The night was impenetrably dark. The moon had been rising later and later every night until now it was seen
only at dawn. And whenever the moon forsook evening and rose at cock-crow the nights were as black as charcoal.
Ezinma and her mother sat on a mat on the floor after their supper of yam foo-foo and bitter-leaf soup. A palm-oil lamp gave out yellowish light. Without it, it would have been impossible to eat; one could not have known where oneโs mouth was in the darkness of that night. There was an oil lamp in all the four huts on Okonkwoโs compound, and each hut seen from the others looked like a soft eye of yellow half-light set in the solid massiveness of night.
The world was silent except for the shrill cry of insects, which was part of the night, and the sound of wooden mortar and pestle as Nwayieke pounded her foo-foo. Nwayieke lived four compounds away, and she was notorious for her late cooking. Every woman in the neighborhood knew the sound of Nwayiekeโs mortar and pestle. It was also part of the night. Okonkwo had eaten from his wivesโ dishes and was now reclining with his back against the wall. He searched his bag and brought out his snuff-bottle. He turned it on to his left palm, but nothing came out. He hit the bottle against his knee to shake up the tobacco. That was always the trouble with Okekeโs snuff. It very quickly went damp, and there was too much saltpeter in it. Okonkwo had not bought snuff from him for a long time. Idigo was the man who knew how to grind good snuff. But he had recently fallen ill.
Low voices, broken now and again by singing, reached Okonkwo from his wivesโ huts as each woman and her children told folk
stories. Ekwefi and her daughter, Ezinma, sat on a mat on the floor. It was Ekwefiโs turn to tell a story.
โOnce upon a time,โ she began, โall the birds were invited to a feast in the sky. They were very happy and began to prepare themselves for the great day. They painted their bodies with red cam wood and drew beautiful patterns on them withย uli.
โTortoise saw all these preparations and soon discovered what it all meant. Nothing that happened in the world of the animals ever escaped his notice; he was full of cunning. As soon as he heard of the great feast in the sky his throat began to itch at the very thought. There was a famine in those days and Tortoise had not eaten a good meal for two moons. His body rattled like a piece of dry stick in his empty shell. So he began to plan how he would go to the sky.โ
โBut he had no wings,โ said Ezinma.
โBe patient,โ replied her mother. โThat is the story. Tortoise had no wings, but he went to the birds and asked to be allowed to go with them.
โโWe know you too well,โ said the birds when they had heard him. โYou are full of cunning and you are ungrateful. If we allow you to come with us you will soon begin your mischief.โ
โโYou do not know me,โ said Tortoise. โI am a changed man. I have learned that a man who makes trouble for others is also making it for himself.โ
โTortoise had a sweet tongue, and within a short time all the birds agreed that he was a changed man, and they each gave him a feather, with which he made two wings.
โAt last the great day came and Tortoise was the first to arrive at the meeting place. When all the birds had gathered together, they set off in a body. Tortoise was very happy and voluble as he flew among the birds, and he was soon chosen as the man to speak for the party because he was a great orator.
โโThere is one important thing which we must not forget,โ he said as they flew on their way. โWhen people are invited to a great feast like this, they take new names for the occasion. Our hosts in the sky will expect us to honor this age-old custom.โ
โNone of the birds had heard of this custom but they knew that Tortoise, in spite of his failings in other directions, was a widely- traveled man who knew the customs of different peoples. And so they each took a new name. When they had all taken. Tortoise also took one. He was to be calledย All of you.
โAt last the party arrived in the sky and their hosts were very happy to see them. Tortoise stood up in his many-colored plumage and thanked them for their invitation. His speech was so eloquent that all the birds were glad they had brought him, and nodded their heads in approval of all he said. Their hosts took him as the king of the birds, especially as he looked somewhat different from the others.
โAfter kola nuts had been presented and eaten, the people of the sky set before their guests the most delectable dishes Tortoise had even seen or dreamed of. The soup was brought out hot from the fire and in the very pot in which it had been cooked. It was full of meat and fish. Tortoise began to sniff aloud. There was pounded yam and also yam pottage cooked with palm-oil and fresh fish. There were also pots of palm-wine. When everything had been set before the guests, one of the people of the sky came forward and tasted a little from each pot. He then invited the birds to eat. But Tortoise jumped to his feet and asked: โFor whom have you prepared this feast?โ
โโFor all of you,โ replied the man.
โTortoise turned to the birds and said: โYou remember that my name isย All of you.ย The custom here is to serve the spokesman first and the others later. They will serve you when I have eaten.โ
โHe began to eat and the birds grumbled angrily. The people of the sky thought it must be their custom to leave all the food for their king. And so Tortoise ate the best part of the food and then
drank two pots of palm-wine, so that he was full of food and drink and his body filled out in his shell.
โThe birds gathered round to eat what was left and to peck at the bones he had thrown all about the floor. Some of them were too angry to eat. They chose to fly home on an empty stomach. But before they left each took back the feather he had lent to Tortoise. And there he stood in his hard shell full of food and wine but without any wings to fly home. He asked the birds to take a message for his wife, but they all refused. In the end Parrot, who had felt more angry than the others, suddenly changed his mind and agreed to take the message.
โโTell my wife,โ said Tortoise, โto bring out all the soft things in my house and cover the compound with them so that I can jump down from the sky without very great danger.โ
โParrot promised to deliver the message, and then flew away. But when he reached Tortoiseโs house he told his wife to bring out all the hard things in the house. And so she brought out her husbandโs hoes, machetes, spears, guns and even his cannon. Tortoise looked down from the sky and saw his wife bringing things out, but it was too far to see what they were. When all seemed ready he let himself go. He fell and fell and fell until he began to fear that he would never stop falling. And then like the sound of his cannon he crashed on the compound.โ
โDid he die?โ asked Ezinma.
โNo,โ replied Ekwefi. โHis shell broke into pieces. But there was a great medicine man in the neighborhood. Tortoiseโs wife sent for him and he gathered all the bits of shell and stuck them together. That is why Tortoiseโs shell is not smooth.โ
โThere is no song in the story,โ Ezinma pointed out.
โNo,โ said Ekwefi. โI shall think of another one with a song. But it is your turn now.โ
โOnce upon a time,โ Ezinma began, โTortoise and Cat went to wrestle against Yamsโno, that is not the beginning. Once upon a time there was a great famine in the land of animals. Everybody was
lean except Cat, who was fat and whose body shone as if oil was rubbed on it โฆโ
She broke off because at that very moment a loud and high- pitched voice broke the outer silence of the night. It was Chielo, the priestess of Agbala, prophesying. There was nothing new in that. Once in a while Chielo was possessed by the spirit of her god and she began to prophesy. But tonight she was addressing her prophecy and greetings to Okonkwo, and so everyone in his family listened. The folk stories stopped.
“Agbala do-o-o-o! Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o-o,โย came the voice like a sharp knife cutting through the night.ย “Okonkwo! Agbala ekene gio-o- o-o! Agbala cholu ifu ada ya Ezinmao-o-o-o!โ
At the mention of Ezinmaโs name Ekwefi jerked her head sharply like an animal that had sniffed death in the air. Her heart jumped painfully within her.
The priestess had now reached Okonkwoโs compound and was talking with him outside his hut. She was saying again and again that Agbala wanted to see his daughter, Ezinma. Okonkwo pleaded with her to come back in the morning because Ezinma was now asleep. But Chielo ignored what he was trying to say and went on shouting that Agbala wanted to see his daughter. Her voice was as clear as metal, and Okonkwoโs women and children heard from their huts all that she said. Okonkwo was still pleading that the girl had been ill of late and was asleep. Ekwefi quickly took her to their bedroom and placed her on their high bamboo bed.
The priestess screamed. โBeware, Okonkwo!โ she warned. โBeware of exchanging words with Agbala. Does a man speak when a god speaks? Beware!โ
She walked through Okonkwoโs hut into the circular compound and went straight toward Ekwefiโs hut. Okonkwo came after her.
โEkwefi,โ she called, โAgbala greets you. Where is my daughter, Ezinma? Agbala wants to see her.โ
Ekwefi came out from her hut carrying her oil lamp in her left hand. There was a light wind blowing, so she cupped her right hand
to shelter the flame. Nwoyeโs mother, also carrying an oil lamp, emerged from her hut. The children stood in the darkness outside their hut watching the strange event. Okonkwoโs youngest wife also came out and joined the others.
โWhere does Agbala want to see her?โ Ekwefi asked.
โWhere else but in his house in the hills and the caves?โ replied the priestess.
โI will come with you, too,โ Ekwefi said firmly.
“Tufia-a!โย the priestess cursed, her voice cracking like the angry bark of thunder in the dry season. โHow dare you, woman, to go before the mighty Agbala of your own accord? Beware, woman, lest he strike you in his anger. Bring me my daughter.โ
Ekwefi went into her hut and came out again with Ezinma. โCome, my daughter,โ said the priestess. โI shall carry you on my
back. A baby on its motherโs back does not know that the way is
long.โ
Ezinma began to cry. She was used to Chielo calling her โmy daughter.โ But it was a different Chielo she now saw in the yellow half-light.
โDonโt cry, my daughter,โ said the priestess, โlest Agbala be angry with you.โ
โDonโt cry,โ said Ekwefi, โshe will bring you back very soon. I shall give you some fish to eat.โ She went into the hut again and brought down the smoke-black basket in which she kept her dried fish and other ingredients for cooking soup. She broke a piece in two and gave it to Ezinma, who clung to her.
โDonโt be afraid,โ said Ekwefi, stroking her head, which was shaved in places, leaving a regular pattern of hair. They went outside again. The priestess bent down on one knee and Ezinma climbed on her back, her left palm closed on her fish and her eyes gleaming with tears.
“Agbala do-o-o-o! Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o!ย โฆโ Chielo began once again to chant greetings to her god. She turned round sharply and
walked through Okonkwoโs hut, bending very low at the eaves. Ezinma was crying loudly now, calling on her mother. The two voices disappeared into the thick darkness.
A strange and sudden weakness descended on Ekwefi as she stood gazing in the direction of the voices like a hen whose only chick has been carried away by a kite. Ezinmaโs voice soon faded away and only Chielo was heard moving farther and farther into the distance.
โWhy do you stand there as though she had been kidnapped?โ asked Okonkwo as he went back to his hut.
โShe will bring her back soon,โ Nwoyeโs mother said.
But Ekwefi did not hear these consolations. She stood for a while, and then, all of a sudden, made up her mind. She hurried through Okonkwoโs hut and went outside. โWhere are you going?โ he asked.
โI am following Chielo,โ she replied and disappeared in the darkness. Okonkwo cleared his throat, and brought out his snuff- bottle from the goatskin bag by his side.
The priestessโ voice was already growing faint in the distance. Ekwefi hurried to the main footpath and turned left in the direction of the voice. Her eyes were useless to her in the darkness. But she picked her way easily on the sandy footpath hedged on either side by branches and damp leaves. She began to run, holding her breasts with her hands to stop them flapping noisily against her body. She hit her left foot against an outcropped root, and terror seized her. It was an ill omen. She ran faster. But Chieloโs voice was still a long way away. Had she been running too? How could she go so fast with Ezinma on her back? Although the night was cool, Ekwefi was beginning to feel hot from her running. She continually ran into the luxuriant weeds and creepers that walled in the path. Once she tripped up and fell. Only then did she realize, with a start, that Chielo had stopped her chanting. Her heart beat violently and she stood still. Then Chieloโs renewed outburst came from only a few paces ahead. But Ekwefi could not see her. She shut her eyes for a
while and opened them again in an effort to see. But it was useless. She could not see beyond her nose.
There were no stars in the sky because there was a rain-cloud. Fireflies went about with their tiny green lamps, which only made the darkness more profound. Between Chieloโs outbursts the night was alive with the shrill tremor of forest insects woven into the darkness.
“Agbala do-o-o-o! โฆ Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o!ย โฆโ Ekwefi trudged behind, neither getting too near nor keeping too far back. She thought they must be going towards the sacred cave. Now that she walked slowly she had time to think. What would she do when they got to the cave? She would not dare to enter. She would wait at the mouth, all alone in that fearful place. She thought of all the terrors of the night. She remembered that night, long ago, when she had seenย Ogbu-agali-odu, one of those evil essences loosed upon the world by the potent โmedicinesโ which the tribe had made in the distant past against its enemies but had now forgotten how to control. Ekwefi had been returning from the stream with her mother on a dark night like this when they saw its glow as it flew in their direction. They had thrown down their waterpots and lain by the roadside expecting the sinister light to descend on them and kill them. That was the only time Ekwefi ever sawย Ogbu-agali-odu.ย But although it had happened so long ago, her blood still ran cold whenever she remembered that night.
The priestessโ voice came at longer intervals now, but its vigor was undiminished. The air was cool and damp with dew. Ezinma sneezed. Ekwefi muttered, โLife to you.โ At the same time the priestess also said, โLife to you, my daughter.โ Ezinmaโs voice from the darkness warmed her motherโs heart. She trudged slowly along.
And then the priestess screamed. โSomebody is walking behind me!โ she said. โWhether you are spirit or man, may Agbala shave your head with a blunt razor! May he twist your neck until you see your heels!โ
Ekwefi stood rooted to the spot. One mind said to her: โWoman, go home before Agbala does you harm.โ But she could not. She stood until Chielo had increased the distance between them and she began to follow again. She had already walked so long that she began to feel a slight numbness in the limbs and in the head. Then it occurred to her that they could not have been heading for the cave. They must have bypassed it long ago; they must be going towards Umuachi, the farthest village in the clan. Chieloโs voice now came after long intervals.
It seemed to Ekwefi that the night had become a little lighter. The cloud had lifted and a few stars were out. The moon must be preparing to rise, its sullenness over. When the moon rose late in the night, people said it was refusing food, as a sullen husband refuses his wifeโs food when they have quarrelled.
“Agbala do-o-o-o! Umuachi! Agbala ekene unuo-o-o!โย It was just as Ekwefi had thought. The priestess was now saluting the village of Umuachi. It was unbelievable, the distance they had covered. As they emerged into the open village from the narrow forest track the darkness was softened and it became possible to see the vague shape of trees. Ekwefi screwed her eyes up in an effort to see her daughter and the priestess, but whenever she thought she saw their shape it immediately dissolved like a melting lump of darkness. She walked numbly along.
Chieloโs voice was now rising continuously, as when she first set out. Ekwefi had a feeling of spacious openness, and she guessed they must be on the villageย ilo, or playground. And she realized too with something like a jerk that Chielo was no longer moving forward. She was, in fact, returning. Ekwefi quickly moved away from her line of retreat. Chielo passed by, and they began to go back the way they had come.
It was a long and weary journey and Ekwefi felt like a sleepwalker most of the way. The moon was definitely rising, and although it had not yet appeared on the sky its light had already melted down the darkness. Ekwefi could now discern the figure of the priestess and her burden. She slowed down her pace so as to increase the
distance between them. She was afraid of what might happen if Chielo suddenly turned round and saw her.
โShe had prayed for the moon to rise. But now she found the half- light of the incipient moon more terrifying than darkness. The world was now peopled with vague, fantastic figures that dissolved under her steady gaze and then formed again in new shapes. At one stage Ekwefi was so afraid that she nearly called out to Chielo for companionship and human sympathy. What she had seen was the shape of a man climbing a palm tree, his head pointing to the earth and his legs skywards. But at that very moment Chieloโs voice rose again in her possessed chanting, and Ekwefi recoiled, because there was no humanity there. It was not the same Chielo who sat with her in the market and sometimes bought beancakes for Ezinma, whom she called her daughter. It was a different womanโthe priestess of Agbala, the Oracle of the Hills and Caves. Ekwefi trudged along between two fears. The sound of her benumbed steps seemed to come from some other person walking behind her. Her arms were folded across her bare breasts. Dew fell heavily and the air was cold. She could no longer think, not even about the terrors of night. She just jogged along in a half-sleep, only waking to full life when Chielo sang.
At last they took a turning and began to head for the caves. From then on, Chielo never ceased in her chanting. She greeted her god in a multitude of namesโthe owner of the future, the messenger of earth, the god who cut a man down when his life was sweetest to him. Ekwefi was also awakened and her benumbed fears revived.
The moon was now up and she could see Chielo and Ezinma clearly. How a woman could carry a child of that size so easily and for so long was a miracle. But Ekwefi was not thinking about that. Chielo was not a woman that night.
“Agbala do-o-o-o! Agbala ekeneo-o-o-o! Chi negbu madu ubosi ndu ya nato ya uto daluo-o-o! โฆโ
Ekwefi could already see the hills looming in the moonlight. They formed a circular ring with a break at one point through which the
foot-track led to the center of the circle.
As soon as the priestess stepped into this ring of hills her voice was not only doubled in strength but was thrown back on all sides. It was indeed the shrine of a great god. Ekwefi picked her way carefully and quietly. She was already beginning to doubt the wisdom of her coming. Nothing would happen to Ezinma, she thought. And if anything happened to her could she stop it? She would not dare to enter the underground caves. Her coming was quite useless, she thought.
As these things went through her mind she did not realize how close they were to the cave mouth. And so when the priestess with Ezinma on her back disappeared through a hole hardly big enough to pass a hen, Ekwefi broke into a run as though to stop them. As she stood gazing at the circular darkness which had swallowed them, tears gushed from her eyes, and she swore within her that if she heard Ezinma cry she would rush into the cave to defend her against all the gods in the world. She would die with her.
Having sworn that oath, she sat down on a stony ledge and waited. Her fear had vanished. She could hear the priestessโ voice, all its metal taken out of it by the vast emptiness of the cave. She buried her face in her lap and waited.
She did not know how long she waited. It must have been a very long time. Her back was turned on the footpath that led out of the hills. She must have heard a noise behind her and turned round sharply. A man stood there with a machete in his hand. Ekwefi uttered a scream and sprang to her feet.
โDonโt be foolish,โ said Okonkwoโs voice. โI thought you were going into the shrine with Chielo,โ he mocked.
Ekwefi did not answer. Tears of gratitude filled her eyes. She knew her daughter was safe.
โGo home and sleep,โ said Okonkwo. โI shall wait here.โ
โI shall wait too. It is almost dawn. The first cock has crowed.โ
As they stood there together, Ekwefiโs mind went back to the days when they were young. She had married Anene because Okonkwo was too poor then to marry. Two years after her marriage to Anene she could bear it no longer and she ran away to Okonkwo. It had been early in the morning. The moon was shining. She was going to the stream to fetch water. Okonkwoโs house was on the way to the stream. She went in and knocked at his door and he came out. Even in those days he was not a man of many words. He just carried her into his bed and in the darkness began to feel around her waist for the loose end of her cloth.