far spent when the guests rose to go. and since he now had three wives his guests would make a fairly big crowd.

She was Okonkwo's second wife Ekwefi
She was Okonkwo's second wife Ekwefi. The people of the sky thought it must be their custom to leave all the food for their king. She had borne ten children and nine of them had died in infancy." said Okonkwo's voice. It was a miracle. It had not happened for many a long year. first with little sticks and later with tall and big tree branches. The eight other egwugwu were as still as statues. but ill. the god of the sky. full of power and beauty. If a gang of efulefu decided to live in the Evil Forest it was their own affair.But the year had gone mad." said Obierika. and sometimes two rainbows.The priestess had now reached Okonkwo's compound and was talking with him outside his hut. and then you will know. He walked back to his obi to await Ojiugo's return."The night was already far spent when the guests rose to go.

or with their father in his obi warming themselves from a log fire. She prepared it the way he liked??with slices of oil-bean and fish. But the really exciting moments were when a man was thrown. He knew that Nwakibie would not refuse him. but she was held down.Gradually the rains became lighter and less frequent.""Too much of his grandfather. "The evil you have done can ruin the whole clan. they talked about everything except the thing for which they had gathered. Uchendu ground his teeth together audibly. If only he could find some work to do he would be able to forget. They said she was coming. his face beaming with blessedness and peace. too busy to argue." said Obiageli.Before it was dusk Ezeani." Ezinma said. "one would think he never sucked at his mother's breast. But Ezinma had seen clearly all the thought and hidden meaning behind the few words.

It was also the dumping ground for highly potent fetishes of great medicine men when they died. Okonkwo had committed the female.The young suitor. He knew it must be Ekwefi. lest he should be found to resemble his father. The men brought their goatskin mats.Okonkwo sat in his obi crunching happily with Ikemefuna and Nwoye.Ezinma and her mother sat on a mat on the floor after their supper of yam foo-foo and bitter-leaf soup."None. whose frantic rhythm was no longer a mere disembodied sound but the very heartbeat of the people. who was now the eldest surviving member of that family. This roasted yam soaked in red palm-oil and eaten in the open farm was sweeter than any meal at home. He raised his voice once or twice in manly sorrow and then sat down with the other men listening to the endless wailing of the women and the esoteric language of the ekwe. and a girl. Okonkwo had slaughtered a goat for her. who also counted them and said:"We had not thought to go below thirty. with music and dancing and a great feast." he said. It was only from Nwoye's mother that he heard scraps of the story.

""That is very bad. They would go to such hosts for as long as three or four markets. The wailing of the women would not be heard beyond the village.At this point an old man said he had a question. which were black with soot. but Ezeani seemed to pay no attention. when Mr. Okonkwo brought out l??s big horn from the goatskin bag. How could he know that his father had taken a hand in killing a daughter of Umuofia? All he knew was that a few men had arrived at their house.Mr."It is false. is a beast. and she said so. Ekwefi picked her way carefully and quietly. Do you know how many children I have buried??children I begot in my youth and strength? Twenty-two. who had begun to pour out the wine. his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm." said Uchendu. and then passed two shares to Nwoye and Ikemefuna.

woman. Kiaga was going to send into the village for his men-converts when he saw them coming on their own. and although ailing she seemed determined to live." said Okonkwo. drank a little and handed back the horn. "Three or four of us should stay behind.""You do not understand. Uchendu before her. It was for this man that Okonkwo worked to earn his first seed yams.The drum sounded again and the flute blew."Come along." said Ezinma.""Some people say the Oracle warned him that he would fall off a palm tree and kill himself. She beckons in front of her and behind her. He was to be called All oj you. Nwoye was there. "We shall give them a piece of land. He was greatly shocked and swore to beat Ekwefi if she dared to give the child eggs again. 'There is something ominous behind the silence.

But the year had gone mad. They then set about painting themselves with cam wood and drawing beautiful black patterns on their stomachs and on their backs."Thank you. I sow the yams when the first rain has fallen. Perhaps he had been going to Mbaino and had lost his way. ivory spoon.When the mat was at last removed she was drenched in perspiration. Darkness held a vague terror for these people. and in the end it was decided to ostracize the Christians. They said she was coming. It was unheard of to beat somebody during the sacred week. you can tell a ripe corn by its look. unless it was one of the stubborn ones who returned. He sat down again and called two witnesses. He would have liked to return earlier and build his compound that year before the rains stopped. Ezinma? Agbala wants to see her. With this magic fan she beckons to the market all the neighboring clans. Uzowulu. among the missionaries in Umuofia.

chewing the fish. If we put ourselves between the god and his victim we may receive blows intended for the offender. He would have liked to return earlier and build his compound that year before the rains stopped. which were passed round for all to see and then returned to him.Okonkwo had eaten from his wives' dishes and was nowreclining with his back against the wall. They haggle and bargain as if they were buying a goat or a cow in the market. and he loved the first kites that returned with the dry season. closely followed by Nwoye and his two younger brothers. All this happened many years ago. It was a cry in the distance: oji odu aru ijiji-o-o! (The one that uses its tail to drive flies away!)." said Okonkwo. The air was cool and damp with dew. because their dreaded agadi-nwayi would never fight what the Ibo call a fight of blame. Her mother always took her into their bedroom and shut the door." he asked. And there were indeed occasions when the Oracle had forbidden Umuofia to wage a war. He would build a bigger barn than he had had before and he would build huts for two new wives.""Nna ayi. the sun is shining.

"No." He paused." said Obierika. and they took up fans and began to fan themselves. Tortoise had no wings. the one young and beautiful. "But I have also heard that Abame people were weak and foolish." shouted Chielo. the harvest of the previous year. walked in their midst." replied the other. They went outside again. and after that the dry season. She would want to hear everything that had happened to him in all these years. Would he recognize her now? She must have grown quite big.Nwoye struggled to free himself from the choking grip." she began. But almost immediately a shout of joy broke out in all directions. and within a short time all the birds agreed that he was a changed man.

and because of their ash-colored shorts they earned the additional name of Ashy Buttocks.' replied the young kite."Leave that boy at once!" said a voice in the outer compound. As Idigo had said. Some people even said that they had heard the spirits flying and flapping their wings against the roof of the cave." he had said. His name was Uchendu. elina!SalaEze ilikwa ya Ikwaba akwa ogholi Ebe Danda nechi eze Ebe Uzuzu nete egwuSalaHe sang it in his mind. It was said that he wore glasses on his eyes so that he could see and talk to evil spirits."Obiageli broke her pot today. He dared not go too near the missionaries for fear of his father.There were no stars in the sky because there was a rain-cloud. If you think you are the greatest sufferer in the world ask my daughter. Okonkwo's son. The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did. There were only three such boys in each team." the medicine man told Okonkwo in a cool. To abandon the gods of one's father and go about with a lot of effeminate men clucking like old hens was the very depth of abomination."We have now built a church.

He knew that Nwakibie would not refuse him. and the sands felt like live coals to the feet. Sometimes when he went to big village meetings or communal ancestral feasts he allowed Ikemefuna to accompany him. occasionally feeling with her palm the wet. The first thing he would do would be to rebuild his compound on a more magnificent scale. but he had not expected he would be so generous. That was the only time Ekwefi ever saw Ogbu-agali-odu. Ezigbo. She put back the empty pot on the circular pad in the corner. There was no barn to inherit. or God's house. But I fear for you young people because you do not understand how strong is the bond of kinship. Amadiora or the thunderbolt. let him follow Nwoye now while I am alive so that I can curse him. and he said so with much threatening. which was rubbed with red earth so that it shone. indeed." He presented the kola nut to them."You have all seen the great abomination of your brother.

and then you will know."Call your wife and child. She determined to nurse her child to health. Nwoye's mother. Okonkwo's son. "Your wrestling the other day gave me much happiness. which every man kept in his obi and with which his guests drew lines on the floor before they ate kola nuts. And so he killed her. and on their way they paid short courtesy visits to prominent men like Okonkwo. whose sad story is still told in Umuofia unto this day. So much of it was cooked that.""Nna ayi." said Nwoye's mother." roared Okonkwo. But there were some too who came because they had friends in our town. one saw that there was sorrow and grief there. "they killed him and tied up his iron horse.Sometimes a man came to consult the spirit of his dead father or relative. Ikemefuna came first with the biggest pot.

There was a long break. He made him feel grown-up. and in the end it was decided to ostracize the Christians. Are you deaf?" Okonkwo roared at her." He laughed a mirthless laughter. They chose to fly home on an empty stomach. He was a wealthy farmer and had two barns full of yams."It has not always been so."Where do you sleep with your wife. It was a rare achievement. Some said Okafo was the better man. How old is she now?""She is about ten years old."We have now built a church." said Okonkwo's voice. "who will protect us from the anger of our neglected gods and ancestors?""Your gods are not alive and cannot do you any harm.- they merely set the scene. At first Ekwefi accepted her. You stay at home."Don't cry.

And then quite suddenly a shadow fell on the world.As soon as the day broke." said Obierika. yellow and dark green. greeted themselves in their esoteric language. "His shell broke into pieces. A mighty wind arose and filled the air with dust.""Your chi is very much awake." Obierika said to Nwoye. more fierce than it had ever been known. But they were very rare and short-lived." Obierika again drank a little of his wine. Darkness was around the corner." He prayed especially for Okonkwo and his family. I am not afraid of work. why it is that one of the commonest names we give our children is Nneka." said Obierika. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very clever. Amikwu and his people had taken palm-wine to the bride's kinsmen about two moons before Okonkwo's arrival in Mbanta.

The rains had come and yams had been sown."When did you become a shivering old woman. She was the ultimate judge of morality and conduct. Umuofia. Ezinma? You are older than Obiageli but she has more sense. the matter lies between him and the god. "before I kill you!" He seized a heavy stick that lay on the dwarf wall and hit him two or three savage blows. whose frantic rhythm was no longer a mere disembodied sound but the very heartbeat of the people." His staff came down again. What would she do when they got to the cave? She would not dare to enter. Even the sacred fish in their mysterious lake have fled and the lake has turned the color of blood. in turn. He sang the song again. In her hand was the cloth pad on which the pot should have rested on her head. how many twins she has borne and thrown away." replied Ekwefi."No. He was merely led into greater complexities. he fled to Aninta to escape the wrath of the earth.

The two voices disappeared into the thick darkness. "In those other clans you speak of. A sudden fury rose within him and he felt a strong desire to take up his machete. And when he got there he found it was a man making a sacrifice."Umuofia kwenu. Unfortunately for her Okonkwo heard it and ran madly into his room for the loaded gun.The arrival of the missionaries had caused a considerable stir in the village of Mbanta. He searched in it for his snuff-bottle. She must have heard a noise behind her and turned round sharply. and she was notorious for her late cooking. eating the peelings."In her hut. to the boys and they passed it round the wooden stays and then back to him."Tell my wife. She rubbed each string downwards with her palms until it passed the buttocks and slipped down to the floor around her feet." the convert maintained. children sat around their mother's cooking fire telling stories. Why is it that when a woman dies she is taken home to be buried with her own kinsmen? She is not buried with her husband's kinsmen. He knew that Nwakibie would not refuse him.

afraid of your next-door neighbor. He dared not go too near the missionaries for fear of his father.The way into the shrine was a round hole at the side of a hill. Even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness. The hymn about brothers who sat in darkness and in fear seemed to answer a vague and persistent question that haunted his young soul??the question of the twins crying in the bush and the question of Ikemefuna who was killed. He had cracked them himself. A snake was never called by its name at night. He brought another seven baskets and cooked them himself. He was therefore waiting to receive them."Go and bring me some cold water."I must go home to tap my palm trees for the afternoon. to go before the mighty Agbala of your own accord? Beware. I salute you. "But I cannot understand these things you tell me. which were black with soot. He is not my father. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. And how is my daughter."Ezeudu was a great man.

And she realized too with something like a jerk that Chielo was no longer moving forward. alive with sinister forces and powers of darkness. It was a full gathering of umuada. But they soon returned and everyone was gazing at the rag from a reasonable distance. very much shaken and frightened but quite unhurt. All that is true. indeed." said Obierika. The women were screaming outside. and from the very first seemed to have kindled a new fire in the younger boy. The titled men and elders sat on their stools waiting for the trials to begin. calling on her mother. And so they arrived home again. reappeared every year for seven years and then disappeared for another lifetime. But now she found the half-light of the incipient moon more terrifying than darkness. "So he must have a wife and all of them must have buttocks. "I had something better to do. He had a bad chi or personal god. who was Okonkwo's father.

"my eyelid is twitching. At an early age he had achieved fame as the greatest wrestler in all the land."After the kola nut had been eaten Okonkwo brought his palm- wine from the corner of the hut where it had been placed and stood it in the center of the group."Remove your jigida first. 'Your dead father wants you to sacrifice a goat to him."Yes."On the following Sunday."Just then Obierika's son. which was fastened to the rafters."Uzowulu's body. and the crowd answered. Okonkwo. and long stacks of yam stood out prosperously in it." said Uchendu to his peers when they consulted among themselves." asked another man. That was not luck. Okonkwo was one of them. "is it true that when people are grown up. "He seemed to speak through his nose.

passing back the disc." he said. Her coming was quite useless. was a very exacting king. others said he was not the equal of Ikezue. "you. and then passed two shares to Nwoye and Ikemefuna. "But if the Oracle said that my son should be killed I would neither dispute it nor be the one to do it. Ekwefi broke into a run as though to stop them."Point at the spot with your finger.At first Ikemefuna was very much afraid. And so although Okonkwo was still young. You do not know what it is to speak with one voice." came her voice. Everybody knew she was an ogbanje. I know it as I look at you. Evil Forest rose to his feet and order was immediately restored."The night was already far spent when the guests rose to go. and since he now had three wives his guests would make a fairly big crowd.