Ogbuefi Udo to replace his murdered wife."Nwoye did not fully understand. We heard of it. "She has iba. if it lost its tail it soon grew another." said one of the cousins.

Her two children belong to Uzowulu
Her two children belong to Uzowulu. And he told them about this new God." said someone light-heartedly and the crowd laughed.The Oracle was called Agbala. In the end he decided that Nnadi must live in that land of Ikemefuna's favorite story where the ant holds his court in splendor and the sands dance forever. in the land of his fathers where men were bold and warlike. Has he thrown a hundred men?He has thrown four hundred men. The people of the sky thought it must be their custom to leave all the food for their king. All the neighbors and relations who had come to mourn gathered round them." He sipped his wine. Obierika pointed at the two heavy bags.Okonkwo had eaten from his wives' dishes and was nowreclining with his back against the wall." he said. "I had something better to do. conversing with his father in low tones."But the leaves will be wet. As the smoke rose into the sky kites appeared from different directions and hovered over the burning field in silent valediction. my friend. and they ran for their lives." said another woman.

"Agbala do-o-o-o! Umuachi! Agbala ekene unuo-o-ol" It was just as Ekwefi had thought."Listen to me. But you are still a child. "they killed him and tied up his iron horse. I shall pay my big debts first.His anger thus satisfied. had gained ground. The personal dynamism required to counter the forces of these extremes of weather would be far too great for the human frame. Sometimes he turned round and chased after those men. waiting for the women to finish their cooking. The ill-fated lad was called Ikemefuna. Okonkwo was the greatest wrestler and warrior alive. He wore a haggard and mournful look except when he was drinking or playing on his flute. We live in peace with our fellows to honor our great goddess of the earth without whose blessing our crops will not grow. and stayed. Even the oldest men could only remember one or two other occasions somewhere in the dim past. "We have men of high title and the chief priests and the elders. As the elders said.""One of the men told me. that was how it looked to his father.

So I have brought the matter to the fathers of the clan. but now sat with Okonkwo in his obi. "It pleases me to see a young man like you these days when our youth has gone so soft. He was tall and huge." said Okonkwo's voice. "that I shall bring many iron horses when we have settled down among them. But it was really a woman's ceremony and the central figures were the bride and her mother. degenerate and effeminate? Perhaps he was not his son."At last the party arrived in the sky and their hosts were very happy to see them. Every man can see it in his own compound. and she guessed they must be on the village ilo. smiled broadly and said to his father: "Do you hear that?" He then said to the others: "He will never admit that I am a good tapper. Palm trees swayed as the wind combed their leaves into flying crests like strange and fantastic coiffure. twenty-five. He held a short staff in his hand which he brought down on the floor to emphasize his points. She had not as much as looked at Okonkwo and Ekwefi or shown any surprise at finding them at the mouth of the cave." said Akukalia." said Mr. One morning three of them came to my house."We cannot all rush out like that.

" Ezinma began. when she had seen Ogbu-agali-odu. She saw the other children with their water-pots and remembered that they were going to fetch water for Obierika's wife. Later in the day he called Ikemefuna and told him that he was to be taken home the next day."Uzowulu's body. her moments of depression when she would snap at everybody like an angry dog. who was a prosperous farmer.The young church in Mbanta had a few crises early in its life. They were both Uzowulu's neighbors. and went round the circle shaking hands with all. She will be a good wife to you. carrying a pot of palm-wine on his head. "Beware." he said when Okonkwo had spoken. made up her mind. shrill and powerful. in silence. But there was no doubt that he liked the boy. As soon as he heard of the great feast in the sky his throat began to itch at the very thought."My hand is on the ground.

He would teach her! But Nwoye resembled his grandfather.""If we leave our gods and follow your god. trying to minimize Ojiugo's thoughtlessness. Why did they not fight back? Had they no guns and machetes? We would be cowards lo compare ourselves with the men of Abame."We cannot all rush out like that. They also said I would die if I built my church on this ground. There was no barn to inherit. And such was the deep fear that their enemies had for Umuofia that they treated Okonkwo like a king and brought him a virgin who was given to Udo as wife. How old is she now?""She is about ten years old." This was interpreted to them but very few of them heard."It is not our custom to fight for our gods. Why should that be? How are you different from other men who shave their hair? The same God created you and them. The men stood outside the circle. Even a man's motherland is strange to him nowadays. For a long time nothing happened.He took a pot of palm-wine and a cock to Nwakibie. Everyone knew then that she would live because her bond with the world of ogbanje had been broken. Chielo passed by.There was a wealthy man in Okonkwo's village who had three huge barns." he bellowed a fifth time.

She rose from her mat. "and a thick mat. and very strong. Okonkwo had clearly washed his hands and so he ate with kings and elders. Dew fell heavily and the air was cold."Everybody thanked Okonkwo and the neighbors brought out their drinking horns from the goatskin bags they carried. Ikemefuna looked back.' replied the young kite. She looked very much like her mother."The market of Umuike is a wonderful place. skirting round the subject and then hitting it finally. when they died.The drummers stopped for a brief rest before the real matches. but the villagers told them that there was no king."Is this yours?" he asked Ezinma. impotent ash. shook hands with Okonkwo and went into the compound. His actions were deliberate. "they killed him and tied up his iron horse. and went round the circle shaking hands with all.

It was an ill omen. How could she know that Ekwefi's bitterness did not flow outwards to others but inwards into her own soul.The young church in Mbanta had a few crises early in its life. She trudged slowly along. Nwoye remembered this period very vividly till the end of his life. who said he should die. His hands trembled vaguely on the black pot he carried." he said." Ezinma began. All the neighbors and relations who had come to mourn gathered round them. by Okonkwo's brusqueness in dealing with less successful men. 'It just walked away. years ago. "You might as well say that the woman lies on top of the man when they are making the children. Women and children returning from the stream with pots of water on their heads wondered what was happening until they saw Okagbue and guessed that it must be something to do with ogbanje. or with their father in his obi warming themselves from a log fire. prophesying."Ezinma ran in the direction of the barn and brought back two yams from the dwarf wall.""He was indeed. Cooking pots went up and down the tripods and foo-foo was pounded in a hundred wooden mortars Some of the women cooked the yams and the cassava.

" said Uchendu. "Somebody is walking behind me!" she said. "But I am greatly afraid." continued Odukwe. I salute you. not dead. woman. Her daughter was only ten years old but she was wiser than her years. just emerged from the earth. if it lost its tail it soon grew another. Kiaga was praying in the church when he heard the women talking excitedly. and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.Uchendu had been told by one of his grandchildren that three strangers had come to Okonkwo's house. The white man has no sense. Every nerve and every muscle stood out on their arms. Very often it was Ezinma who decided what food her mother should prepare.At last the two teams danced into the circle and the crowd roared and clapped.Okonkwo sprang from his bed. His future sons-in-law would be men of authority in the clan. silencing him.

else it would break and the thousand tiny rings would have to be strung together again. but its vigor was undiminished. they talked about everything except the thing for which they had gathered. When Ekwefi had followed the priestess." A cold shiver ran down Okonkwo's back as he remembered the last time the old man had visited him. and they ran for their lives. very shyly. Instead of saying "myself" he always said "my buttocks. "It is not to pay you back for all you did for me in these seven years. dead. But he always found fault with their effort. Who knows what may happen tomorrow? Perhaps green men will come to our clan and shoot us. It was also the dumping ground for highly potent fetishes of great medicine men when they died. If a man kills the sacred python in the secrecy of his hut. and they no longer spent the evenings in his mother's hut while she cooked. he has learned to fly without perching. An animal rubs its itching flank against a tree. the people of the sky set before their guests the most delectable dishes Tortoise had even seen or dreamed of. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone.""That is very bad.

nearly all the osu in Mbanta followed their example. One of them was so old and infirm that he leaned heavily on a stick. Could he remember them all? He would tell her about Nwoye and his mother. He just hung limp. He told them that they worshipped false gods. Okagbue emerged and without saying a word or even looking at the spectators he went to his goatskin bag. He refused to join in the meal. It was a little village called Mbanta. But two years later when a son was born he called him Nwofia??"Begotten in the Wilderness."At last the party arrived in the sky and their hosts were very happy to see them. a fairly small swarm came." the others replied. drank a little and handed back the horn. It seemed as if the world had gone mad. on their backs and their thighs.Umuofia had indeed changed during the seven years Okonkwo had been in exile. It was a rare achievement. They were very fat goats. It filled him with fire as it had always done from his youth."Remove your jigida first.

She wore a coiffure which was done up into a crest in the middle of the head. the one young and beautiful. guns and even his cannon."I don't know why such a trifle should come before the said one elder to another." said Ezinma. 'There is something ominous behind the silence. As soon as he found one he would sing with his whole being. Unoka was never happy when it came to wars. he won his first three converts. He brought out a sharp razor from the goatskin bag slung from his left shoulder and began to mutilate the child. He hoped to get another four hundred yams from one of his father's friends at Isiuzo."Where are her children? Did she take them?" he asked with unusual coolness and restraint."What is iyi-uwa?" she asked in return.""What has happened?" asked Okonkwo."Where are her children? Did she take them?" he asked with unusual coolness and restraint." said another man. not even for fear of a goddess."Bring me my bag. full of power and beauty."Sometimes I wish I had not taken the ozo title.

" said Okonkwo's voice. That is why Tortoise's shell is not smooth. The rainy season was approaching when they would go away until the dry season returned." said Obierika.' he thought as he looked at his ten-year-old daughter. and so were his cousins and their wives when he sent for them and told them who his guest was. Okonkwo looked away."Answer me. Ogbuefi Ezeugo was a powerful orator and was always chosen to speak on such occasions." Ekwefi said firmly. All was silent. in turn. Cam wood was rubbed lightly into her skin. A proud heart can survive a general failure because such failure does not prick its pride."Father. The missionaries had come to Umuofia. He ordered the outcasts to shave off their long. And to their greatest amazement the missionaries thanked them and burst into song. The crowd wondered who would throw the other this year. If we allow you to come with us you will soon begin your mischief.

and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala."Where did you bury your iyi-uwa?" asked Okagbue when Ezinma finally stopped outside her father's obi. So they made a powerful medicine. like something agitating with a metallic life.""Too much of his grandfather.""And have you never seen them?" asked Machi.The last match was between the leaders of the teams. Nwoye knew that Ikemefuna had been killed. The musicians with their wood. Nwoye. suddenly changed his mind and agreed to take the message. Obierika pointed at the two heavy bags.There were twelve men on each side and the challenge went from one side to the other. Okonkwo decided to go out hunting." replied Odukwe."Agbala do-o-o-o! Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o! Chi negbu madu ubosi ndu ya nato ya uto daluo-o-o! ??"Ekwefi could already see the hills looming in the moonlight. The first voice gets to Chukwu. put down his load and sat down. a light rain had fallen during the night and the soil would not be very hard. I would sooner strangle him with my own hands.

who had joined in plucking the feathers.Many years ago when Okonkwo was still a boy his father. At the end. Okonkwo's wives and children and those who came to help them with the cooking began to bring out the food. At such times."Be patient. The cloud had lifted and a few stars were out. you and me and all of us. and filled the village with excitement. had asked Ear to marry him. the old man supporting himself with his stick. He neither inherited a barn nor a title.The way into the shrine was a round hole at the side of a hill." he said. Every man rose in order of years and took a share. Many years ago when she was the village beauty Okonkwo had won her heart by throwing the Cat in the greatest contest within living memory. Why do the nations rage and the peoples imagine a vain thing? He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. some of them having come a long way from their homes in distant villages. and he pointed to a man who sat near him with a bowed head. he took up the rag with his left hand and began to untie it.

forty. Maduka. woman. It was even said that they had hanged one man who killed a missionary. who was a prosperous farmer.His anger thus satisfied. The two judges were already moving forward to separate them when Ikezue." her mother warned as she moved near the fireplace to bring the pestle resting against the wall. reached Okonkwo from his wives' huts as each woman and her children told folk stories. the whole clan gathers there.Okonkwo remembered that tragic year with a cold shiver throughout the rest of his life. "before i learned how to tap. Cooking pots went up and down the tripods and foo-foo was pounded in a hundred wooden mortars Some of the women cooked the yams and the cassava. yet young people ran about happily picking up the cold nuts and throwing them into their mouths to melt. and no longer rebuked him or beat him.He did not sleep at night. "Those that hear my words are my father and my mother. or the children of Eru. drank a little and handed back the horn. that is not the beginning.

waiting for the women to finish their cooking. The huge voice of the crowd then rose to the sky and in every direction. And so Tortoise ate the best part of the food and then drank two pots of palm-wine."Tell them. He was taking his family of three wives and their children to seek refuge in his motherland."She is ill in bed. Do you know how many children I have buried??children I begot in my youth and strength? Twenty-two. and the planting began. walked in their midst. Okonkwo said he was sorry for what he had said." said Okonkwo.He was by nature a very lively boy and he gradually became popular in Okonkwo's household. and was full of the sap of life.The missionaries spent their first four or five nights in the marketplace."After the Week of Peace every man and his family began to clear the bush to make new farms. Nwoye. silencing him. he broke it and they ate. His mind went back to Ikemefuna and he shivered. It told of one sheep out on the hills.

Evil Forest represented the village of Umueru. He had no patience with unsuccessful men.""You worry yourself for nothing." said Obierika.' said the birds when they had heard him. called the converts the excrement of the clan. They have joined his religion and they help to uphold his government. Was it waiting to snap its teeth together? After passing and re-passing by the church." replied Okonkwo. The three white men and a very large number of other men surrounded the market.The whole village turned out on the ilo.""Do you think a thief can do that kind of thing single-handed?" asked Nwankwo." But he was a man of commanding presence and the clansmen listened to him.""He has. He saw himself and his fathers crowding round their ancestral shrine waiting in vain for worship and sacrifice and finding nothing but ashes of bygone days. In front of them was a row of stools on which nobody sat. self-assured and confident. to roast plantains for him. on their backs and their thighs. Unoka.

and he said so with much threatening."That was about five years ago."You know what it is. Guns fired the last salute and the cannon rent the sky."Two years ago. to Obierika's compound. In front of them was a row of stools on which nobody sat."We are at last getting somewhere. and brought back a duckling. "How much longer do you think you will live?" she asked. An evil forest was. They did not stay very long.He is fit to be a slave." replied Nwoye. unearthly voice and completely covered in raffia. They saluted one another and then reappeared on the ilo. Then he poured out for the others. and earth rose.'Ask my dead father if he ever had a fowl when he was alive." was joyfully chanted everywhere.

Okonkwo slept. "You are already a skeleton. waving their palm fronds. Ezinma brought her two legs together and stretched them in front of her."Ah. Her deepening despair found expression in the names she gave her children. His two younger brothers are more promising. As a young man of eighteen he had brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat." said one of the younger men. all talking in low voices. Those who found themselves nearest to them merely moved to another seat. and asked no questions. She ran faster. all the descendants of Okolo. "You are already a skeleton. There was a drinking horn in it.""I think she has. 'It just walked away. But it is not our custom to debar anyone from the stream or the quarry. He held up a piece of chalk.

who were putting the last delicate touches of razor to her coiffure and cam wood on her smooth skin.; "Did he die?" asked Ezinma.Everybody agreed that Igwelo should drink the dregs. It was evening and the sun was settingUchendu's eldest daughter."Ezinma looked at her mother. That was his fifth head and he was not an old man yet. At the end of it Okonkwo was fully convinced that the man was mad. and she said so. Her voice was as clear as metal. and terror seized her. How then could he have begotten a son like Nwoye. It came from the direction of the ilo. which the first wife alone could wear. But he threw himself into it like one possessed. that the girl should go to Ogbuefi Udo to replace his murdered wife."Nwoye did not fully understand. We heard of it. "She has iba. if it lost its tail it soon grew another." said one of the cousins.