Some mumbled, "The same. The same," and others, terrified still, could
only nod.
"That is the message I have come to give you. You will hold a great
conference with the people of the Tellum and the people of the Mosse and
there will be a great celebration and no longer will there be Dogon,
Mosse and Tellum, but all will be one. And there will be trade, and
there will be marriage between the tribes, and no longer will there be
three tribes, but only one people and no longer will the headmen and
witchmen of the tribes resist the coming of the new schools, and all the
young people will attend."
Amadijue muttered, "But, great juju come out of the sky, these are our
blood enemies. For longer than the memory of the grandfathers of our
eldest Hogon we have carried the blood feud with Tellum and Mosse."
"No longer," Dolo Anah said flatly.
Amadijue held shaking hands out in supplication, to this dominating juju
come out of the skies. "But they will not heed us. Tellum and Mosse have
hated the Dogon for all time. They will wreak their vengeance on any
delegation come to make such suggestions to them."
"I fly to see their headmen and witchmen immediately," Dolo Anah bit out
decisively. "They will heed my message." His tone turned dangerous. "As
will the headmen and witchmen of the Dogon. If any fail to obey the
message from above, their eyes will lose sight, their tongues become
dumb, and their bellies will crawl with worms."
Amadijue's face went ashen.
At long last the headman of all the Sangha villages spoke up, his voice
trembling its fear. "But the schools, oh great juju--as all the Dogon
have decided, in tribal conference--the schools are evil for our youth.
They teach not the old ways--"
Dolo Anah cut him short with the chop of a commanding hand. "The old
ways are fated to die. Already they die. The new ways are the ways of
the schools."
Amazed at his own temerity, the head chief spoke once more. "But, since
the coming of the French, we have rejected the schools."
Dolo Anah looked at him in scorn. "These will not be schools of the
French. They will be the schools of Bantu, Berber, Sudanese and all the
other peoples of the land. And when your young people have attended the
schools and learned their wisdom they in turn will teach in the schools
and in all the land there will be wisdom and good life. Now I have
spoken and all of you will withdraw save only the sons of the headmen."
They withdrew, making a point each and every one not to turn their backs
to this bringer of disastrous news and leaving only the terror-stricken
young men behind them.
* * * * *
When all were gone save the dozen youngsters, Dolo Anah looked at them
contemplatively. He shrugged finally and said, pointing with his finger,
"You, you and you may leave. The others will remain." The three darted
out, glad of the reprieve.
He looked at the remainder. "Be unafraid," he snapped. "There is no
reason to fear me. Your fathers and the Hogons and the so-called
witchmen, are fools, nothing-men. Fools and cowards, because they are
impressed by foolish tricks."