whose name was Jesu Kristi. "Life to all of us. to harvest cassava tubers. because it would hear.

But he left hold of Nwoye
But he left hold of Nwoye. There were only three such boys in each team. They did not stay very long. Okonkwo's youngest wife. cooking and eating. welcoming it back from its long. Ezinma. The air was cool and damp with dew."Come." Some of them had big sticks and some even machetes.Obierika was sitting outside under the shade of an orange tree making thatches from leaves of the raffia-palm. He could not understand it until he looked back and saw that what he led at the end of the tether was not a goat but a heavy log of wood. An evil forest was where the clan buried all those who died of the really evil diseases." he said. fire does not burn them?" Ezinma. The other people were released." Altogether there were fifty pots of wine. The law of Umuofia is that if a woman runs away from her husband her bride-price is returned. "Beware. Every man rose in order of years and took a share.

A man can now leave his father and his brothers. having enough in his barn to feed the ancestors with regular sacrifices. would wipe them off the face of the earth. not even with broomsticks. And so for three years Ikemefuna lived in Okonkwo's household. Nwoye's mother went to him and placed her hands on his chest and on his back.Obierika was sitting outside under the shade of an orange tree making thatches from leaves of the raffia-palm.- and in this way the cover was strengthened on the wall. The blazing sun returned." said the convert. But it is not our custom to debar anyone from the stream or the quarry. It is a bad custom which these people observe because they lack understanding.""Have you heard.Okonkwo did not have the start in life which many young men usually had. "Your friend Anene asked me to greet you. The three white men and a very large number of other men surrounded the market.So Okonkwo encouraged the boys to sit with him in his obi." said Ezinma." Ekwefi said firmly. The rains had come and yams had been sown.

But the really exciting moments were when a man was thrown." he announced when he sat down. Uchendu. to roast plantains for him.- he was full of cunning. for Mr. Some said Ezimili. The men stood outside the circle. At such times. "You will find a pot of wine there. and the quiet spectators murmured to themselves. which had been dutifully eating yam peelings." said Ekwefi. boomed the hollow metal. Nwoye's mother is already cooking.That night he collected his most valuable belongings into head-loads. From a distance the noise was a deep rumble carried by the wind."Agbala do-o-o-o!?? Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o! ??" Ekwefi trudged behind. her face streaming with tears. "Are you mad?"Okonkwo did not answer.

or how. who came out of her hut to draw water from a gigantic pot in the shade of a small tree in the middle of the compound. He addressed Nwakibie. It was slow and painful. carrying the stamp of their mutilation??a missing finger or perhaps a dark line where the medicine man's razor had cut them. She could not see beyond her nose. Yam stood for manliness. I want you to be there."Answer truthfully. as was the custom. Stories about these strange men had grown sim one of them had been killed in Abame and his iron horse tied to the sacred silk-cotton tree. He ordered the outcasts to shave off their long. Again and again Iguedo was called and men waited breathlessly in all the nine villages."We cannot all rush out like that. The air was full of dust and the smell of gunpowder."Then I shall go back to the clan. and drinking palm-wine copiously. I shall pay my big debts first. which was fastened to the rafters. Ekwefi trudged along between two fears.

His mother might be dead. forty-five.The drums were still beating. And when she returned he beat her very heavily. To show affection was a sign of weakness."There was a long silence. The women had come to the church with empty waterpots. Instead of saying "myself" he always said "my buttocks. As the elders said. The glowing logs only served to light up vaguely the dark figure of the priestess. His name was Maduka."Since I survived that year. guttural and awesome. and earth and sky once again became separate. So he began to plan how he would go to the sky. Okonkwo was only a boy then and Uchendu still remembered him crying the traditional farewell: "Mother.""What has happened to that piece of land in dispute?" asked Okonkwo. she found her lying on the mat. and it seldom did."The weeping was now quite close and soon the children filed in.

" said Okagbue. before they finally left for their village. gome. He immediately set to work digging a pit where Ezinma had indicated. and the other an old and faint shadow. When they saw it they drove it back to its owner. who laughed uneasily because. tall and strongly built. Okonkwo remembered his own father. Ekwefi quickly took her to their bedroom and placed her on their high bamboo bed. and when they had seen it and thanked him. Nwakibie sent for his wives. And she went into her hut to warm the vegetable soup she had cooked last night. Who else among his children could have read his thoughts so well? With two beautiful grown-up daughters his return to Umuofia would attract considerable attention. perhaps for the first time. but he did not know where to begin. He looked terrible with the smoked raffia "body. and he told them stories of the land??masculine stories of violence and bloodshed. As for the boy. brought in a pot of sweet wine tapped from the raffia palm.

during the last harvest season. He could hardly imagine that Okonkwo was not his real father. Chielo's voice now came after long intervals. It was a cry in the distance: oji odu aru ijiji-o-o! (The one that uses its tail to drive flies away!). If we put ourselves between the god and his victim we may receive blows intended for the offender. but in doing so he would have taken something from the full penalty of seven years."At last the hen was plucked clean."I did not say He had a wife. others said he was not the equal of Ikezue. taking each string separately. Such a thing could never happen in his fatherland. was the wife of Ogbuefi Udo."Ezinma's voice from the darkness warmed her mother's heart."If you bring us all this way for nothing I shall beat sense into you."The weeping was now quite close and soon the children filed in. Nwoye overheard it and burst into tears. Go home and work like a man. saluted the spirits and began his story."One of them passes here frequently. "His shell broke into pieces.

By the time Onwumbiko died Ekwefi had become a very bitter woman. floated on the chaos. Okonkwo's first son. And that was also the year Okonkwo broke the peace. The new year must begin with tasty. Okonkwo made a present of two cocks to them. Once or twice he tried to run away." He then added ten sticks to the fifteen and gave the bundle to Ukegbu. You have many wives and many children??more children than I have. not for hearing. where every woman had a shallow well for fermenting her cassava. As long as they lasted."Father."He sprang to his feet. In the end Oduche died and Aneto was taken to Umuru and hanged. smiling. But no one was sure where it was coming from. His words may also be good. but Okonkwo sat unmoved. and it seldom did.

"Umuofia kwenu. In that way she will elude her wicked tormentor and break its evil cycle of birth and death. "He hardly ever walks.During the planting season Okonkwo worked daily on his farms from cock-crow until the chickens went to roost."Ekwefi turned the hen over in the mortar and began to pluck the feathers. malevolent. an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb. He went into Ekwefi's hut. and the quiet spectators murmured to themselves. He dared not go too near the missionaries for fear of his father. he was told. He could not ask another man to build his own obi for him. He did not cry. Okonkwo rose to speak. She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy.""An albino. holding the ancestral staff of the family. and that first man was their harbinger sent to explore the terrain. He was always alone and was shaped like a coffin. and he never saw her again.

- one could not have known where one's mouth was in the darkness of thatcheap uggs for sale night. or God's house. But she had lived so long that perhaps she had decided to stay.' Those men of Abame were fools. buoyant maiden. "If a man comes into my hut and defecates on the floor.That night he collected his most valuable belongings into head-loads. It was as quick as the other two."You have not eaten for two days. called round his neighbors and made merry. like the prospect of annihilation.But before this quiet and final rite. It was like the desire for woman. But everybody knew that he was going to die and Aneto got his belongings together in readiness to flee. go home before Agbala does you harm.""If we leave our gods and follow your god. His actions were deliberate. but when they went away Okonkwo sat still for a very long time supporting his chin in his palms. It tried Okonkwo's patience beyond words. He did not know who the girl was.

But I want you to have nothing to do with it. There were little holes from one side to the other in the upper levels of the wall. Gome."No. If such a thing were ever to happen. with love. "If you split another yam of this size. The first cock has crowed.Some farmers had not planted their yams yet. Ekwefi's mind went back to the days when they were young. Obierika and half a dozen other friends came to help and to console him. "and leave the child alone. It descended on him again. on their backs and their thighs. They guarded the prison. It was even heard in the surrounding villages. There was an oil lamp in all the four huts on Okonkwo's compound. yams of the old year were all disposed of by those who still had them. Then the crier gave his message. sad and pleading.

The egwugwu had emerged once again from their underground home. Ezinma struggled to escape from the choking and overpowering steam. This roasted yam soaked in red palm-oil and eaten in the open farm was sweeter than any meal at home. It was said that they had built a place of judgment in Umuofia to protect the followers of their religion. When they returned Ukegbu handed the bundle of sticks back to Obierika. Okonkwo was not a man of thought but of action. chewing the fish. but I shall be happy if you marry in Umuofia when we return home. Suppose when he died all his male children decided to follow Nwoye's steps and abandon their ancestors? Okonkwo felt a cold shudder run through him at the terrible prospect. Now and then a cold shiver descended on his head and spread down his body. Every woman immediately abandoned whatever she was doing and rushed out in the direction of the cry."As they spoke Ezinma emerged from the hut. Ezinma. I married her with my money and my yams. 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. His fame rested on solid personal achievements.""You do not understand. the fear of the forest. with sticks.But the war that now threatened was a just war.

all talking in low voices. The locusts settled in the bushes for the night and their wings became wet with dew. He was in fact an outcast. They sat in a half-circle and began to talk of many things. whose sad story is still told in Umuofia unto this day. they held them over an open fire to burn off the hair."On the following Sunday. Unoka." said Obierika.That night he collected his most valuable belongings into head-loads."There is one important thing which we must not forget. They were the harbingers sent to survey the land. using some of the chicken.""That is why the drum has not been beaten to tell Umuofla. Ezinma wielded a strong influence over her half-sister. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. They never answered yes for fear it might be an evil spirit calling. Darkness held a vague terror for these people. The white man was also their brother because they were all sons of God. He continued:"During the last planting season a white man had appeared in their clan.

The pit was now so deep that they no longer saw the digger. "So he must have a wife and all of them must have buttocks. Evil Forest rose to his feet and order was immediately restored. There were also pots of yam pottage. and since he now had three wives his guests would make a fairly big crowd. She went in and knocked at his door and he came out. "let her not sleep in her hut. After her father's rebuke she developed an even keener appetite for eggs. and something seemed to give way inside him. Here we say he cannot climb the tall tree but he can tap the short ones standing on the ground. Soon it covered half the sky." said Ezinma. emerged from her hut. and they were merely her messengers. Ekwefi's mind went back to the days when they were young." he bellowed a fifth time. relaxed again. "Where did you bury your iyi-uwa?""Where they bury children. there was no other way. After a few more hoe-fuls of earth he struck the iyi-uwa.

It was a brief resting period between the exacting and arduous planting season and the equally exacting but light-hearted month of harvests. as the saying goes. And if you stand staring at me like that. It was the time of the year when everybody was at home. and it was his firmness that saved the young church. sat on the floor waiting for him to finish. Okonkwo came next and Ekwefi followed him. Maduka. and his children after him. These moods descended on her suddenly and for no apparent reason. "I have heard that many years ago.Obierika then presented to him a small bundle of short broomsticks. my hand has touched the ground. a long. talking excitedly and praying that the locusts should camp in Umuofia for the night."It was only this morning. If he had killed Ikemefuna during the busy planting season or harvesting it would not have been so bad."Don't be afraid. He was to be called All oj you. So I shall ask you to come again the way you came before.

The next morning the crazy men actually began to clear a part of the forest and to build their house. It was Okonkwo's uncle. and then you will know. or rather to his death. Now you talk about his son."For the first time in three nights. Amikwu. and old men and women would remember their youth. she sat down on a stony ledge and waited. In his anger he had forgotten that it was the Week of Peace. They have a big market in Abame on every other Afo day and. It was only then that they exchanged greetings and shook hands over what was left of the food. and one almost heard them stretching to breaking point.But stories were already gaining ground that the white man had not only brought a religion but also a government. They came when misfortune dogged their steps or when they had a dispute with their neighbors. They sympathized with their neighbors with much shaking of the head. It must be the thought of going home to his mother. Some women ran away in fear when it was thrown.There were twelve men on each side and the challenge went from one side to the other.

" he said to Okonkwo. But although it had happened so long ago.But Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through. but not today. fifth and sixth years. As for the boy. And not only his chi but his clan too. "That boy calls you father.Okonkwo's wives. His fame rested on solid personal achievements.When she had shaken hands. but that they had many children to feed. In fact he had not killed a rat with his gun.""It is true." replied Obierika. Uchendu. Nwoye. After her father's rebuke she developed an even keener appetite for eggs. beginning with the eldest man.

in the sunshine. until crops withered and the dead could not be buried because the hoes broke on the stony Earth." he said. Then he would show his wealth by initiating his sons into the ozo society. The story was always told of a wealthy man who set before his guests a mound of foo-foo so high that those who sat on one side could not see what was happening on the other. They all admired it and said that that was the way things should be done. He died and rotted away above the earth. Where is my daughter. he won his first three converts. And then Nkechi came in.""Yes. She went back to the hut and brought her pot. Fireflies went about with their tiny green lamps. Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them. It descended on him again. Their church stood on a circular clearing that looked like the open mouth of the Evil Forest. Kiaga. and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala. Okonkwo.

' replied the man."Okoli was not there to answer. and they were merely her messengers. that night. cutting down every tree or animal they saw. as a sullen husband refuses his wife's food when they have quarrelled. and how Sky withheld rain for seven years." said Evil Forest. We pray for life. Like all good farmers. But they have cast you out like lepers. too busy to argue. she has told me about it."Come along. He remembered the story she often told of the quarrel between Earth and Sky long ago. What she had seen was the shape of a man climbing a palm tree. Thirty. when Ogbuefi Ezeudu came in. Her mother consoled her and promised to buy her her another pot.

" and on each occasion he faced a different direction and seemed to push the air with a clenched fist. The elders and grandees of the village sat on their own stools brought there by their young sons or slaves. "is it true that when people are grown up. Tortoise also took one. No woman ever asked questions about the most powerful and the most secret cult in the clan. the twins still remained where they had been thrown away.'"Tortoise had a sweet tongue." Ezinma said. The ill-fated lad was called Ikemefuna.- instead of thirty there were now only fifteen. The three women talked excitedly about the relations who had been invited. I have none now except that young girl who knows not her right from her left.Ezeudu had been the oldest man in his village. Mgbafo. "Are you mad?"Okonkwo did not answer.After the singing the interpreter spoke about the Son of God whose name was Jesu Kristi. "Life to all of us. to harvest cassava tubers. because it would hear.