Read Online The Witch-Herbalist of the Remote Town by Amos Tutuola - Free Book Online
Authors: Amos Tutuola
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Further, he asked: “Could you tell us a brief history of your people?” I answered: “Yes, the whole people of my town are heathens. Even my father is the chief priest of idol, god, etc. worshippers. He conducts all worshipping ceremonies . And as for myself, I am a ‘born and die baby’. But I could not return to my folks again since my mother bore me last. As my father is a strong juju man, he had tied me down with juju and by that I could not return to my folks again. But of course, I am eager to return to them sometime.” Furthermore and with much interest, he asked me: “All right, where are you going to now?” I replied: “I am going to the Witch-Herbalist whose Remote Town is far away from my town.” “What are you going to see the Witch-Herbalist for?” he asked with wonder. And I explained to him: “Yes, I am going to see her in respect of my wife who has been barren since when I married her. And I want the Witch-Herbalist to help me to make her pregnant.”
When I explained to him like this, the whole of them nodded at the same time with surprise. Then the one who was asking the questions from me, asked again: “Do you know where this round thick shadow is taking us to now?” I replied : “I do not know!” Then he said: “Well, it is taking us to our mother who lives with us on the mountain!” As this one was still asking the questions from me, one who was next to him cut in and asked from me unexpectedly: “But do you know or have you heard of the ‘mother with longbreasts’?” When I heard this fearful question, I shook my head heavily to left and right and I feared greatly before I replied: “I have never seen the ‘mother with long breasts’, but I had been hearing of her from the old people of my town for a long time before I started my journey.” But when all of them heard so from me, they shouted with one voice: “Is that so? Well, you are going to meet her today!”
“Will she be kind to me?” I asked from them with fear, especially when it came to my “memory” at this time that my second “mind” had hinted me that I would be sentenced to death sooner or later, for harming the Squatting Man of the Jungle. Then they replied: “Well, none of us can tell. Because she is kind sometimes and unkind sometimes. But of course, she hates especially to see the townspeople!”
When they explained to me like that and saw on my face the great fear which could not be expressed, they started to sing and dance round me at the same time. I still dropped my head down heavily in sorrow, as they were still dancing and singing loudly with a very cheerful voice. The thick shadow drove us to the top of the mountain when it was about the fourth hour of the evening. Then it stopped on top of the mountain and disappeared unexpectedly.
As I was still cast down at the spot on which this shadow dropped us, then these children became wild unexpectedly, and without hesitation they pulled my arms up and I stood up with fear. Then they began to drag me along to an unknown place. After a while they dragged me to a place where thousands of crevices of rock were scattered about. Creeping plants almost covered them and this made them seem like old huts which were built in the forests or jungles. Several hundreds of other children who were the same age as them rushed out from the crevices of the rock and invaded me as soon as they dragged me to this rough area. Then they started to beat me with the short sticks which every one of them held above his head. As they were beating me continuously with short sticks, it was so they were shouting greatly on meas if I were a thief. They were following their folks who did not bother to stop them from beating me. After a while, they too joined them to beat and shout on me as well.
As they dragged me further in these crevices of rocks, they were still beating me mercilessly with the sticks. So when I felt much pain, I clutched myself from those who were dragging me
When I explained to him like this, the whole of them nodded at the same time with surprise. Then the one who was asking the questions from me, asked again: “Do you know where this round thick shadow is taking us to now?” I replied : “I do not know!” Then he said: “Well, it is taking us to our mother who lives with us on the mountain!” As this one was still asking the questions from me, one who was next to him cut in and asked from me unexpectedly: “But do you know or have you heard of the ‘mother with longbreasts’?” When I heard this fearful question, I shook my head heavily to left and right and I feared greatly before I replied: “I have never seen the ‘mother with long breasts’, but I had been hearing of her from the old people of my town for a long time before I started my journey.” But when all of them heard so from me, they shouted with one voice: “Is that so? Well, you are going to meet her today!”
“Will she be kind to me?” I asked from them with fear, especially when it came to my “memory” at this time that my second “mind” had hinted me that I would be sentenced to death sooner or later, for harming the Squatting Man of the Jungle. Then they replied: “Well, none of us can tell. Because she is kind sometimes and unkind sometimes. But of course, she hates especially to see the townspeople!”
When they explained to me like that and saw on my face the great fear which could not be expressed, they started to sing and dance round me at the same time. I still dropped my head down heavily in sorrow, as they were still dancing and singing loudly with a very cheerful voice. The thick shadow drove us to the top of the mountain when it was about the fourth hour of the evening. Then it stopped on top of the mountain and disappeared unexpectedly.
As I was still cast down at the spot on which this shadow dropped us, then these children became wild unexpectedly, and without hesitation they pulled my arms up and I stood up with fear. Then they began to drag me along to an unknown place. After a while they dragged me to a place where thousands of crevices of rock were scattered about. Creeping plants almost covered them and this made them seem like old huts which were built in the forests or jungles. Several hundreds of other children who were the same age as them rushed out from the crevices of the rock and invaded me as soon as they dragged me to this rough area. Then they started to beat me with the short sticks which every one of them held above his head. As they were beating me continuously with short sticks, it was so they were shouting greatly on meas if I were a thief. They were following their folks who did not bother to stop them from beating me. After a while, they too joined them to beat and shout on me as well.
As they dragged me further in these crevices of rocks, they were still beating me mercilessly with the sticks. So when I felt much pain, I clutched myself from those who were dragging me
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