was helpless as both of
his hind legs were fast. Then the frog promised to cure the people,
but begged the cock and the rabbit not to kill him but to throw him
into the water to drown, this they agreed to do. The frog then pointed
to some leaves growing near and told the cock to gather them, and to
squeeze the juice into the eyes of the people and animals, and they
would all wake up. The cock and the rabbit then untied the frog and
threw him into the river: they then returned and squeezed the juice of
the leaves into the eyes of all the people and animals, and they woke
up immediately, none the worse for their experience but very frightened.
They all went home and were shortly afterwards joined by the cock and
the rabbit. The chief then asked who it was that had redeemed him from
death with all his household? When he heard it was the cock and the
rabbit, he appointed the cock to be the head man of the house, and gave
him power to wake everybody at daylight and tell them it was time to go
and work. As a reward to the rabbit, the chief pointed to his farm and
said, “you can eat as much as you like of the yams, cassava, and of the
palm-nuts which fall to the ground, and take them home and nobody will
take them from you.”
From that day, the frog lived in the water, and seldom came to land
except for food, and, ever since, the young of the frog have had tails
which show that they come from the frog which was made from the tail of
a yam.